ADVERTISEMENTS:
After reading this article you will learn about the controversy between pure and applied science.
The controversy between ‘pure’ and ‘applied’ science need not be made much of, because the two are not mutually exclusive and there is a continual interplay between them.
History shows how often in fact the development of science, has taken place in response to technical or even economic needs, and how in the economy of social effort, science even the most abstract and recondite kind pays for itself again and again and in providing the basis for radically new technical developments.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Much has been said in favour of both sides, viz., the ‘pure’ science and the ‘applied’ science. Huxley disliked heartily the term ‘applied’ science and went a long way singing praises to the ‘pure’ science. He pointed out the risk in over-emphasizing the utilitarian criteria for judging the worth of sciences.
Francis Bacon, a staunch advocate of ‘pure’ uncontaminated science said, “Just as the vision/of light itself/is something more/excellent and/beautiful than its manifold use, so without doubt the contemplation of things without superstition or imposture… is in itself a nobler thing than the whole harvest of inventions. It is an intolerant narrow-minded view which supposes that a science is to be judged only by its practical fruits and not by illumination it affords.”
Morris Cohen’s perceptive statement epitomizes the importance of pure research, i.e., the purely theoretical contribution of research. He observes, “purely theoretical contributions to astronomy and mathematics, by increasing the precision of navigation have saved more lives at sea than its many possible (technological) improvements in carpentry of lifeboats.”
Pearsons also argues in the same vein thus:
ADVERTISEMENTS:
“It is not a question of whether we try to live up to our social responsibility but of how. If we should put the overwhelming bulk of our resources … into immediately practical problems, it would do some good but … it would have to be at the expense of our greater usefulness to the society in future. For it is only by systematic work on problems where the probable scientific significance has priority over any immediate possibility of application that the greatest and most rapid scientific advance can be made.”
Pearsons points to the importance of ‘pure’ research directed at solving abstract theoretical problems. To him the application is only a technological by-product of abstract relationship among concepts, which is potentially a generator of many more applications.
The history of science testifies to the fact that the practical value of science has been in direct proportion to the precision of scientific methods and that most ‘theoretical’ or ‘pure’ investigations have practical implications of extraordinary magnitude.
No great law of science has ever been discovered for its practical applications but instances abound of investigations apparently quite useless practically, which have led to most valuable results.
To quote Dicey, “knowledge pursued for its own sake without any direct view to future utility will often lead to results of most unexpected kind and of highest practical importance.” Thus, undue insistence on the practical utility of science is not historically justified and a hasty criticism of a certain scientific work being purely ‘theoretical’ is likely to be very unjust.
The contrary view holds that “Science is for life; not life for science.” Robert S. Lynd’s book, Knowledge for what? gave vehement expression to the feeling, “what good was knowledge if it did not have practical utility in terms of affording solutions to day- to-day problems?”
Samuel Stouffer, the research-director of the well-known ‘American Soldier Studies,’ saw considerable merit in the insistence on the practical and its value for ‘pure’ research. Stouffer pointed out that practical application of a science enhances public recognition of the importance accorded to it and influences public co-operation and financial support for its prosecution.
Secondly, applied research stimulates the improvement in the known tools and leads to the discovery of better ones. ‘Pure science benefits from techniques developed by practitioners in applied field, Stouffer further points out that ‘applied’ research can speed up the process of building basic theories.
The pressures to ‘explain’ or interpret surprising or unexpected practical findings, may lead to a reflection which organizes many such findings.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The concept of’ relative’ ‘deprivation’ for instance came to surface owing to the pressure to explain an anamolous or surprising observation in a practical situation, viz., the Negro soldiers who wanted to be stationed in the Northern American camps were less well adjusted there to army life as compared to the Negro soldiers who were stationed in Southern camp against their wish.
There are contributions to the other from each side. As Dewey aptly observes – “the method and conclusion of science do not remain penned within the science. Even those who convey of science as if it were a self-enclosed, self-actuated, independent and isolated entity cannot deny that it does not remain such in practical fact.”
Ultimately, the great power of science appears to lie in the development of general principles which are applicable to many practical problems. Comte said, “knowledge is Foresight and Foresight is power.”
‘Pure’ and ‘Applied’ researches do not constitute an ‘either- or’ dichotomy. Historically, knowledge for its own sake and knowledge for practical application have both characterized the scientific enterprise.
“…It has always been a tradition in science guiding the activities of many generations that science should be applied to practical purposes and the practical application should be a check on the validity of results and a justification for the efforts.”
The dual emphasis is meant to provide for the development of a body of general principles about human (nature) behaviour and relationships. Secondly, because of its social orientation, it is expected to provide practical guidance in solution of social problems and issues.