Compromising the Ideals of Science

Taking a historical approach, this book examines the conditions under which scientists compromised the ideals of science, and offers some ways in which the expectations of the scientific enterprise can be transformed. Are these ideals too removed from the realities of democratic capitalism? Were they ever attained? Only against some idealized vision of science can we critically assess how well or poorly the scientific community has performed in the past three centuries. Moreover, are individual failings—of fraud and corruption—necessarily indicative of an institutionalized failure? These questions are answered when national security concerns overwhelm the autonomy of science and when fiscal motives dictate what scientists should research. The book also presents some suggestions for changing the political and economic conditions under which the integrity of science and its ethos can be practiced.

Raphael Sassower is Professor of Philosophy, Occasional Chair, and Director of the Center for Legal Studies at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA. His books include The Price of Public Intellectuals (Palgrave Pivot, 2014) and Digital Exposure: Postmodern Postcapitalism (Palgrave Pivot, 2013).

1. Fallen Angels: On the Compromises of Scientists

2. Big Science: Government Control of Science

3. Big Money: Setting Research Agendas

4. Big Pharma: Pharmaceutical Dominance of Science

5. Situating Technoscience