Science-Mart: Privatizing American Science by Philip Mirowski (Author).
This trenchant research analyzes the rise and decline in the quality and format of science in America since World Struggle II.
During the Chilly Conflict, the U.S. government amply funded fundamental analysis in science and medicine. Starting in the 1980s, however, this support began to decline and for-profit companies turned the largest funders of research. Philip Mirowski argues that a powerful neoliberal ideology promoted a radically different view of knowledge and discovery: the fruits of scientific investigation will not be a public good that must be freely obtainable to all, however are commodities that may very well be monetized.
Consequently, patent and mental property laws have been significantly strengthened, universities demanded patents on the discoveries of their school, info sharing among researchers was impeded, and the road between universities and firms began to blur. At the same time, firms shed their in-house research laboratories, contracting with independent firms each in the States and abroad to provide new products. Amongst such firms have been AT&T and IBM, whose outstanding research laboratories during much of the twentieth century produced Nobel Prize-profitable work in chemistry and physics, ranging from the transistor to superconductivity.
Science-Mart offers a provocative, realized, and timely critique, of interest to anyone involved that American science-as soon as the envy of the world-have to be extra than simply another technique to make money.
Positively price a learn for any practising scientist or anyone excited by public science (academia, etc.). Given the pattern in funding and privatization, I wonder if this will be the first of many books to come back on the subject. The e-book is up to date and the subject is extremely relevant. Very readable if not a little bit colloquial (and opinionated) at times.
Discusses delicate matters that our scientific community needs to have transparency. Although he tends to rant at times, general, it is definitely worth the time to read.
Science-Mart: Privatizing American Science
Philip Mirowski (Author)
464 pages
Harvard University Press (April 1, 2011)
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