A body of work such as Pasteur's is inconceivable in our time: no

Host: The room feels quieter now, the evening light casting long shadows as Jack and Jeeny sit in reflection. The air is still, yet there’s a certain weight to the conversation. Jack, with his arms crossed, gazes thoughtfully out the window, while Jeeny sits across from him, calm and steady, her fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. The words of Jean Rostand have lingered between them like a quiet question, one that challenges the rapid pace of today’s world.

Jack: (breaking the silence, his voice deep with thought) "Rostand’s quote really got to me. 'A body of work such as Pasteur's is inconceivable in our time: no man would be given a chance to create a whole science.' It’s like he’s saying that today’s world—so fast-paced, so crowded with ideas—doesn’t leave space for the kind of deep, singular exploration that someone like Pasteur could do. There’s no room for that kind of focused, independent discovery anymore. Everything is fragmented, rushed."

Jeeny: (nodding, her voice calm) "It’s true. In Pasteur’s time, the field was more open, more ready for someone to step in and create something revolutionary. But now, as Rostand points out, there’s no space for a single person to build an entire science. The path is crowded as soon as it’s discovered. There’s a sense of urgency today, a need to constantly compete and move forward. It’s not as much about deep, sustained exploration—it’s about quick results, rapid progress."

Jack: (with a hint of frustration) "Yeah, and that’s what worries me. Everything today is about the next thing, the newest discovery. There’s this drive for constant innovation, but it feels like we’ve lost sight of what it takes to make something truly groundbreaking. The depth, the patience, the dedication. If everything has to be done in the blink of an eye, how can we really dive deep enough to create something as lasting as Pasteur did?"

Jeeny: (gently) "It’s a different world now. The tools are different, the pace is different, and the way we approach discovery is different. But that doesn’t mean depth is lost entirely. It’s just that the process has changed. With the amount of information and collaboration available now, discoveries can happen faster, but they also happen in more dispersed ways. Instead of one person building an entire science, it’s now a network of minds contributing to smaller pieces that come together. The science is still being made, but in a different form."

Host: The conversation seems to hang in the air, like a question they haven’t quite answered yet. Jack’s gaze is distant, while Jeeny’s steady presence offers a quiet understanding of how the world has shifted in this regard. The evening light grows dimmer, casting a soft glow on their thoughtful expressions.

Jack: (with a sigh, voice quieter now) "I get that. The world’s changing so quickly, and maybe the way things are done has to change with it. But, still, there’s something missing from that old model. That ability to have the time and space to create something so monumental, like Pasteur did. It feels like, today, we’re constantly skimming the surface. We’re in a rush to move on to the next thing before we’ve even figured out what we’re doing with the first."

Jeeny: (smiling softly) "You’re right, Jack. There’s a certain luxury in the old model—the luxury of time, of being able to focus without the pressure of constant competition. But maybe that’s just the nature of progress. New challenges demand new ways of thinking. And while we might not see the same kind of solitary breakthroughs, we might be creating something equally impactful in a different way—through collaboration, speed, and adaptation."

Jack: (pauses, his voice thoughtful) "I guess it’s about finding the balance between that depth and the speed of progress. We can’t hold on to the past, but we can learn from it. There’s still room for true innovation—it just looks different now. It’s not about one person creating a new science, but about how we work together to create something greater than ourselves."

Jeeny: (nodding) "Exactly. The world might be different, but the spirit of discovery, of exploring the unknown, hasn’t changed. It’s just evolving with the times."

Host: The room feels lighter now, the weight of the conversation shifting from frustration to understanding. The world has changed, and with it, the way we approach progress and discovery. But as Jack and Jeeny sit in the quiet, there’s a sense that innovation will always find a way, even if the path looks different than it did in Pasteur’s time. The journey may be quicker, more collaborative, but the heart of discovery remains unchanged.