Societal Influences on Research
Harold Shapiro, in his book A Larger Sense of Purpose (Princeton, 2005), makes the following challenging observations about science:
Although the cumulative accomplishments of science can hardly be overstated, we must acknowledge that they necessarily bring in their wake a series of problematic issues. It is doubtful, for example, that more science always leads to more social dividends, that the scientific agenda is always focused on the most important issues, that the norms of science are adequate to ensure public accountability, that the promise of science is always fulfilled, that science can take the measure of all things, or that new knowledge is neutral in its moral and practical consequences. Science is a social activity. Scientific activities cannot benefit everyone's interests at the same time, and they are inevitably influenced by ideologies and conflicts of interest. Indeed, some have gone so far as to suggest that science, like other activities and policies, simply serves those who profit from the existing social order. (p. 123)
None of this should be taken to mean that specific scientific results are socially contingent; but Shapiro's words should force scientists to acknowledge that the locus and support of their research, and the reception and use of their results, are strongly affected by social, ideological, political, and economic factors. This means that the interactions of academic scientists with their various publics---students, funders, peers outside of academe, government officials, and the public at large---have a more reciprocal character than might superficially be recognized.
Examples are not hard to come by. One that is currently pertinent is the growing interest in biofuels---especially corn---as a renewable source of energy that reduces our dependence on Middle East oil and promises new profits to corn-growing states. While such benefits should not be minimized, the accompanying costs, such as diversion of an important food source with accompanying rise in food costs, the limited ability of corn to substitute for more than a small fraction of petroleum usage, and the continued generation of greenhouse gases, should not be overlooked. Support for research on other energy alternatives, e.g., non-foodstock vegetation, nuclear and solar power, and conservation, could be deemphasized in universities located in states that stand to profit from corn-based biofuels.
There are no guarantees that this will, or won't, happen. But alertness to potential economic and political influences on research is an important part of engagement between universities and the broader society.