ORGANIZATION OF SCIENCE 



real reasons for opposing the formulation of a public policy or even 

 specifically for opposing the support of science from public funds, 

 since the same scientists who use them against government support 

 approve the use of organization, planning, continuous support, and 

 central direction when these are employed, as a matter nj policy, in the 

 great industrial laboratories. In fact, many scientists point with pride 

 to the splendid results which industrial laboratories have achieved 

 under the very conditions which they allege would impede and stifle 

 scientific research done at the expense of government. Moreover, 

 public support and direction appear to have been quite acceptable 

 in the great program of agricultural research which has been in opera- 

 tion since 1887 through the United States Department of Agriculture 

 and the State Agricultural Experiment Stations. These facts are 

 not cited to minimize the difficulties inv^olved in planned continuous 

 support and direction of research. They do show clearly, however, 

 that the objections are generally not to support and direction as such 

 but to these only when the authority which wields them is the Federal 

 Government. As the attitude toward agricultural research shows, the 

 objection does not apply with similar force to the State governments. 

 Many scientists have expressed the fear that central and especially 

 federal support of scientific research would put an end to "scientific 

 freedom" and lead to "regimentation." In most cases, it is the threat 

 to scientific individualism or "free enterprise in science" that is the 

 real cause of fear. Since such changes in modern society as the decline 

 of individualism are not due to deliberate acts of governments but re- 

 sult from the social and economic and technical developments of our 

 age, they call, not for fear, but for a greater effort to understand 

 them. 



I believe that most scientists have come to realize the nature of 

 such objections to discussing general policies for the public support of 

 science. The central position that "pure science," especially physics, 

 came to occupy in war research revealed facts about science in the 

 modern world which simply could not be evaded or overlooked. Even 

 the need of "coordination," the blackest of the beasts which threaten 

 the research scientist, became evident as soon as the war imposed 

 pressing requirements which an unplanned, uncoordinated science 

 could not meet. The knowledge that our enemies had succeeded in 

 so organizing their researcli and development programs that they had 



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