Frontiers Of Illusion: Science, Technology, and the Politics of Progress

by Daniel Sarewitz

For the past fifty years, science and technology supported with billions of dollars from the U.S. government have advanced at a rate that would once have seemed miraculous, while society's problems have grown more intractable, complex, and diverse. Yet, scientists and politicians alike continue to prescribe more science and more technology to cure such afflictions as global climate change, natural resource depletion, overpopulation, inadequate health care, weapons proliferation, and economic inequality. Daniel Sarewitz scrutinizes the fundamental myths that have guided the formulation of science policy for half a century myths that serve the professional and political interests of the scientific community, but often fail to advance the interests of society as a whole. His analysis ultimately demonstrates that stronger linkages between progress in science and progress in society will require research agendas that emerge not from the intellectual momentum of science, but from the needs and goals of society. Daniel Sarewitz worked for four years on science policy issues for the U.S.
Congress, first as a Congressional Science Fellow, and then as science consultant to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives. He now directs the Institute for Environmental Education at the Geological Society of America.

Genres: Technology, Science, Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Hadrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1996, Frontiers of Illusion was an attempt to reexamine government policy towards scientific advancement after the Cold War and lessened demands of great power competition. In the introduction, Sarewitz states that he attempts to address several 'myths' which originated in the 1940s and may be traced, in whole or in part, to Vannevar Bush's 1945 report, The Endless Frontier.

Sarewitz has a pessimistic view about the relationship between scientific advancement and social progress. He writes about five 'myths' of science and technology policy. As such, these more optimistic beliefs benefit, and are bolstered by, scientific and research institutions.

What the author proposes are not new solutions now, and they may have been older when they were published. Bringing in people with a greater diversity of backgrounds, and forming some intermediary institutions to concentrate research on specific fields, or informing public officials. These institutions would face the same problems of capricious lawmakers, however - see how Trump dismantled the Global Health Security and Biodefense unit of the National Security Council, or for an older examples, how the Office of Technology Assessment was shuttered in 1995.

Sarewitz raises good questions, and I can understand a reason to be skeptical of skeptics. Yet as the last year of pandemic response has so painfully taught, there are worse options than throwing too much money at science policy.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good points. Really hard to read; long sentences, dry and repetitive. That said, it is important. Unfortunately Hemingway was not into non-fiction policy prose. Definitely four stars if the writing doesn't bother you.