Customer Reviews

Pasteur's Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation

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This book is not about antiscientism, it is about accountibality of science funding. There are several economical myths related to the state policy of basic science funding. Two of them : "..basic research is performed without thought of practical ends" and "...basic research is the pacemaker of technological progress" as well as famous Baconian "linear model",( a sequence extending from basic science to technology: basic science - applied research - development - production and operations) are dramatically reevaluated and critizied in the reviewing book. The most important implications of agruments presented in this well written book are: a) Basic science must be accountable as any other state funding activities and based on "informed judgments of research promise and social need"; b) Progress of science and technology have "semiautonomous trajectories", therefore state investment in basic research does not provide progress in the technology and economical growth. It looks like it is a good time "to end" so-called "endless frontiers" of unaccountable spending of taxpayer's money for funding useless basic science research. Everybody who is interested in the basic science funding policy must read this excellent book. It demonstrates a difference between the economical reality and propaganda of illusions.

This book provides a wonderful brief history of the transition in the USA between the end of World War II and the beginning of the USA-USSR Cold war in terms of national policy for supporting scientific research. Professor Stokes masterfully leads the reader through an elegant train of thought that provides a paradigm for simultaneously addressing "basic" and "applied" research without the oft seen excess baggage of which is "real" research.
I have used the paradigm and exceprts from this book in numerous seminars in the U.S. and other countries when presenting seminars to graduate students and undergraduates. Many of today's students want to conduct research that makes a difference for pressing societal needs but also do not wish to be subjected to the criticism of not being enough of an "academic researcher" when conducting their thesis research. This book and the explained paradigm provide the framework for guidance for these students and their advisors/mentors. I highly recommend it and have given away nuemrous copies to colleagues wordlwide.

Amazing read for anyone who is in research. Having said that, everyone should read this book as an exercise in philosophy of education, research and development.

In times when many countries in the developing world are searching for strategies to join in the Knowledge Society, this book is key in portraying the shortcomings and successes of policies based on different scopes and approaches to S&T.