The Week That Was: 2021-03-20(March 20, 2021)
Brought to You by SEPP (
www.SEPP.org)
The Science and Environmental Policy Project Quote of the Week:“It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system-everaiming toward the supreme goals of our free society.â€â€“President Dwight D. Eisenhower(Jan 17, 1961) Number of the Week:–73% in 2019 THIS WEEK:By Ken Haapala, President, Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP)Are There Any Statesmen?“Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades.“In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.“Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been overshadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded
http://www.sepp.org/twtwfiles/2021/TWTW%203-20-21.pdf
