Over the past few years, the Canadian government has been lurching into antiscience territory. For example, they\u2019ve been muzzling scientists, essentially censoring them from talking about their research. Scientists have fought back against this, though from what I hear with limited success.<\/p>\n
But a new development makes the situation appear to be far worse. In a stunning announcement, the National Research Council\u2014the Canadian scientific research and development agency\u2014has now said that they will only perform research that has \u201csocial or economic gain\u201d.<\/p>\n
This is not a joke. I wish it were.<\/p>\n
John MacDougal, President of the NRC, literally said, \u201cScientific discovery is not valuable unless it has commercial value\u201d. Gary Goodyear, the Canadian Minister of State for Science and Technology, also stated \u201cThere is [sic] only two reasons why we do science and technology. First is to create knowledge … second is to use that knowledge for social and economic benefit. Unfortunately, all too often the knowledge gained is opportunity lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had to read the article two or three times to make sure I wasn\u2019t missing something, because I was thinking that no one could possibly utter such colossally ignorant statements. But no, I was reading it correctly. These two men\u2014leaders in the Canadian scientific research community\u2014were saying, out loud and clearly, that the only science worth doing is what lines the pocket of business.<\/p>\n
This is monumentally backwards thinking. That is not the reason we do science. Economic benefits are results of doing research, but should not be the reason we do it. Basic scientific research is a vast endeavor, and some of it will pay off economically, and some won\u2019t. In almost every case, you cannot know in advance which will do which.<\/p>\n
In the 19th century, for example, James Clerk Maxwell was just interested in understanding electricity and magnetism. He didn\u2019t do it for monetary benefit, to support a business, or to maximize a profit. Yet his research led to the foundation of our entire economy today. Computers, the Internet, communication, satellites, everything you plug in or that uses a battery, stem from the work he did simply because of his own curiosity. I strongly suspect that if he were to apply to the NRC for funding under this new regime, he\u2019d be turned down flat. The kind of work Maxwell did then is very difficult to do without support these days, and we need governments to provide that help.<\/p>\n
In his statement above, Goodyear did throw in a mention of \u201csocial benefit\u201d, and I\u2019ll agree that does motivate many scientists\u2014making life better for people is a strong incentive\u2014but again, you cannot always know what research will do that and what won\u2019t.<\/p>\n