The Origins of Pure and Applied Science in Gilded Age America

Abstract

"Pure science" and "applied science" have peculiar histories in the United States. Both terms were in use in the early part of the nineteenth century, but it was only in the last decades that they took on new meanings and became commonplace in the discourse of American scientists. The rise in their currency reflected an acute concern about the corruption of character and the real possibilities of commercializing scientific knowledge. "Pure" was the preference of scientists who wanted to emphasize their nonpecuniary motives and their distance from the marketplace. "Applied" was the choice of scientists who accepted patents and profits as other possible returns on their research. In general, the frequent conjoining of "pure" and "applied" bespoke the inseparable relations of science and capitalism in the Gilded Age.

Becoming Applied: The Transformation of Economics after 1970

“…Alexander 2012, Edgerton 2004. Lucier (2012) has surveyed the uses of the notions of "pure science" and "applied science" throughout the nineteenth century, and points that they became increasingly used as the possibilities to commercialize scientific knowledge rose, leading to concerns of corruption. Those scientists who wanted to emphasize their distance from the market place relied on "pure," while those scientists who accepted patents and profits on their research were "applied."…”

The changing identity of research: A cultural and conceptual history

“…: Latour 1993;Gibbons et al, 1994;Grandin et al 2004;Forman 2007), already brought about the want to historicize the categories science and technology or related terms such as natural science, pure and applied science or popular science (e.g. : Hounshell 1980;Kline 1995;Dear 2005;Schatzberg 2006;Topham 2009;Marx 2010;Philipps 2012;Bud 2012, Lucier 2012, Gooday 2012Nikiforova 2015). 3 Moreover, history of science has broadened its perspective and showed interests in non-academic science and the identity of industrial researchers (e.g.…”

Afinal, como funciona a Linguística Aplicada e o que pode ela se tornar?

“…Nesse texto, preferindo o termo "ciência básica" a "ciência pura", Bush reforça a necessidade de investimento por parte do governo em pesquisa básica, o que não constitui uma novidade no velho embate entre ciência pura (ou básica) e aplicada, conforme fi cou estabelecido desde a segunda metade do século XIX: "Pura" e "aplicada" representaram, desse modo, uma tensão essencial nas relações entre a produção de conhecimento e a busca de lucro em uma sociedade capitalista. (LUCIER, 2012) 6. Engenheiro, diretor do Offi ce of Scientifi c Research and Development, agência do governo norte-americano criada em maio de 1941 para coordenar pesquisa científi ca com fi ns militares durante a II Guerra Mundial.…”