The Way Forward

I’ve just finished reading Science, The Endless Frontier which argues for the essential role of science in advancing society and the government's responsibility for supporting it.

This report (originally published in 1945, re-published this year in book form) is said to have led to the development of the National Science Foundation, pivoting the US federal government's views on funding research from laissez-faire to directly linked to the nation’s health, security and prosperity.

The report was developed by then-director of Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD) Vannevar Bush.

Bush was invited to submit the report by president Franklin D. Roosevelt as direction for policymakers on several difficult questions presenting themselves toward the end of the Second World War.

These included …

How to (securely) publish scientific discoveries made by the military during the war to broaden application and increase benefit.

How to continue the pace of advancements in medical research during peacetime.

How the government can increase investment in research institutions (public and private) without politicizing or blunting their output.

And how scientific talent can be identified/developed in young people so we remain a leader among nations.

The report is essentially a compilation of expert answers to these questions, coordinated by Bush himself.

The new edition comes with a companion essay by former congressman Rush Holt, who argues that Bush's ideas have never been more salient as we still need government-funded to help cope with new stressors - from viral pandemics to climate change.

( I would add that although Bush did not include social or behavioral sciences in his original conception for the NSF, they were added later, and they are no-less needed to deal with self-inflicted problems like political extremism. )

If you are going to purchase a copy, please consider using my Amazon affiliate store link, here.