The goal of publicly funded science must be to enable an egalitarian society in which people are free to engage with what matters most to them. This can be achieved through scientific and technological advancements that reduce necessary labor time; by enabling people to live longer and healthier lives; by leading us to understand, maintain, and responsibly cultivate our natural environment; and by discovering universal truths that enlighten us and give us a better understanding of our place in the universe.
As currently organized, science is largely a force that serves to entrench the interests of elites. What is often sold as “innovation” that “expands the economy” does not, in fact, lead to more fulfilling lives for the vast majority of people.
To realize the potential of science as a truly emancipating power, the way we organize, practice, and distribute the benefits of science must change. We must transform our current profit-oriented science policy, which disproportionately benefits business and military interests and perpetuates social inequalities. We must stand for a democratic socialist science for the people organized around meeting human needs. We must foster solidarity with all sectors of the working class. We must ensure that the fruits of the collective scientific project benefit all members of society. Finally, to achieve any of this, we must have a grassroots organization of scientists who recognize that their work is inherently political, that achieving the world we want requires active reflection about the world we have and choice about the work we do, and that change will only come about through active political struggle.