MEMOe-FROM TO: K. \ I+ .

J ERBERSG Re

GENETICS DEPARTMENT RO ,
STANFORD UNIVERSITY Prof. Joshua Lederberg
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA Department of Genetics .

 

JUL 7 1969 : School of Medicine
. Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305

— - UL E1869
Ka aa aon ann ok 19,000 per year for one to three years

lary of one research-axxxatnt assistant,
gud om Wray Com fy riodicals, and postage &telephone
ssimilate information in a wide

dle to the subjects covered in my

+ assistance as for deeper follow-

1ope to express this in a series

-and-run" efforts of the weekly

of merely documenting the sources
od ne weeny eee amg tingxthe locating the most up-to-

date literature for further reading, is already a formidable one; but

‘this would already make them much more useful for teaching purposes.

 

To a large extent, however, the assistance I request is to
help me in my own education, so that I have a more informed base
on hich to HXIRENKE engage others in further analysis.
The principal themes of this study are: -
_....--In what ways cee . pene oe ee
1) K&X is science an autonomous process, that generates a “ tecknology
unrelated to social needs; how is it actively abused (in terms of the
‘édeals of the pure scientist); are there mechanisms by which it can
be guided for social benefit without constmaining the creative imagination
of research workers -- in short, can Science be creatively managed?
What is the present de-facto system of its management?
2) MKX Boes scientific progress interfére with individual liberty; and
if so what institutional arrangements do we need for our protection.
=o distortions
3) Can science help ‘to define ‘social goals, ‘and how can those hangete
be identified which are most amenable to technological antidotes, or
‘to the most nearly achievable social ones. —

 

-4) Can we furnish an improvement on present techniques of setting
values and priorities on different forms of scientific effort. Are these
forms correctly taxonomized for such a purpose? (For example, is it a
meaningful’ question to ask how to decide between mathemaaics, higher
energy physics or molecular biology 2)

5) Do we have the right institutions (spec. the universities) for the
harmonization of scientific research,ann teaching, social criticism,an® art,
other intellectual roles? oe

6) Failing a prompt answer to the metaproblem (3), what are the most
urgent human problems to which scientific thinking can be usefully
addressed now, and how can thes best be implemented.

 

Joshua Lederberg