I don't think there's anything wrong with exploring a field for decades. There are many scientists who have a mix of successes and failures. But this guy spend his whole life and many years of other people's lives trying one single thing that never really worked. You could call that being a single-minded visionary, but I don't think it's unreasonable for others to think it either kooky or a giant waste.
A useful comparison to me here is all the alchemical efforts to turn lead into gold. Can modern physicists do that? Not economically, but sure. [1] If alchemists had just persisted, would they have gotten there too? No, it was a giant waste, and pretty loony to a modern eye. And I'd say both alchemists and a number of AI proponents both are so wrapped up in pursuing specific outcomes (gold, AGI) that they indulge in a lot of magical thinking.
A useful comparison to me here is all the alchemical efforts to turn lead into gold. Can modern physicists do that? Not economically, but sure. [1] If alchemists had just persisted, would they have gotten there too? No, it was a giant waste, and pretty loony to a modern eye. And I'd say both alchemists and a number of AI proponents both are so wrapped up in pursuing specific outcomes (gold, AGI) that they indulge in a lot of magical thinking.
[1] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-l...