The Forum > Article Comments > Knowledge deficit looming > Comments
Knowledge deficit looming : Comments
By Julian Cribb, published 5/7/2007Science should drive the political agenda, not the other way around.
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Today I'll play the Devil's Advocate and ask, if Australia is producing fewer scientists: so what? Is the state of our nation in peril? Is this a national disaster or simply a jingoistic response that 'we' 'have' to be doing this type of work. Is this just a notion of science within borders and if so if WA is producing less scientists than Tasmania is the state of WA in peril?
Science by it's nature of peer review and collaboration is international and maybe less science in a particular area might (just might) mean less revenue going to that area, but that assumes that the area producing the science will actually have the capital, infrastructure, market demand, political nouse and get up and go to 'do something' with it. Witness the solar break throughs made at The University of New South Wales, but now being commercialised in China. The problem was not with the science but with the follow up. In the end though we'll get to use the cheaper manufactured results of the work as we import them.
There is an almost religious ferment to this topic but, as an economist, I'd ask is Australia currently better off doing 'other' things with it national financial capital?
Despite the above I'm not a luddite, I know that more scientists means more science and breakthroughs but hey, it's in the nature of science to pose challenging questions. Isn't it?