78 Research and National Purpose 



and about the possibility of their successful exploitation. What 

 is more, if scientists were not included in the councils where 

 priorities of vast public expenditures for applied science and 

 development are determined, they would merely become the 

 slaves of their fellow-citizens. Such a system would hardly last 

 in this modern world of ours for more than a few years — given 

 that it lasted that long! 



When scientists are called in to play a part 

 The Maintenance in the determination of priorities, more is 

 of Standards called for than just the qualities that make 



them good scientists in the laboratory or 

 the field. But since these qualifications are basic to the rest, 

 let us first remind ourselves of what they are — in the ideal. 



First and foremost a scientist must be a man who adheres 

 strictly to the rules of scientific method; a realization that ex- 

 periments and observations have to be properly controlled 

 must be part of his second nature. Obviously he should also 

 have an intimate and wide knowledge of his field of specializa- 

 tion. He should be endowed with a creative imagination, 

 judgment and technical skill, as well as with persistence and a 

 proclivity for hard work. His capacity for honest self-criticism 

 should be highly developed and combined with an ability to 

 take criticism from others. He should also be open-minded 

 to the fact that progress, technical or otherwise, in one field 

 may affect progress or direction in another. I could add other 

 qualities, but these are enough to go on with in painting the 

 outlines of a scientific paragon. 



Scientists vary enormously both in the extent to which 

 they embody these virtues and in their general abilities. 

 Partly as a result, the scientific process has itself generated a 

 unique set of devices for assuring the high quality of scien- 

 tific work. The first is the fact that scientists, whenever they 

 possibly can, publish the results of their researches. If a par- 

 ticular piece of scientific work is no good, it will, either im- 

 mediately or in time, be exposed as such; and a scientist who 

 becomes known for bad work is soon finished. The second is 



