Epilogue - Looking back, leaning forward

Summary

By way of conclusion, let us briefly meditate on a central paradox in the development of modern science. We first state it bluntly and then unpack it a bit, but we intentionally leave loose ends to discourage any temptation to think there are easy answers.

Here is the paradox. When science was a more personal matter, conducted by amateurs on the margins of society, scientists were imbued with a more public sense of responsibility. But just when science became more public – when it was enrolled into institutions of commerce and politics, money and power – scientists shrunk their sense of responsibility. In short, just when science became a powerful social force scientists became parochial laborers, responsible only to a narrow community of disciplinary peers. This mismatch, we believe, must be rectified. Scientists must reclaim a broader moral responsibility and rediscover a sense of science as a higher calling, a vocation, and not just another job.