Physics and Government Page: 2 of 11
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In defining the powers and duties of the three branches of government, the U.S.
Constitution never explicitly referred to Science, except in the patent clause. But many
technical responsibilities are implied in references to weights and measures, the census, and
the like. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and in particular Benjamin Franklin, were highly
literate in science, but it was their disciple, President John Quincy Adams who promoted as a
matter of policy a direct role of the government in science -- in particular with respect to
astronomy, land surveys and navigation -- all physical sciences. Some agencies of
government -- notably the National Bureau of Standards and the Department of Agriculture
were founded in the early days of the Republic with scientific and technical missions. Since
then the involvement of the government with science has waxed and waned but the major
expansion of the interaction between physics and government occurred after World War II
when physicists demonstrated the power of their craft during mobilization of science in
support of the war effort.
In discussing the interaction of physics with government we should distinguish
"science in government" -- scientific input into policy making -- from "government in
science," which is the support and management of that part of the overall scientific endeavor
for which the government has responsibility. Let me turn first to the subject of physics in
government. An overwhelming fraction of governmental decisions today have scientific and
technical components; decisions ignoring these components are wasteful at best and can
imperil the nation. For this reason governmental bodies at all levels solicit scientific advice --
or at least give lip service to the need for such advice. When such advice was deliberately
avoided, as President Reagan did before announcing his Strategic Defense Initiative in March
1983, the technically unattainable goal "to make nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete" was
proclaimed.
Most societies generally vest the power to govern in non-scientists. Therefore the
impact of scientific advice ultimately depends on the judgment of the advisee, rather than the
necessity and merit of the advice rendered. Decision-makers easily over or under estimate the
value of advice given by physicists or other scientists. During Congressional testimony, I
have been confronted by over-estimates of the value of physics when a member of a
Congressional committee insists, "Just give me the answer, Doctor." Conversely, an advisee
may reject technical testimony by stating, "Do not give me all this technical stuff; what we
need is practical advice." Such extreme attitudes are not unusual but happily the medium2
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Hendry, Nancy H. Physics and Government, report, August 24, 1999; Menlo Park, California. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc623992/m1/2/: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.