The alchemy of ideas.

This article presents an assessment of the power of ideas and their role in initiating change and progress. The enormous potential cascade effect is illustrated by examining the movement of Modernism in the arts. Next, the immense scope and capabilities of the modern scientific endeavor-with robotic space exploration at the scale of 10 meters at one extreme and the wonders of nanoscience at the scale of 10 m at the other-are examined. The attitudes and philosophies of neurological surgery are related to those involved in the Modernist movement and placed on the defined scale of contemporary scientific activity.