Ezra's Bookshelf

Science, the Endless Frontier

by Vannevar Bush · 186 pages · ~3.5 hrs

Science & TechnologyPolitics & Government

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Vannevar Bush's 'Science, the Endless Frontier' is the landmark 1945 report that established the framework for federal support of scientific research that persists to this day. Bush, who coordinated American scientific efforts during World War II, argued that basic research was essential to national health, security, and prosperity but could not be left to market forces alone. His vision led directly to the creation of the National Science Foundation and shaped how the government funds research across agencies. This edition pairs the original report with a substantial new essay examining how Bush's vision has fared and what contemporary challenges demand. The new material considers how the relationship between science and society has changed, from debates over research priorities to concerns about whether the benefits of publicly funded research are widely shared. Bush's report is notable for its confidence that scientific progress will naturally benefit humanity, a faith that subsequent decades have complicated without entirely dispelling. Reading the original alongside contemporary commentary illuminates both continuities and changes in how Americans think about the role of knowledge in public life. Readers interested in science policy or the history of American institutions will find this an essential document.

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