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November 30, 2013
The myth of the noble, objective scientist
Scientists are just as susceptible to human foibles as the rest of us— perhaps more so for most of them, because of the perennial insecurity of their positions and reputations. Science is every bit as much a human activity as politics, religion, and business, and just as subject to the same deadly sins: pride, envy, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, and sloth. -- And Still I Persist…
Posted by gerardvanderleun at November 30, 2013 2:02 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
You know the people you work with? That guy that's only there to hit on the girls, the one that does the least work possible and clocks out early? The one that spends all day arguing politics, the one that is on facebook all the time? That's not limited to your job. All professions are like that, even scientists. You get lazy, stupid, jerky, unprofessional losers there too.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at November 30, 2013 3:22 PM
Eisenhower was way ahead of his time in basically saying something very similar.
"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."
Posted by: Tim P at November 30, 2013 5:48 PM