More bloggers weigh in
Frogheart has a nice commentary on Harvey Weingarten’s Globe and Mail piece from the weekend. The author concedes that she doesn’t disagree with the basic notion of balancing funding between infrastructure and projects. She makes a very interesting and valid point, though, regarding the use of language by government and its supporters:
I am, however, uncomfortable with the phrase ‘curiosity-driven’ research to describe research that does not have a commercial application either in the near future or shortly after that. My sense is that the phrase is becoming mildly pejorative. There’s an implication that it’s a waste of time (idle curiousity).
A very interesting observation and one that I sense is correct. In any political debate, language is a very important tool, and one that scientists may underestimate in relation to “facts”. “Curiosity-driven” is much more loaded than simply “Basic Research”. “Basic” contrasts with “Applied”, whereas “Curiosity-driven” contrasts with “Driven by usefulness/necessity/purpose”. Great observation.
Also, in a Cyberpresse blogue, Mario Roy contrasts the still-quiet protests about science funding cuts with the outrage over culture funding cuts that seriously damaged the Conservatives in the last election, especially in Quebec. The science funding issue hasn’t made much noise in Quebec (despite the Mont Megantic funding fiasco), as Roy points out. I suspect this is because Quebec has a reflexive outrage when Ottawa touches anything to do with its culture, whereas there isn’t anything particularly Quebecois about the research funding cuts. Nonetheless, Roy is attempting to wake people up:
Pour l’instant, il suffira de noter que, non, le savoir… n’est pas en bonne santé chez nous.
Mais ce n’est pas encore le pire. Le pire, c’est que, pour parler crûment, tout le monde s’en fout éperdument.
Roughly, the translation is: “For now, it’s enough to point out that, no, knowledge is not in good health here. But that’s not even the worst thing. The worst is that, to put it crudely, no one gives a damn.”
