Originally posted by lazs2
I think that in the case of science.. we can no longer look to western scientists who have politicized science.. who are potatos for grants and anyone paying them. the russian ones may be the only ones doing pure science anymore.
I think this is a reversal.. I believe that in the cold war it was reversed.. I think now.. now that the russians are the only ones who don't have an agenda in this.. that I have to go with them on it.
Lazs, I work in Academy of Science, and what you said about "pure science" was true about Soviet science, not modern Russian.
People are fighting for grants just because they don't get paid. Now it's better then 5 years ago, but doctor of science (a degree higher then your PhD) earning $400 monthly is a joke. It's enough to be on the edge of starvation if you live alone. I am an IT engineer, and I earn about $200, don;t know exactly, it's enough for beer and tobacco only.
At the same time our institute got some interesting equipment, like a spectrometer that costs $25 million, there are only 4 machines like that in Europe... I think it was "aquired" for some commercial project.
Current regime wants to kill science as a nuisance, it doesn't bring money. Look, Stalin understood that science is necessary, while our new crooks at the top don't care about the future, and our "business" sponsors astrology instead of us.
An Internet channel in our institute was sponsored by Soros and (drumroll!!!) NATO back in 1996.