tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456348657596914237.post4153540047299357331..comments2024-03-28T08:16:02.178-04:00Comments on Eco-Evo Evo-Eco: A scientific WillBen Hallerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17875404974157070805noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4456348657596914237.post-2440555462690057842021-06-16T20:48:02.921-04:002021-06-16T20:48:02.921-04:00I dunno, actually. All of this adds overhead; it ...I dunno, actually. All of this adds overhead; it will slow down your work, and so you'll get less done during the time you have left to live. It also requires frequent reviewing and updating; it's not a one-time task, but *continuous* overhead. It would often be unnecessary overhead; sudden, accidental death can certainly happen, but my guess is that the majority of scientists will have at least some warning of their impending death (if not retirement plans!), and will be able to put their affairs in order when that time comes. And it's depressing, demoralizing, and fear-inducing, which also has costs in terms of stress, productivity, etc. And I suspect most of these details – who the mentorship of a student passes on to, say – will get worked out just fine when the time comes, and trying to pre-plan it won't really add much. Life is unpredictable; you might plan that student A will move on to supervisor B in the event of your death, but when you die, maybe supervisor B is busy, or on sabbatical, or themselves deceased, or maybe new faculty member C has just joined the department, needs new lab members, and is a better fit for the student anyway. Can such things really be planned? I'd say there are a few key things that *are* worth making sure of: most notably, that somebody else has your passwords and can get in to your machine, your GitHub, your Dropbox, etc., to access your files. Beyond that, I'm maybe a bit skeptical that this really makes sense. (But happy to hear counterarguments!)Ben Hallerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17875404974157070805noreply@blogger.com