Scientists & entrepreneurs

The great debates of the 20th century on science not only revolved around the importance of fundamental knowledge, but also around the role and importance of science in society. From Einstein to Russell, scientists and philosophers argued about the need for rational thought, the role of science in society’s structure and its future, and the importance of the scientific method in areas well outside the domains of science. Many of the new concepts, including the framework of understanding called the ‘Paradigm Shift’ created by Thomas S Kuhn in his book the Structure of Scientific Revolutions, has shaped scientific literacy and intellectual philosophy of the 20th century in the Western world.

While the need for debates and arguments on the role of rational debate in Pakistani society is much needed, we have to remember that post-war Europe and the United States was a place different from present-day Pakistan. In a society where literacy is questionable among the politicians, tolerance for dissent is at a dangerously low level and an understanding of scientific methods is completely absent, abstract debates about what science does and can do for society are not going to yield particularly valuable results in the short- or the long-term. Despite the fact that there is a dire need for reason, rational discourse and scientific development, we have to develop a model that works for us. For us, therefore, there is a need to revisit the theoretical foundations on which the enterprise of science has been created in the Western world.

The value proposition for why science is important in the Pakistani context is not going to come from a demand in society. Nor would the abstract and absolute value of scientific literacy create momentum within society. Instead, the value proposition, for why science and the scientific literacy is needed for Pakistan’s future needs to include direct and measurable impact, that affects various sectors of society in ways that clearly change the status quo. This would require a closer interaction between scientists and entrepreneurs who are able to channel the discovery, in a relatively short period of time, into goods and services that provide real value to society and solve its many challenges.

Here, three important distinctions need to be made. The first one is that the entrepreneurial activity, or ‘translation’ of discoveries, need to rest on high science. Innovations that are based on ‘jugaar’ (or so called ‘hacking’ or ‘frugal innovation’ ) may solve a problem, but are highly inefficient when scaled and provide little incentive for investment. Technologies and solutions that rest on solid scientific principles have a much greater chance of survival, sustainability and scale-up. Second, the argument here is in support of a closer relationship between entrepreneurship and science, but not against the pursuit of fundamental knowledge. There is no argument against the pursuit of questions of fundamental importance, but equally important, and largely ignored, is the link between science and translation. The third and final point with respect to Pakistan is the importance of diversification. Historically, Pakistani entrepreneurial activity in the technological domain has largely been confined to computing and IT, with a focus on discovery and connection, with science taking a back seat. Consequently, we have not been able to engage sectors outside those of computing, and have not made the broader social impact. In particular, the impact on health, biotechnology and biological sciences, has been minimal. While there have been some impressive efforts, including some in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at the Institute of Integrative Biosciences, a lot more needs to be done for a country of nearly 200 million.

Today, we face a two-fold problem. On the one hand, we have a rapidly diminishing number of intellectuals who can argue for why we need scientific discourse in society. Second, these few intellectuals are increasingly losing space for arguments to those who do not believe in debates or arguments. Yet, we have to take ownership of our future. Models from neighbours in the north or countries in the western hemisphere will just not work. The model of our development, scientific literacy and its impact on society will not come from anywhere but Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2015.

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