Argumentative Essay On Science And Democracy

Vannevar Bush stated that scientific research is absolutely essential to national security, that war requires the most advanced scientific techniques. Bush pushed for colleges, universities, and research institutes to conserve the knowledge from the past and to teach that knowledge to students of the future. These institutes should be strengthened by use of public funds in order to better aid in the development of new scientific knowledge. He realized that the potential of underprivileged men and women who had taken interest in science was cut short by inability to pay for more schooling. In response, Bush pushed for undergraduate and graduate fellowships for those in the science career fields. Under these programs, the students would have to enroll in the National Science Reserve and if needed, be called to duty in the event of war. Within this push for scientific education, Bush wanted to search for those men and women who had a talent for science, these included those who were called to duty. Bush stated that “Our ability to overcome possible future enemies depends upon scientific advances which will proceed more rapidly with the fusion of knowledge under a policy of continued restriction of knowledge now in our possession” (Bush 252). Science goes above and beyond education. Science is needed to help with basic research in what Bush pushed for in four other areas he felt was most needed. The first being the Division of Medical Research. As a country, we needed to know more about the body. We needed to know how organisms worked and also all we could learn from the diseases that affected them. Bush stated that “Progress in combating disease depends upon an expanding body of new scientific knowledge” (Bush 236). The research of all therapeutic agents and methods would be included under this branch. Bush felt that the government should give financial support to basic medical research and the medical schools and universities, through grants both for research and for fellowships. The second division is the Division of Natural Sciences, which supports the physical and natural sciences. The third division is the Division of National Defense, which Bush stated is absolutely essential to national security. During war, we must have military research to better advance against our enemy. Within this division, officers in the service and civilian scientists must have a professional partnership to better research the advances of war. The funds should come from Congress. The final division, Division of Publications and Scientific Collaboration, should encourage the publication of scientific knowledge and promote international exchange of scientific information. This exchange of information is of growing importance. He wanted a board made up of scientists and military men who would declassify and control the release for publication of scientific information which is classified. Bush felt that a new agency should be created to handle all of these divisions. This division was called the National Research Foundation. Its purpose would be to develop and promote scientific research, education, talent, and military research. Within this foundation there would be nine members who are not affiliated with the government and have no special interests. These members would be responsible to promote the organization, make contracts or grants for basic research, establish scholarships and fellowships, and support the release and international exchange of scientific knowledge. Bush wanted to create a division that would support and allow the growth of scientific research and not hinder it. He states that, “Research is the exploration of the unknown and is necessarily speculative. Only through such responsibility can we maintain …show more content…
They both require the achievement of human aims. However, there is a problem of assumption to where we believe everyone has the same human aim but some see the correlation of science and democracy as a mirror coincidence. For today, all men want the same thing and achieve them through the same path of international cooperation and increased productivity, industrialization, democracy, and education. Bush fits into this category because he claimed that “Research is the exploration of the unknown and is necessarily speculative. Only through such responsibilities can we maintain the proper relationships between science and other aspects of a democratic system” (Bush 255-256). He felt that without scientific research, we as a democracy would