The freedom and the responsibility of investigator-initiated research

Since World War II, scientific inquiry and research have been based on the premise that the more investigator-initiated research is conducted, the more automatic benefits for society are created. It is finally becoming clear to many that this belief is neither rational, true, nor healthy; in short, we as a society have been indiscriminately embracing whatever we are able to do instead of doing those things that will take society where it needs to go. Trickle-down science and technology do not work any better than the famous trickle-down economics worked. The author praises the accomplishments of scientific research but gives several examples, including those involving health care, of the widening gap that unguided science and technology have helped to foster between the advantaged and disadvantaged populations in most of the world, including the United States. He proposes that while investigator-initiated research is crucial, it must be done in the context of strategic paths and a set of values that direct it toward achieving the goals for the nation and the world that must be reached if the planet and its increasing population are to survive. He emphasizes that such strategic paths provide the compass; they do not control the journey. For example, he is not saying that biomedical researchers should be directed to specific experiments, but rather that as researchers they must realize the moving from remediation to prevention is a primary national and international goal for human health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)