Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization

A radical and timely proposal for reinvigorating transformative scientific discovery.

So rich was the scientific harvest of the early 20th century that it transformed entire industries and economies. Max Planck laid the foundation for quantum physics, Barbara McClintock for modern genetics, Linus Pauling for chemistry—the list goes on.

In the 1970s, the nature of scientific work started to change. Increases in public funding for scientific research brought demands that spending be justifie...