You'll be lucky if the AI will trade anything. If they will, you'll have plenty to give them...Alpha, math, CoL, etc. You don't need Poly for trading. Normally you would want Poly to get to Lit (for GLib), but that is obsolete in this unusual game.
Yes, normally is in this way.
We're talkin'bout 20 beakers (twenty!) or 1 turn. If that turn make us avoid to trade classical techs for ancient techs, by trading Poly maybe together with other ancient techs, it will be very well spent.
Keep our opponents away from some techs is all at our advantage. Or we can trade those techs later, for more important ones.
@Sweeta
quick count, sir: a settled GS gives 6 raw beakers and 1 raw hammer. With Academy and library this means 10.5 beakers, at any research rate.
Philo is 801 beakers, or some 8 turns by the time we can research it. 801/10.5 after only 76 turns we'll even the gap.
True.
But those 8 turns can make the difference between win or lose.
The game, not a medal.
If we stay at 2 scientists 2nd GS (hopefully, he can be a GSpy) will pop on turn 54. Thus by turn 120, or a bit earlier (with a university) we'll even the 8 turns.
Let me see...
By turn 120 we can be researchin something we are researching in turn 120. So you're right, from then on it will be only gained beakers.
But what about have Lib 8 turns earlier and start the war (or counter attack) 8 turns earlier? What about conquered cities up and running 8 turns earlier?
What those 9-11 beakers mean when you have 15 cities? And are researching at 900beakers/turn? @40%
NOTHING
What 8 turns mean?
A lot. In any situation.
I can propose a compromise: save the 2nd GS for the most of Edu, settle the ones that will pop before turn 120.
Why 120? Which is our target?