Opinion: Trying to manage curiosity-driven science risks limiting discoveries
Ever since Arthur D. Little created the first consulting firm in 1886, management consultants have turned their attention to nearly everything from advertising to education to statecraft. They and their management principles are now insinuating themselves into the funding, management, and training of scientists. We think that threatens scientific discovery at its very core.
Here’s the central question: Should scientific discovery, by which we mean the unravelling of nature’s mysteries by curiosity-driven scientists, be managed using principles adopted from business, or should curiosity-driven science be a refuge from such control?
