This is a linkpost for https://rootsofprogress.org/the-block-funding-model-for-scienceWhen Galileo wanted to study the heavens through his telescope, he got money from those legendary patrons of the Renaissance, the Medici. To win their favor, when he discovered the moons of Jupiter, he named them the Medicean Stars. Other scientists and inventors offered flashy gifts, such as Cornelis Drebbel's perpetuum mobile (a sort of astronomical clock) given to King James, who made Drebbel court engineer in return. The other way to do research in those days was to be independently wealthy: the Victorian model of the gentleman scientist.

Galileo demonstrating law of gravity in presence of Giovanni de' Medici, 1839 fresco by Giuseppe Bezzuoli MeisterdruckeEventually we decided that requiring researchers to seek wealthy patrons or have independent means was not the best way to do science. Today, researchers, in their role as “principal investigators” (PIs), apply to science funders for grants. In the [...]

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First published:
January 26th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/DKH9Z4DyusEdJmXKB/making-every-researcher-seek-grants-is-a-broken-model

Linkpost URL:
https://rootsofprogress.org/the-block-funding-model-for-science

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.