Changes

Finally, Ayn Rand saw the apparent dichotomy between "pure" and "applied" science as a false one, and suggested that if any principle of science could be valuable to man, then some ''private'' individual or group would be willing to fund it. Robert Stadler is a type of any scientist who fails to realize that, who thinks that private funding is somehow dishonorable merely because it ''is'' private, and furthermore, that applied science is somehow dishonorable because it ''is'' applied to the problems that real human beings deal with every day. Such a person very often forgets that public funding can often lead to the creation of instruments of tyranny and death, because after all, the government is that institution having a monopoly on the initiation of force. But before that, he ''also'' forgets, or never learns, that ''trade'' is the correct basis for human relationships, and that he ''does'' have something to trade.

Finally, Ayn Rand saw the apparent dichotomy between "pure" and "applied" science as a false one, and suggested that if any principle of science could be valuable to man, then some ''private'' individual or group would be willing to fund it. Robert Stadler is a type of any scientist who fails to realize that, who thinks that private funding is somehow dishonorable merely because it ''is'' private, and furthermore, that applied science is somehow dishonorable because it ''is'' applied to the problems that real human beings deal with every day. Such a person very often forgets that public funding can often lead to the creation of instruments of tyranny and death, because after all, the government is that institution having a monopoly on the initiation of force. But before that, he ''also'' forgets, or never learns, that ''trade'' is the correct basis for human relationships, and that he ''does'' have something to trade.

[[John Galt]] provides a direct contrast to Robert Stadler. Galt keeps and runs his own laboratory, at his own expense. He shares his science in one of two ways:

[[John Galt]] provides a direct contrast to Robert Stadler. Galt keeps and runs his own laboratory, at his own expense. He ''does'' have friends, because he understands trade as a basis for friendship. (Galt's friendships have their basis in value for value. His is not the crass "favor-for-favor" basis that James Taggart, Orren Boyle, and Mr. Thompson use.) And when John Galt builds a temple—specifically, the blockhouse that houses the electrostatic powerplant for [[Galt's Gulch]]—his is a modest structure that offers a great benefit. In return, it demands, not worship of a man, but ''respect'' between and among all who wish to take part.

 

John Galt also shares his science in one of two ways:

#He publishes his discoveries ''for a price'' in the form of lectures to industrialists who could use his discoveries in their own industries. So naturally Galt turns his research to questions that might have a practical application. In a society much larger than Galt's Gulch, Galt would publish and sell a journal for the same readership.

#He publishes his discoveries ''for a price'' in the form of lectures to industrialists who could use his discoveries in their own industries. So naturally Galt turns his research to questions that might have a practical application. In a society much larger than Galt's Gulch, Galt would publish and sell a journal for the same readership.

#He is also an ''inventor''. An inventor must grasp not only a principle of abstract science, but ''also'' a way to make that principle ''concretely'' useful. [[Thomas Edison]] understood that, and so did [[Benjamin Franklin]]. Edison especially worked out a way to offer people things of value, to help fund other projects that turned out to have even greater importance.

#He is also an ''inventor''. An inventor must grasp not only a principle of abstract science, but ''also'' a way to make that principle ''concretely'' useful. [[Thomas Edison]] understood that, and so did [[Benjamin Franklin]]. Edison especially worked out a way to offer people things of value, to help fund other projects that turned out to have even greater importance.

But this illustrates another serious problem with scientific research today. No scientist, who has published anything for commercial sale, may publish the same research in any "peer-reviewed" journal. (Walter F. Brown, of the Center for scientific Creation, has this very problem with his own work.) Thus the mind-body dichotomy rears its ugly head, even in editorial decision-making.

(This illustrates another serious problem with scientific research today. No scientist, who has published anything for commercial sale, may publish the same research in any "peer-reviewed" journal. Walter T. Brown, of the Center for scientific Creation, has this very problem with his own work. Thus the mind-body dichotomy rears its ugly head, even in editorial decision-making.)

 

John Galt never understands Robert Stadler fully. But he rightly concludes that Robert Stadler is beyond any effort by Galt or his fellow strikers to "reclaim him." Galt believes that Stadler mooches from the taxpayer in a way that allows tyrants to use his work to further their tyranny. Even Galt never sees that, in the end, Stadler tries to become a tyrant himself.

Ayn Rand also made a minor point, and a scathing one, against scientists who try to get their way through name-dropping. In virtually any Western country, untold numbers of scientific institutions, and especially [[hospital]]s and various lecture and [[laboratory]] halls in medical schools, often sell or offer to a "prominent" physician or a member of the "generous community" the privilege of having his or her name on a building wing and his or her portrait in oil in the hallway. Indeed, many such institutions build veritable [[shrine]]s to such people. While some of these people deserve some recognition for some extraordinary discovery (like the techniques of [[aorta|aortic]] [[aneurysm]]al repair and other even more breathtaking techniques of cardiovascular [[surgery]] developed by [[Michael E. DeBakey]]), or even for years of service, other such people win this recognition merely by paying for it. Ayn Rand perhaps sought to illustrate what would happen when an institution, ostensibly dedicated to science, might be taken over by a group of people who would ''not'' respect the owner of that name. In such a situation, all the name-dropping that the person could do would avail him nothing.

Ayn Rand also made a minor point, and a scathing one, against scientists who try to get their way through name-dropping. In virtually any Western country, untold numbers of scientific institutions, and especially [[hospital]]s and various lecture and [[laboratory]] halls in medical schools, often sell or offer to a "prominent" physician or a member of the "generous community" the privilege of having his or her name on a building wing and his or her portrait in oil in the hallway. Indeed, many such institutions build veritable [[shrine]]s to such people. While some of these people deserve some recognition for some extraordinary discovery (like the techniques of [[aorta|aortic]] [[aneurysm]]al repair and other even more breathtaking techniques of cardiovascular [[surgery]] developed by [[Michael E. DeBakey]]), or even for years of service, other such people win this recognition merely by paying for it. Ayn Rand perhaps sought to illustrate what would happen when an institution, ostensibly dedicated to science, might be taken over by a group of people who would ''not'' respect the owner of that name. In such a situation, all the name-dropping that the person could do would avail him nothing.