The discussion contrasts invention with the engineering work of making an existing system more efficient and dependable. A shiny replacement is easier to promote than a familiar product that needs unglamorous testing and correction. Refinement also requires people and organisations to admit that their earlier decisions or products were flawed. In this naval example, dependable equipment required institutions to reward improvement and admit when an earlier design was flawed.
Notable Point · 18:16-20:01
Engineering refinement demands admission of earlier mistakes
A new product is easier to sell than painstaking improvement of an existing one, because refinement requires testing, correction, and institutional self-criticism.