Mike Carrell wrote:
In my personal contacts with Mills I have seen no arrogance, just confidence in his own insight. Criticism without the work of understanding is itself 'arrogance'.
Oh come now, Mike. If you do not see arrogance in the attitudes expressed by Mills, you need a refresher course in the norms of scientific discourse. NOBODY in this field but Mills or Arata would seriously call his own work "one of the most important discoveries in history" even if that were manifestly true. People such as Fleischmann and Bockris has made tremendous contributions to electrochemistry -- we are talking Nobel level contributions, if the Nobel committees knew anything about electrochemistry. Fleischmann is an FRS and he founded cold fusion. They both have large egos and make no bones about it. I have hung around with them and drunk bottles of wine with them, and I know this to be the case. But they would never talk the way Mills does.
Even Newton -- who had an ego the size of a coliseum -- referred to himself as merely playing with a few stones at the beach, and said "if I have seen further than others it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Everyone including Newton knew that he was a superlative genius and he had advanced science more than anyone in ancient or modern times, but it was bad form to say so about yourself back then, and it still is.
This is a matter of academic social norms. Mills and Arata choose to ignore them. That gives other people the strong impression that these two are clowns and charlatans. If you want make a good impression on other scientists, or attract capital, talking the way they do is an idiotic thing to do. It is okay for movie stars and fiction authors to extol their own sublime genius, but in science it is gauche. It is not on, as they say in England.
On the other hand, if you don't give a darn what other scientists think (Arata), or if you already have all the moola you need (Mills?) then why not praise yourself to the skies and call yourself a genius? It is kind of endearing. Your friends will forgive you. People who don't know you will assume you are crazy, but so what?
Arata also gives a bad impression because he shouts about how people have always conspired against him, tried to ruin him, and tried to steal his ideas starting back in the 1940s. Also because he bosses people around, insults them, and hangs around with extremist right-wing political groups. I suspect people have tried to drive him out of the university. You can't blame them, but they should have put up with him because he is undoubtedly a genius.
Arthur C. Clarke had a tremendous ego, but he was such a nice person it did not bother people. You instantly forgave him. You soon found the trait endearing. He learned to control this aspect of his personality. He kept it from alienating people or hurting his own business prospects. He was very good at business! So, egomania need not be debilitating. It can be reduced to a minor personality quirk. But in the case of Mills and Arata it causes serious problems. I am sure of that, because I know of cases in which their behavior has hurt them. This is not merely my opinion. Besides, as I said, egomania does not bother me. I suppose I have enough of it in my own personality that it is like water off a duck's back.
- Jed
