3 ms·
Science was traditionally the hobby of the aristocracy, and the middle-class scientist is only a very recent invention. It's a shame that the career seems to b
by searine 3y ago
Science was traditionally the hobby of the aristocracy, and the middle-class scientist is only a very recent invention.
It's a shame that the career seems to be reverting to a track that only the independently wealthy can pursue. Governments funding basic science as a long term investment in R&D is essential to building and maintaining a large and diverse population of experts to draw from for new ideas and innovations.
- yummypaint 3y agoScience pays significantly worse that almost anything else you can do with the same skillset. The only real money making pipeline in physics is to immediately go into finance after getting your PhD, for example. Everyone else who stays in research is taking a pay cut in exchange for doing work they are passionate about. On the one hand I think it's a good thing for science that the vast majority of people who only want to make money leave the field. The problem is the barrier to entry for people who really just want to do science. Most of this in the form of the cost of undergrad education, and PhD program sripends being too low to support a family.
- robwwilliams 3y agoNot the aristocracy, but the wealthy. The aristocracy kept busy wasting time and money.
- est31 3y agovon Humboldt was an aristocrat. As was Lord Raleigh.