The financial and economic aspects of modern science raise many important and difficult questions for research ethics, the philosophy of science, and science policy. How does money affect scientific research? Can financial interests undermine scientific norms, such as objectivity, truthfulness, and honesty? Have scientists become entrepreneurs bent on making money instead of investigators searching for the truth? How does the commercialization of research affect the public’s perception of science? Can scientists prevent money from corrupting the research enterprise? What types of rules, police ... More

The financial and economic aspects of modern science raise many important and difficult questions for research ethics, the philosophy of science, and science policy. How does money affect scientific research? Can financial interests undermine scientific norms, such as objectivity, truthfulness, and honesty? Have scientists become entrepreneurs bent on making money instead of investigators searching for the truth? How does the commercialization of research affect the public’s perception of science? Can scientists prevent money from corrupting the research enterprise? What types of rules, polices, and guidelines should scientists adopt to prevent financial interests from adversely affecting research and the public’s opinion of science? This book examines these and other questions related to the financial and economic aspects of modern science. It investigates and analyzes the relationship between the pursuit of financial gain and the pursuit of knowledge. It considers how greed can affect the conduct of scientists, universities, corporations, and the public’s perception of science. It explores how moral, social, and political values affect public and private funding of research, and how debates about research funding reflect broader, ideological divisions within society. The book also proposes some policies for controlling, regulating, and monitoring financial interests in research and for counteracting money’s corrupting effects on science.