SCIENCE 3 



(3) On the basis of the outcome of activity: 



Basic Science— the outcome is knowledge 

 Apphed Science— the outcome is the solution of human prob- 

 lems 



(4) On the basis of the technique of investigation: 



Descriptive— as in taxonomy or morphology 

 Experimental— as in physiology or genetics 



Obviously, these lists, intended only as examples, are not complete. 

 Even so, there is a certain amount of overlapping. An individual might 

 be a basic scientist working by experimental methods on the physiology 

 of bacteria. However, no professional biologist can completely lack inter- 

 est in all fields of science except his specialty. In addition, certain biolo- 

 gists must be concerned with physical and chemical relationships. Should 

 biophysicists and biochemists be called biologists or physical scientists? 



What are the goals of scientific activity? 



The public impression of the goal of science seems to be approximately 

 the following: Science is working hard (1) to find ways of raising 

 enough food to feed all the people, (2) to improve medicine so that 

 the people can stay alive to eat the food, and then (3) to develop more 

 terrible weapons to wipe out this larger, healthier population. These 

 and other technological aspects of science make good news stories, even 

 though they give a distorted picture of science. 



Actually the goals of all scientific activities are the same: comprehen- 

 sion or understanding of the universe. Once an understanding of a par- 

 ticular phenomenon is gained, the solution of human problems may 

 follow as a beneficial by-product. It is virtually impossible for one per- 

 son to perform the whole system of activities involved in making some 

 discovery about the universe and then to adapt this knowledge for 

 the direct benefit of man. People specialize in one phase of activity or 

 the other. Much of the scientific research introduced in this book is 

 basic science, or an intellectual search for knowledge and comprehension 

 of the living world. Ultimately, of course, all these understandings will 

 be useful, but we leave it to others to find out just how. Fundamental 

 biology is the foundation upon which a structure of applications useful 

 to man is built by the applied biologists, chiefly those in medicine and 

 agriculture. 



