Tiger GPS: Government and Public Service Blog

METHOD TO OUR MADNESS, OR WHY SCIENCE SHOULD BE STRATEGIC by Andrew Tate

We conduct science for our advancement as a nation, its people, and ultimately for the betterment of the entire world. While issues may be controversial, either politically or scientifically, this does not mean that we should give up on expanding our horizons and working towards improving our livelihood. Science should be strategic in the sense that ongoing or potential issues should be prioritized so that our nation can conquer issues before they become unconquerable.

For example, we can look at climate change and the negative effects it has had on our society. While there are solutions trying to be made; electric cars, wind turbines, etc.; one can make the argument that true solutions to the problem are being ignored. Drawing on this example, we can use nuclear power as a solution to the issue of global warming and our reliance on fossil fuels. However, because ‘nuclear’ has become engrained with negative connotations in our society, we do not see much advancement in this field being done. Simply because this issue is controversial does not mean that it is not a necessary solution to the problems we are encountering.

For strategic science to work, we must see improvement in our policy that prioritizes looking at these ‘controversial’ issues and putting them into action. Science should be strategic because science in itself is a fluid dynamic; science is always creating new inventions, advancements, and solutions to everyday and long-term problems. Science should be strategic because our needs are constantly evolving. From power struggles, to defense, to health and wellness; science is always facing new challenges that need solutions. We want science to solve our problems, no doubt, and strategic science provides more freedom for these problems to be solved. Even if advancements fall outside of our strategy, they should be funded, as it is never known when these advancements will be needed.

Ultimately, the world we live in is not perfect, and money is not infinite. Cuts will be made to areas not deemed to be strategic. But science strategy adaptation should be continuous. Intermittent adaption presents problems, as our world is always changing and new issues arise. Strategic science must be used to tackle the problems we are currently facing, but to also ensure that the challenges of tomorrow, next week, next year, or the next decade are to be met at full speed.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *