中欧社会论坛 - China Europa ForumManagement of Technic and Scientific Choices Viewed from Europe
Authors: Thierry Gaudin, Elie Faroult
Date: 2007
1-Political goals of research and innovation
In the field of scientific and technic choices, it is not exagerated to say that Europe has more questions than answers.
1-1-The first issue raised by the Green Book of the European Commission is that of coherence in diversity. Europe now comprises 27 countries, most of which speak different languages, and in some of of them several tongues are in use. After World War Two, Europe was built upon the strong idea that economic trade would bring peace between people that had been destroying each other for a century. Experience has shown that this bet was correct, but cultural diversity subsisted. It is even considered by most Europeans as a richess to be preserved. Nevertheless, concerning research, this diversity does not facilitate exchange; and Europe is led to take specific dispositions to make scientific curriculums the same everywhere and to stimulate exchange and mobility of scientists between the different Member States.
1-2-Another issue, more scarcely addressed, is that of defining or delimiting research. It can seem fastidious to ask ourselves what is to be researched and what is not. But when looking back at history, this question then makes complete sense. After World War Two, and the extraordinary display of resarch’s power that was the nuclear weapon, the issue of determining the area of research, in order to better understand and control the resources dedicated to it, was raised at OECD level. This work, called “Frascati Manual”, started (without being officially displayed as such) from military needs. Those needs, indeed, are very broad and cover most types of activities. Not only physics and chemistry (which had been used to make weapons) and biology (which could be used to make some more), but also health, mechanics, aeronautics, materials, and… communications. To cite a single example: isn’t Internet an extension of Arpanet, a network built at DARPA’s command to facilitate and accelerate communications between centers working for American department of defense?
1-3-However, artistic activities, those of craft, or even knowledge of natural ecosystems, were neglected by the research system built from the 50’s to the 70’s. The only major exception is astrophysics, accepted as a research even though it had no military use. Hoever, from the 70’s onwards, civilian applications of military research became so numerous and important that this original definition was forgotten. Research officially became the intellectual support for economic competition while preserving the idea, dear to scientists, that “fundamental” research is indispensable because, as the Einstein example clearly shows, its applications cannot be foreseen and can be decisive.
1-4-Still, if economic competition has replaced military rivalries to motivate and justify funding research, those are nonetheless two expressions of the will for power. Now as in the past, the end of research and innovation is power. Military power yesterday, economic power today. Will it always be so? That is where the big interrogation mark of our future lies.
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