The War On Science In Trump's America

A century ago, America was not yet a global leader in basic science, despite groundbreaking innovations by those like Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and the Wright Brothers.

- C P RAJENDRAN

At the time, Europe—particularly Germany—dominated fundamental scientific advancements. However, the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, with its toxic ideology of racial and ethnic 'purity', endangered many of Germany's leading scientists. This persecution forced numerous scholars to flee to the US, which welcomed them with open arms.

"A shining city upon a hill"—the line popularized by Ronald Reagan in his 1989 farewell address to encapsulate American exceptionalism—ultimately drew inspiration from the Bible, where Jesus tells his followers, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden."

But alongside their religiosity, the US's founding fathers—not all of them devout Christians—were deeply shaped by Enlightenment ideals such as freedom of thought, expression and religious pluralism. This fusion of values forged a nation whose constitution and institutions created a fertile ground for an unfettered academic culture. Such an environment laid the foundation for robust basic science research.

The rise of American science was accelerated by immigrants fleeing authoritarian regimes in the 1930s and those who arrived later seeking opportunity. These individuals, including talent from India and China, found in 1960s' American academia a rare combination of intellectual freedom and institutional generosity.

It was also facilitated by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin. The strategic openness to global talent proved transformative.