In my latest piece for Al Jazeera, I explore how militarism and the profit motive are holding back science -- and what steps scientists can take to undermine capitalism. Read, share, love.
Insofar as Science (capital S) is an institution, militarism and profit are its prime motivators. The first scientific academies were, after all, established by colonial powers (governments) to best figure out how to better exploit the natural resources of the "new world": how to grow more and better tobacco and sugarcane; how to extract more gold from mined rocks; better casting methods for cannons; more advanced hull and sail designs for ships...
Insofar as Science (capital S) is an institution, militarism and profit are its prime motivators. The first scientific academies were, after all, established by colonial powers (governments) to best figure out how to better exploit the natural resources of the "new world": how to grow more and better tobacco and sugarcane; how to extract more gold from mined rocks; better casting methods for cannons; more advanced hull and sail designs for ships...
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