THE PARADOX 

 OF CHOICE 



W. O. BAKER 



Bell Telephone Laboratories 



Introduction 



THE PARADOX of choice for the research 

 scientist is, of course, the choice between doing what his inter- 

 ests impel him to do and doing what some large part of society 

 might seek to have done. A paradox is a statement or proposi- 

 tion which at first view seems absurd. A chief planner of this 

 symposium on basic research has wisely seen that to make a 

 scientist choose between the paths of his interest and the route 

 of some institution's interest (which would most often be a 

 route leading to immediate utility and the solving of the most 

 urgent problems) presents a paradox. Fortunately, with equal 

 wisdom this planner has realized that man has forever lived 

 with paradoxes. We have only now to indicate how the scien- 

 tific man may live with this paradox of choice and, by recog- 

 nizing it, may enrich our nation's welfare and culture. 



That mankind has lived with paradoxes and has adapted 

 to their apparent contradictions is illustrated in the sixth chap- 

 ter of Second Corinthians: 



As unknown, and yet well known; 

 As dying, and behold, we live; 



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