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On January 17, 1961, President Eisenhower delivered his farewell address to our nation, in which he issued a couple of prescient warnings. One, regarding the dangers of the then-already burgeoning "military-industrial complex," is well known. The other, barely. Here it is (bolding mine):
Akin to, and largely responsible for the sweeping changes in our industrial-military posture, has been the technological revolution during recent decades. In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government. Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been over shadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers. The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded. Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.
What a spectacle! As the Trump administration reclaims the reins of power, the scientific elite are reacting with utter dismay to policies that prioritize accountability, budgetary discipline, and a reevaluation of priorities. Judging by the tone of despair emanating from recent articles, you’d think the very foundation of science had crumbled underfoot. But make no mistake—this isn’t the death of science; it’s the birth of overdue reform. Both Nature and Science magazine lament the “unprecedented” decisions to halt NIH grant-review meetings, travel, and non-emergency communications. A chorus of voices within the research community describes these measures as “devastating,” “unfair,” and even a “cataclysm.” What’s actually happening? The Trump administration is simply pressing the pause button to evaluate how $47 billion of taxpayer money is being spent by the NIH. ... At its core, the uproar over these changes reveals an entrenched resistance to reform. Instead of introspection, the scientific community has opted for indignation. The reality is that hard-nosed accountability is long overdue. Taxpayers deserve transparency, measurable outcomes, and funding decisions rooted in merit—not ideological favoritism or bureaucratic inertia. For those panicking about their travel plans or pet projects, the message is clear: adapt or step aside.Science is not under attack; it’s being rescued—from itself.
I'd like to think that President Eisenhower is smiling. Wistfully, no doubt, given how long it has taken for our nation to begin to heed his warnings. But still, ...
Smile, President Eisenhower. The reckoning has, at long last, begun.
Discussion (11)
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Until I read a book about Ike's heart attacks (he had quite a few), and also one about Pop Warner (who had coached the football team Jim Thorpe was on; this team played Army and Eisenhower injured himself trying to tackle Thorpe), I never knew much about Ike's career outside WWII and the White House. Well, one thing he did was be a university president. From such scant information as I picked up, I got the idea this phase of his life was not a particularly successful or celebrated one. He was not popular at Columbia. Indeed, he was hardly there at Columbia. And yet I bet he understood far more than he let on!
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There was no DoEd, so no specific threat of an Education Industrial Complex. The competition for Worst Department is tough. They used to say If you can’t do, you can still teach. While that’s no longer true, what’s really true is that if you can’t be bothered to do you become a politician. Who have willfully stopped educating children.
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Any school board member or school superintendent that has been involved in the procurement of textbooks knows there very much is an Education Industrial Complex. New York and LA, etc, set the standards the textbooks must meet and then the screws are turned by state and federal actors and the textbook makers on county systems in decent counties to accept the trash they mandated. And there is mandated miseducation by Common Core, and a whole catalog of learning materials chasing that dumpster fire. And there are the teacher unions.
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Perhaps a little insight is in order.
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I’d be sympathetic if there wasn’t a substantial body of evidence demonstrating wide spread, decades long, academic malfeasance in the form of falsifying research and plagiarizing the work of others. Worst in the so-called social sciences, but commonplace in hard sciences as well. You leave out the varied and complex legal arrangements in place controlling the rights to research and the financial incentives to the PI’s and their academic institutions. It’s not just an academic exercise and the search for new knowledge. It’s the payoff after.
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