You're absolutely right.
I'd argue that to make science what it used to be, one would even have to cut funding.
Scientists used to be aristocrats interested in truth. These days they're just interested in grants.
I'd argue that to make science what it used to be, one would even have to cut funding.
Scientists used to be aristocrats interested in truth. These days they're just interested in grants.
Ladies and gentlemen, to add insult to injury, the greedy scientist myth strikes again.
There is not a better feeling in the world than to work for free for several years, six days a week (plus Sundays of course), with the weak promise of receiving a "turtle grant" someday. Maybe. (Tomorrow perhaps, the turtle is blocked somewhere. You will be paid in two years) and then being called "greedy".
Yes, there are people getting rich with the money for science, It just happens that they aren't the scientists. They are the politicians that keep the grants as their own personal loans. Science can't be fixed because is the guarantor of politicians that only need to go creative and put impossible requirements year after year to be allowed to keep most of the money for themselves.
In 2010 under the president Zapatero, the spanish government de-funded first and then keep for themselves the 25% of the money compromised for science. In 2015 under president Rajoy the government keep the 48% of the funds allocated for science and in 2016 the 62% of the promised money never reached any researcher. The money was used instead for, who knows... a new swimming pool for each minister maybe, or fixing accounting holes in other sectors... I wouldn't discard cocaine parties neither.
https://elpais.com/diario/2011/04/02/sociedad/1301695203_850...
https://elpais.com/elpais/2017/10/04/ciencia/1507133529_8680...
I'm not sure if that's actually what you're advocating, but personally I'm very much against science only being the domain of rich people who can afford to do it as a hobby.
I also believe a significant amount of science should be democratically driven.
Generally it's the kids of rich parents.