Home – Home – Jornals – Philosophy of Sciences 2017 number 4

The subject of study are variations in relation to the place of basic and applied scientific research in American research universities that are the «home of basic science» in the United States. They arise from the fact that, on the one hand, on its original mission of a research University is, first and foremost, are the «home» of basic science and academic «scientific ethos», which is cultivated on a University campus among faculty and students. Uninterested basic researches are the basis of university education. On the other hand, applied research is becoming an important factor in the development of national defense and industry. A number of periods are destingwished: World War II and the subsequent arms race therein with Government orders when there is heavily weighted toward applied research; «golden age» of fundamental research after the launch of the Soviet satellite; the period of student unrest and politicized campuses; the period of active participation of universities in the development of knowledge-based technology and improve the economic competitiveness of the country, accompanied by the shift towards applied research. It is shown that the flow of «disinterested» basic science research continues to exist and is highly valued today yet, that academic basic science with her ethos and the type of problems is necessary for the production of scientists and relevant knowledge.