Large-scale military funding induces culture clash
Abstract Mission-oriented research shifts the assessment of research products and potential from scientists to external factors. This is the point of mission funding, but it introduces what the author calls ‘epistemic drift’, which is part of a more general clash between different value systems and cultures. The culture clash between the military and industry has led to a shift in debate from spin-off to dual-use technologies. Similar conflicts and tensions are introduced into the university research system by large-scale mission funding such as that of SDI, and it is imperative that universities establish a strong civilian base for fundamental research funding instead of lobbying for military support.
Science, Technology and the Military: Priorities, Preoccupations and Possibilities
The relationships between science, technology and the military have been an important topic of public and political debate throughout the twentieth, and into the twenty-first, centuries (Edgerton, 1990; Mendelsohn, 1997). Since at least World War II, a substantial percentage of the world’s scientific and technological personnel and resources have been committed to defense-related endeavors. Nevertheless, despite the continuous importance attached to such efforts by governments, questions have always been asked about the effectiveness of, and the ends served by, military R&D. Developments in international affairs have also produced misgivings about whether the basic assumptions underpinning such expenditure remained sound. Most recently, the attacks of 9/11 have led to widespread suggestions that “everything has changed” – not least with regard to perceptions of security threats and the legitimacy accorded to the use of military force. This, in turn, has produced counterclaims to the effect that very little has in fact altered.
Second-Generation Process Research Towards Eletriptan: A Fischer Indole Approach
The development of a second-generation process for the synthesis of eletriptan via a Fischer indole cyclisation is described. The finalised process offers several potential advantages over the current route of manufacture including cost, throughput, and safety.