There are few things European leaders like better than talking about their plans for turning Europe into the world's most competitive "knowledge-based economy" by the end of this decade. The aim was first laid out at the EU'S summit in Lisbon in March 2000 and has been repeated with hypnotic fervour ever since. To grasp the full absurdity of this ambition, it is worth visiting the Humboldt University in Berlin. Walk into the main foyer, stroll up the steps to the first floor past a slo- gan by a former student engraved in gold on the wall ("Philosophers have simply interpreted the world; the point is to change it") and study the portraits of the Nobel prize-winners that line the walls. There were eight in 1900-09, six in 1910-19, four in 1920-29, six in 1930-39, one in 1940-49 and four in 1950-56. The roll of honour includes luminaries such as Theodor Mommsen, Max Planck, Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg. But after 1956 the Nobel prizes suddenly stop.
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