Lucier Paul
Department of History, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA.
Isis. 2012 Sep;103(3):527-36. doi: 10.1086/667976.
"Pure science" and "applied science" have peculiar histories in the United States. Both terms were in use in the early part of the nineteenth century, but it was only in the last decades that they took on new meanings and became commonplace in the discourse of American scientists. The rise in their currency reflected an acute concern about the corruption of character and the real possibilities of commercializing scientific knowledge. "Pure" was the preference of scientists who wanted to emphasize their nonpecuniary motives and their distance from the marketplace. "Applied" was the choice of scientists who accepted patents and profits as other possible returns on their research. In general, the frequent conjoining of "pure" and "applied" bespoke the inseparable relations of science and capitalism in the Gilded Age.
“纯科学”和“应用科学”在美国有着独特的历史。这两个术语在19世纪早期就已使用，但直到最近几十年，它们才有了新的含义，并在美国科学家的话语中变得司空见惯。它们流行起来反映出人们对品格堕落以及科学知识商业化的切实可能性深感担忧。“纯”是那些想强调自己非金钱动机以及与市场保持距离的科学家的偏好。“应用”则是那些接受专利和利润作为其研究其他可能回报的科学家的选择。总体而言，“纯”与“应用”的频繁结合表明了镀金时代科学与资本主义之间不可分割的关系。
