NDT on Trump's "Space Force"

[I_am_not_mafia]

Also scientists are generally people who actually care about the world and who prefer to educate themselves rather than stay ignorant. After all, you don't become a scientist to get rich but for the love of knowledge. Generally to achieve something useful.

I wouldn't put it like how you put it.

I would say there certainly are plenty of scientists who do care, I'd agree with that. But there are scientists who work for the global weapons industry, and even make and maintain nukes in enemy states. There are scientists who work for chemical companies and oil companies whom dream up ways to make cheaper products to attract shareholders and boost profits, it is the company itself that pays them, and that company doesn't itself always care what damage that product may do to the environment.

Ethical scientists do care yes. But there are corporate "scientists" who only care about making money for the company they work for.

Yeah but that is also their job. It doesn't mean to say that the scientists themselves aren't also caring people. Working in industry as a scientist myself I do find that scientists are more likely to be conscientious of what they are doing. Of course there are always exceptions, but you're more likely to get a conscientious scientist than a conscientious entrepreneur for example, or a conscientious administrator. And the fact that the scientist is working in industry shouldn't be taken as an endorsement of industry. Often it's the only work available to the scientist. There is a reason that post-doctoral work is badly paid, has very limited job security and requires you to put your life on hold. Because so many scientists would still prefer to be working on academic research than working in industry. Unfortunately less than 10% of those who complete a PhD actually get the chance to develop a career in academia.

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Also scientists are generally people who actually care about the world and who prefer to educate themselves rather than stay ignorant. After all, you don't become a scientist to get rich but for the love of knowledge. Generally to achieve something useful.

American tax payers are the biggest funders of R&D on the planet. An awful lot of the scientists who are working on government funded R&D are doing so with the intention of patenting their discoveries and making many millions of dollars. Defense contractors all have their roots in government funded R&D. The internet, computers, and cellphones all came out of government funded R&D. Scientists working with government funding develop new drugs in university labs, patent them, and then go on to make millions of dollars off of their government funded research.

Don't get me wrong. I love scientists. I love research and development. But in America our socialized costs for private profits monster is completely out of control. Our scientists live on welfare while doing research, and then bilk us for many millions when they make profitable discoveries that were paid for by us.

Not necessarily bigger than the EU though. True, the EU is not a single country but investment in science is made via European-wide funding bodies. What you are describing is very different to what happens in Europe. Remember, America is not the world.

Brexit: The EU is a science powerhouse - leaving it will put us behind the US in innovation

The EU is already a scientific juggernaut, with a total academic output that's 20 per cent higher than the US. This should be no surprise given the combined EU population of over 500m versus America’s 319m. Europe as a whole produces a third of the world’s research outputs.