“The Politics of Pure Science” Revisited

Kaldewey, David; Schauz, Désirée

doi:10.1093/scipol/scx060

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…There are science and the applications of science, linked together as fruit is to the tree that has borne it. 3 Even if we disagree with Pasteur, the distinction between the spheres is much less clear than Cochrane et al 1 assume, with a case being made for a continuum from pure to applied research [4][5][6] , for example, with the idea of 'Pasteur's quadrant' (Figure 1). 4 Interestingly, Bohr was chosen as an example of a pure scientist in the quadrant, yet his work on quantum physics is universally applied in modern electronics, emphasising the merging of the boundaries.…”

Section: Louis Pasteur Wrotementioning

confidence: 97%

“…It is now widely acknowledged that the differences between pure and applied science and the various other formulations (such as fundamental research and basic research) are political and social constructs that are not philosophically justifiable as much as they are actual distinctions. 5,6 The superiority of pure over applied science thus cannot be considered a widely held contemporary view, as claimed by Cochrane et al 1 , although this may have been so in the past. 5…”

Section: Louis Pasteur Wrotementioning

confidence: 98%

“…5,6 The superiority of pure over applied science thus cannot be considered a widely held contemporary view, as claimed by Cochrane et al 1 , although this may have been so in the past. 5…”

Section: Louis Pasteur Wrotementioning

confidence: 98%

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Society’s needs cannot be met by applied science alone: A response to Cochrane et al. (2019)

Glassom¹,

Scharler²,

Macdonald³

2019

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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In their article 'Science in the service of society: Is marine and coastal science addressing South Africa's needs', Cochrane et al. 1 express concern, based on an analysis of abstracts from a single South African Marine Science Symposium (SAMSS 2017) that too little research is either interdisciplinary or 'actionable'-defined as science whose results translate easily to policies, management actions or industry. They argue that science is disconnected from the needs of society, may not adequately benefit society and, therefore, that the science risks losing support and credibility. To remedy such drawbacks, they propose funding actionable science as a priority, including in the tertiary education arena, and emphasising interdisciplinary research. In conclusion, they offer eight recommendations for future funding of marine science. Because their article may substantially influence the policies of funding agencies and thus the trajectory of marine science in South Africa, it is important that their claims are examined in the wider context of how science benefits society. Cochrane et al. 1 's arguments are built on four premises which do not stand up to scrutiny. Firstly, they assume a clear distinction between pure, basic and applied (or actionable) research. Secondly, they underestimate, to the point of discounting, the value of 'pure' science in advancing the goals and imperatives that, in their opinion, should be urgently addressed. Thirdly, they assume an unrealistic linearity in the way that science translates to policy and management. Finally, they do not account for the manner in which the funding system already addresses many of their concerns.

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Section: Louis Pasteur Wrotementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Louis Pasteur Wrotementioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Society’s needs cannot be met by applied science alone: A response to Cochrane et al. (2019)

Glassom¹,

Scharler²,

Macdonald³

2019

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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Science, Politics/Policy and the Cold War in Argentina: From Concepts to Institutional Models in the 1950s and ’60s

Feld

2019

Minerva

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This paper analyses how the Cold War influenced the discourses on basic research and on Science and Technology Policies (STPs) of some leaders of the Argentine research community. It explores two key intersections to study the Cold War: the first between politics and policies; the second between the global and the regional/national. The basic assumption is that, just as there was no one Cold War, specific regional and national traits lent specific meanings to basic research. In dialogue with the literature on Latin American history of STPs, on Cold War and on the conceptual history of science, the paper identifies three discursive configurations around S&T: the first refers to the semi-peripheral scientific context; the second is associated with the 'democracytotalitarianism' dichotomy, and the third is linked to the 'development-dependence' dichotomy. Finally, the paper also traces some connections between these discourses and the institutional models proposed by different key actors of the research community to implement STPs.

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Reflecting on the Nature of Science and the 'Little Known' Role of Retroductive Reasoning in Research

Ochara

2022

SSRN Journal

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“The Politics of Pure Science” Revisited

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Society’s needs cannot be met by applied science alone: A response to Cochrane et al. (2019)

Society’s needs cannot be met by applied science alone: A response to Cochrane et al. (2019)

Science, Politics/Policy and the Cold War in Argentina: From Concepts to Institutional Models in the 1950s and ’60s

Reflecting on the Nature of Science and the 'Little Known' Role of Retroductive Reasoning in Research

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