Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
Jacob BronowskiRead
No science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power. ... The time has come to consider how we might bring about a separation, as complete as possible, between Science and Government in all countries. I call this the disestablishment of science, in the same sense in which the churches have been disestablished and have become independent of the state.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science is influenced by politics and power, and a separation between the two is necessary.
In this quote, Jacob Bronowski emphasizes the inherent conflicts that arise when science is subjected to political influence and manipulation. He advocates for a structural separation between scientific endeavors and governmental controls, comparing this need to the historical disestablishment of religious institutions from state power, suggesting that such independence is vital for the integrity and progress of science as a discipline.
Themes
SciencePoliticsPowerSeparationIndependence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on the importance of unbiased scientific research during a conference.
More from Jacob Bronowski
All quotes →There is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy.
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To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society practices both together.
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A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He does so by finding a likeness between things which were not thought alike before.
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The values by which we are to survive are not rules for just and unjust conduct, but are those deeper illuminations in whose light justice and injustice, good and evil, means and ends are seen in fearful sharpness of outline.
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The basis for poetry and scientific discovery is the ability to comprehend the unlike in the like and the like in the unlike.
Jacob BronowskiRead
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