In a defense of “silly science,” Carly Anne York (Lenoir-Rhyne University) discusses the importance of primary research. In an era of unprecedented cuts to research, York argues that researchers need to be able to explain to the public why we need research without clear applications. “Perhaps my research [into squid biomechanics] was useless,” writes York, “but I recognize now that it was not worthless.” York argues against the public perception that government money is “handed out willy-nilly” or used without accountability. She further points out that basic research often supports later applied research, concluding that the loss of a commitment to basic research would “risk stalling the very engine of innovation that has propelled us forward for generations.”
