I have a project I'm working on that may bring about some new scientific knowledge. I hope to solve 3-SAT in quasi-polynomial or polynomial time. The idea is that this brings us a step closer to P=NP. In fact, there is a remote chance that this would even prove P=NP. From what I know, this is thought by most of the scientific community to be untrue (they usually believe P does not equal NP). I think that it would bring up issues of computer security. It would bring about possible attacks on security, although there are workarounds. To be specific, it is a computer algorithm that may allow computers to do new things that were previously unobtainable. I don't yet know if it will work, but I'm considering what may happen ahead of time.
I've been debating about releasing the information. Yet I guess I don't truly know what my choices are and what they could entail.
- It seems that if I find something new and keep it to myself, I'd be guilty of elitism.
- If I release it, I know I have choices on which select elite to publish with, which select elite should have access to it, which select elite should understand it, etc.
- Or I could make it more free, but with a possible danger to myself and the select elites that I choose to love, befriend, respect, etc.
More generally, though, I'm wondering what I'm neglecting to think of. I think a lot about the philosophy behind what I do, especially the science that I've been interested in, but I haven't read up much on the philosophy of it. So perhaps someone could provide me with a better introduction to the philosophy of science and knowledge, that covers ideas I haven't thought of here.