Politicians, Science, And Scientists.

The article reflects on science in relation to politicians and scientists. It is important to note that from a political standpoint in most of the U.S., science has really two branches and only two: atomic research and medical research. Special groups may be concerned with smog control or agricultural production but by large, atomic science and medical science are all of science, politically speaking. Geology, meteorology, physiological psychology and chemistry are important from this standpoint only in so far as they impinge upon nucleonics or medicine. Politicians are interested in science to the degree to which they think to reduce anxieties. The importance of anxiety in stimulating medical research is obvious enough. However, also most of the demand for atomic research appears to be directed to the reduction of anxiety. A purely rational analysis of medical or nucleonic problems would increase anxiety, for most people rather than reduce it. Scientific funds, research funds tend to be steered from what is the most valuable line of research. Public relations specialists and politicians by filling the available avenues of the attention with material about space and medicine, may make space and medicine the politically significant areas of science rather than merely conforming to public desires.