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07/17/2004: "Science vs. Money and Saving the Children"

Today's Think Again quote, from Iranian scholar Abu Arrayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni:

Once a sage asked why scholars always flock to the doors of the rich, whilst the rich are not inclined to call at the doors of scholars. "The scholars" he answered, "are well aware of the use of money, but the rich are ignorant of the nobility of science."

My first instinct is to say that some rich people are aware of the value of science. There is much private research and development. Bell Labs (now Lucent Technologies) is famous example.

Patent law was designed to harness the value of science. Ignore politics for a moment. Where a rich person and a scientist collaborate to create a new and improved product, those people are the only people allowed to produce and sell that product. As much as the scientist and the wealthy patron may benefit from such a discovery, they could not benefit if common people did not buy that product.

Of course, we can not ignore politics. Consider medicine. With our free market medical system, we are the leader creating new drugs. It is expensive to create new drugs. That is why our drugs are also the most expensive; we are ultimately the only consumers that pay for worthy medicinal research.

al-Biruni's thought is good, as far as it goes. But it ignores the ability of the educated to gain wealth and of the mobs to impose ignorance.