I borrow the title of this post to Niels Bohr, one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century.
And in the same vein happy, I vous invite à lire, relire, distribuer autour de vous (surtout dans les agences de financement de la recherche), ce merveilleux texte de Leo Szilard (que je traduis bien maladroitement : pardon)
"I have earned a very large sum of money," said Mr. Gable, turning to me," with very little work. An now I'm thinking of setting up a trust fund. I want to do something that will really contribute to the happiness of manking; but it's very difficult to know what to do with money. When Mr. Rosenblatt told me that you'd be here tonight I asked the mayor to invite me. I certainly would value your advice."
"Would you intend to do anything for the advancement of science?" I asked.
"No," Mark Gable said. "I believe scientific progress is too fast as it is.".
"I share your feeling about this point," I said with the fervor of conviction, "but then why not do something about the retardation of scientific progress?"
"That I would do very much like to do," Mark Gable said, "but how do I go about it?"
"Well," I said, "I think that shouldn't be very difficult. As a matter of fact, I think it would be quite easy. You could set up a foundation, with an annual endowment of thirty million dollars. Research workers in need of funds could apply for grants, if they could make out a convincing case. Have ten committes, each composed of twelve scientists, appointed to pass on these applications. Take the most active scientists out of the laboratory and make them members of these committees. And the very best men in the field should be appointed as chairmen at salaries of fifty thousand dollars each for the best scientific papiers of the year. This is just about all you would have to do. Your lawyers could easily prepare a charter for the foundation. As a matter of fact, any of the National Science Foundation bills which were introduced in the Seventy-ninth and Eightieth Congresses could perfectly well serve as a model."
"I think you had better explain to Mr. Gable why this foundation would in fact retard the progress of science," said the bespectacled young man sitting at the far end of the table, whose name I didn't get at the time of introduction.
"It should be obvious," I said. "First of all, the best scientists would be removed from their laboratories and kept busy on committes passing on applications for funds. Secondly, the scientific workers in need of funds would concentrate on problems which were considered promising and were pretty certain to lead to publishable results. For a few years there might be a great increase in scientific output; but by going after the obvious, pretty soon science would dry out. Science would become something like a parlor game. Some things would be considered interesting, others not. There would be fashions. Those who followed the fashion would get grants. Those who wouldn't would not, and pretty soon they would learn to follow the fashion, too."
Leo Szilard, The voice of dolphins, p. 99
Simon and Schuster, New York, 1961
"I won a lot of money," said Mr. Gable, working very little. And I think to create a foundation. I want to do something that would contribute to happiness of humanity, but cest very difficult to know what to do with money. When Mr. Rosenblatt said that you would be here tonight, I asked the mayor to invite me. I want your opinion. "
"You want to do something for the Advancement of Science?" I asked.
"No," said Mark Gable, I think that science progressvent too fast. "
"I agree with you," I said with conviction. So why not make something to slow scientific progress?
"it, I like a lot," said Mark Gable, but how?
- This should not be very difficult. Or rather, I think it trSE simple. You had a foundation, with an annual allocation of 30 million. Scientists needing money for their work could make requests, accepted provided they are well reasoned. Create ten committees, each composed of twelve scientists, and would be paid for evaluating applications. Get well most active scientists in their laboratories, and name them with these committees. And the best would be presidents, with wages of fifty thousand dollars, awarded to the best articles of the year. That's it. Your lawyers will have no trouble creating the thing. Moreover, the work is done, since the documents of the U.S. Fund for Science of the seventies and eighty could easily serve as a model.
- and why this foundation it would slow the progress of science, demandaa a young man with glasses sitting at the end of the table and whose name had escaped me, when I introduced him?
- Obviously, I said. First, the best scientists would be out of their labs, and busy reviewing the records. Then the scientists strapped funds would focus on issues that would be considered promising, and certain to lead to publishable results. For several years, the scientific production increase, but after the exhaustion of obvious questions, science dry up. It would become a sort of coffee trade. Some issues would be considered interesting and others not. There would be fashions. Those who follow fashion would receive funding. Others not, so quickly, they would also follow the fashion. "
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