Question

What is sciene and future?what is science and future?

Answer 1

A recent article in Science1 by an eminent Indian scientist has cast a bleak and worrisome shadow over the future of basic science in India. The author is lamenting the fact that one is unable to perform cutting-edge science in India. I fully agree that every country should encourage and support basic science. But, for countries such as India, currently, this is a luxury and she cannot afford to divert much of her limited resources to this end. India needs to catch up before it can lead.

Over the past few years, India has seen some tremendous overall improvement. If progress can be quantified, then the burgeoning middle class, the prevalence of automobiles, the growth of telecommunication networks, and the increase in foreign trade all stand as clear indicators of a positive trend. The liberalization of India’s markets has led to a surge in foreign investment and has increased the availability of all goods, from necessities like food to luxuries like Internet access. Indian children, who ten years ago barely recognized a telephone, today speak of computers. The job market is strong, the country seems set for political stability, and things, in India, are good getting better, not bad getting worse.In spite of the above advancement, why has the government ignored supporting basic science? Is this our own making? For the past several decades, a select handful of Indians have dominated the Indian scientific establishment. From controlling the flow of grant money to deciding who gets awards, these individuals have held tremendous power over the Indian scientific system. Could these people be responsible for the apathy of the government, the Indian public and even younger scientists towards science?Science is about change and young people are the ones that bring about change. There needs to be a paradigm shift, which gives more power and autonomy to young scientists. There are many good and sincere scientists in India whose interests are not motivated by awards and recognition. These people have served and will continue to serve as the mentors to future generations of Indian scientists. Science is the result of the efforts of these people, though limited resources have strained their efforts.Two other issues addressed in the editorial call for comments. One, there is a decline in the number of students interested in science and two, more money would fix some of the problems. The decrease in the number of students pursuing science is a global trend. Future earning potential has a major role in attracting a student to a particular discipline. With time emphasis changes and one should learn to accept and work with the change. We need to do science that will create more and better jobs.Providing a better scientific infrastructure alone may not help an Indian scientist to perform better and carry out cutting-edge research. There may be an additional factor that is unique to India that is causing most of us to work at less competitive spirit. In Western culture, society has much less influence over one’s life than in India where one is always concerned about the effects of one’s actions on ‘what will the society do or think of me’. Considering that one cannot separate life at office from that at home, numerous Indian scientists operate with less clear mind. Such pressures do not exist, for the most part, in the West. Whose lifestyle is better is not an issue to be addressed here, but I do feel that the Western views and values in science make it more conducive to scientific research.

Progress is the result of self-sacrifice not self-interest. Let us focus on the basic issues that can be corrected by each of us, and not give up hope on the complex, but seemingly improving, system that has brought us this far. As scientists let us learn to give, not ask for more.

Answer 2

Science is the field of giving rigorous answers, but ironically the definition of "science" is itself not rigorous.

Science is:

Processes for creating models for reliable prediction and control of the natural world;

Models created using those processes; and  

Application of those models.