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The Role of Science in Our Society

SEP 01, 1995
Because the road from scientific discovery to new technology is a wayward one, lawmakers and officials intent on retuning Federal science policy must bear in mind that government support for long‐term R&D is needed to complement industry’s short‐term focus.
Burton Richter

Science, particularly physics, has been in a relatively privileged position in the United States since the end of World War II. Support by the government has been generous, and those of us whose careers have spanned the period since World War II have, until recently, seen research funding increasing in real terms. Our support rested on two assumptions: Science would improve the lives of the citizens, and science would make us secure in a world that seemed very dangerous because of the US‐USSR confrontation.

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Burton Richter, Stanford Linear, Accelerator Center, Stanford, California.

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This Content Appeared In
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Volume 48, Number 9

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