A vivid portrait of how Naval oversight shaped American oceanography,
revealing what difference it makes who pays for science.
What difference does it make who pays for science?
Some might say none. If scientists seek to discover fundamental truths
about the world, and they do so in an objective manner using
well-established methods, then how could it matter who's footing the
bill? History, however, suggests otherwise. In science, as elsewhere,
money is power. Tracing the recent history of oceanography, Naomi
Oreskes discloses dramatic changes in American ocean science since the
Cold War, uncovering how and why it changed. Much of it has to do with
who pays.
After World War II, the US military turned to a new, uncharted theater
of warfare: the deep sea. The earth sciences--particularly physical
oceanography and marine geophysics--became essential to the US Navy,
which poured unprecedented money and logistical support into their
study. Science on a Mission brings to light how this influx of
military funding was both enabling and constricting: it resulted in the
creation of important domains of knowledge but also significant,
lasting, and consequential domains of ignorance.
As Oreskes delves into the role of patronage in the history of science,
what emerges is a vivid portrait of how naval oversight transformed what
we know about the sea. It is a detailed, sweeping history that
illuminates the ways funding shapes the subject, scope, and tenor of
scientific work, and it raises profound questions about the purpose and
character of American science. What difference does it make who pays?
The short answer is: a lot.
