The Scientific Basis of National Progress, Including that of Morality

The author maintains that national advancement rests on original scientific discovery, which generates new ideas that power inventions, economic growth, and intellectual and ethical development. He outlines how material progress has arisen from applications of physical and chemical knowledge, contrasts invention in industry with pure experimental research, and links scientific method to the production of new truth. A chapter examines the mental and moral influence of scientific insight, another discusses the general relationship between new truth and human progress, and the final section recommends institutional measures and public encouragement to promote original scientific investigation.