THE PARADOX OF CHOICE 



theory will provide adequate circumstances for the institutions 

 and goals of society to engage the aspirations and devotions of 

 the free-thinking individual scientist. If so, the organizers, the 

 leaders, the justifiers of support, those who make appropriations 

 and those who explain to share owners, ought to hear about 

 these ways. Put in another way, on the whole it seems much 

 more promising for man to attempt to understand the ways of 

 science than for science to have to learn about and adjust to 

 the infinite variety of man. But some final words had better 

 be said about the other side of this issue, the side which was 

 looked at at the very first of this discussion. That is, has society, 

 has industry, has government, have universities, in so far as 

 they are devoted to applications of science and of basic research, 

 ieally justified for the scholar reasons to sustain a paradox of 

 choice? We have argued here that on straight intellectual bases 

 this can be so, through the medium of adjusting our practical 

 goals, and going toward them according to the guidance of 

 scientific theory, or even a "philosophy of ignorance." But how 

 about living conditions outside the ivory tower, the one that 

 Professor Panofsky (Professor E. Panofsky, for it is well to 

 note that there are several Professor Panofskys now) says is 

 related to the habitation of Milton's Thinker in 11 Penseroso: 



Oh let my lamp at midnight hour 

 Be seen in some high lonelv tower 

 Where I may oft outwateh the Bear. 



I suppose that every group at some time or other feels that it is 

 unappreciated by society at large. I suppose that every group 

 is also accused of special pleading. I only want to point out 

 what we can say from our knowledge of those who work in and 

 give richly to basic scientific research. Our civilization, that of 

 the Free World, would do well for self interest of every human 

 being in it now and to come to put additional material as well as 



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