Should science be constrained by profit?

[Jubal]

Should science only develop and be allowed to develop in directions where there are clear financial or material benefits to be gained? The UK and US have both moved in this direction - a lot of US research is now done privately, for entirely commercial work. However, many great discoveries have come as the result of originally purely theoretical work, and governments have been criticised for failing to fund "science for the sake of science".

Personally I'd like to see more general science funding for wider research... what does everyone else think?

[lordryan756]

I agree, there should be funding for science. School funding should also be raised, as it is I/Them that are going to come up with more theories, more knowledge, and more inventions. For, "The sake of science", I think the world should come together on this matter.

[Jubal]

Definitely, agreed. More international co-operation would surely benefit everyone, and we really need to fix schooling. So many people (certainly in the UK) just can't be bothered with school, which is terrible when we need good scientists and engineers for the future.