THE PRODUCTION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE 201 



mum individual liberty. This is the true reason for the 

 importance of personal liberty; progress depends on liberty. 

 It is also the reason for the failure of any system for planning 

 scientific research. The increase in efficiency of operation 

 achieved by planning is balanced by the loss of independent 

 thought, -^v ith a consequent diminution in the trial of ideas. 

 This is especially true of the conduct of scientific research in 

 the universities where any restriction of the liberty of investi- 

 gators to choose their own ^vork or even any inducement to 

 follo^v lines chosen for them is to be deplored. It is even 

 desirable that a large number of investigators should be 

 forced, by lack of external suggestion, to find for themselves 

 subjects for their work. 



