China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty -- an accomplishment unparalleled in human history -- while playing a larger role in global events.
The human genome project, while an extraordinary technological accomplishment, has not translated easily into improved medicine nor unleashed a torrent of new cures.
The implications of Arthur's work, however, suggest something more elemental is at play: Our accomplishment and our happiness are tied up with our very human desire to find and gnaw over the missing thing, the problem and the need.