Personal Participation Is The Universal Principle Of

My Title Is Intended To Suggest That The Community Of Scientists Is Organized In A Way Which Resembles Certain Features Of A Body Politic And Works According To Economic Principles Similar To Those By Which The Production Of Material Goods Is Regulated.

These Maxims And The Art Of Interpreting Them May Be Said To Constitute The Premisses Of Science But I Prefer To Call Them Our Scientific Beliefs. These Premisses Or Beliefs Are Embodied In A Tradition, The Tradition Of Science.

A Free Society Is Regarded As One That Does Not Engage, On Principle, In Attempting To Control What People Find Meaningful, And A Totalitarian Society Is Regarded As One That Does, On Principle, Attempt Such Control.

The First Thing To Make Clear Is That Scientists, Freely Making Their Own Choice Of Problems And Pursuing Them In The Light Of Their Own Personal Judgment, Are In Fact Co-operating As Members Of A Closely Knit Organization.

Admittedly, The Body Of Scientists, As A Whole, Does Uphold The Authority Of Science Over The Lay Public. It Controls Thereby Also The Process By Which Young Men Are Trained To Become Members Of The Scientific Profession.