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Conversations on the Uses of Science and Technology
A candid and often humorous discussion between Hackerman and Ashworth on the problems scientists and society will face with reductions in government financial support for research, or with restrictive government directives. In dialogue that is accessible to laymen and policy makers, the authors explain why scientific research must be allowed to continue unfettered and undirected if humankind is to accrue its full benefits.
In the United States, the universities are the sole source of scientists and engineers. . . . That alone should tell our political leaders . . . how essential it is for them to provide support for the universities in order to generate and promote economic development and vitality. The universities provide the adequately educated scientists and engineers, and without them a society does not have the slightest chance—short of accidentally running across a diamond mine or gold mine or another thirty trillion barrels of oil—of remaining in the economic race.
In the United States, the universities are the sole source of scientists and engineers. . . . That alone should tell our political leaders . . . how essential it is for them to provide support for the universities in order to generate and promote economic development and vitality. The universities provide the adequately educated scientists and engineers, and without them a society does not have the slightest chance—short of accidentally running across a diamond mine or gold mine or another thirty trillion barrels of oil—of remaining in the economic race.
107 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
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August 19, 2025
i discovered this book in a random chinese bookstore in flushing, new york (interestingly the book was in mandarin).
what a great book this is! it certainly made me want to learn more about norman hackerman. it’s a short book (<100 pages) and definitely one i will reread in the future.
some quotes i enjoyed:
“science is the inquiry into ignorance. technology is an application of science — our understanding of nature.”
“What is most important is the individual student. Teachers can try to induce students to learn, they can nag students to learn, they can challenge students to learn, but in the end they cannot make a student learn one damned thing. And without learning, regardless of how good the teaching is, education does not take place.”
“The fundamental point I am trying to make is that
science is a creation of man since all knowledge has to pass through a human mind. That means our view of science is man-made and very much controlled by others around us. That is, our knowledge of nature and the universe is very much affected by society, as Galileo—or Servetus, or even Semmelweiss—quickly discovered.”
what a great book this is! it certainly made me want to learn more about norman hackerman. it’s a short book (<100 pages) and definitely one i will reread in the future.
some quotes i enjoyed:
“science is the inquiry into ignorance. technology is an application of science — our understanding of nature.”
“What is most important is the individual student. Teachers can try to induce students to learn, they can nag students to learn, they can challenge students to learn, but in the end they cannot make a student learn one damned thing. And without learning, regardless of how good the teaching is, education does not take place.”
“The fundamental point I am trying to make is that
science is a creation of man since all knowledge has to pass through a human mind. That means our view of science is man-made and very much controlled by others around us. That is, our knowledge of nature and the universe is very much affected by society, as Galileo—or Servetus, or even Semmelweiss—quickly discovered.”
Displaying 1 of 1 review