Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 12
ON THE SELF-IMAGE OF CHEMISTS, 1950-2000
Pierre Laszlo
15 Juniper Lane, Pinehurst NC 28374, USA (October 15-March 15);
“Cloud's Rest”, Prades, F-12320 Sénergues, France (March 15-October 15);
pierre@pierrelaszlo.net
The field of chemistry is highly diverse. Yet, the aggregate picture of
chemists, according to this study, shows them to constitute a highly
homogeneous and even gregarious group, in terms of their self-image.
They see themselves as creative, as benefactors of humankind, and as
craftsmen upholding a tradition of intelligent hands and preserving,
even in the time of Big Science, a relatively low-tech profile. The
stereotypical public image as the sorcerer's apprentices who befoul the
environment and who manufacture chemical weapons is way off target.
Chemists find it a caricature, it only reinforces the good conscience
within the chemical community. Other conservative forces are the com-
mon language of structural formulas, a widespread phobia about mathe-
matics, and the very length of the apprenticeship to be served. Con-
versely, between the mid-twentieth century and the advent of the
twenty-first century, chemists displayed an impressive adaptability in
the face of swift changes, regarding the tools of the trade - which the
NMR Revolution had contributed to upgrade -, the funding of their
activity at a much higher level, the oil crises, and the Biological Turn
that affected them during that period.
1. Introduction
Why should one attempt to characterize the self-image of a group of
scientists, during a relatively recent period? And how to go about it? A
tough assignment.
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