The Frontiers of the Sciences 



seek in vain, a useful way of employing their 

 activity. I imagine that such a communication 

 would have the effect of orientating in a single 

 direction and towards a common end, efforts 

 which would otherwise have been dispersed in 

 many directions. Then, the society could 

 centralise the work accomplished, make a 

 synthesis of it, controlling the results by 

 comparison; it could summarise the state 

 which the question had reached, point out the 

 progress accomplished and the gaps remaining 

 to be filled. It would thus assume the direct- 

 ing power which belongs to it of right and, 

 though stopping short of creating a dangerous 

 official science, it would, in a measure, bring 

 about that organisation of the sciences which 

 is as necessary as it is difficult to realise. 



We have seen that the separation of the 

 sciences and the specialisation of the scientists 

 are the two grave defects of our present scientific 

 organisation. For these defects a palliative 

 and a remedy exist. The former consists in the 

 extension of general scientific education, but 

 the true remedy consists in the methodical 

 organisation of scientific collaboration. 



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