A preposterous eighty percent is reserved for considerations having to do with 'socio-economic worth'. Our assessment of socio-economic worth is largely a sham. We scientists should not lend ourselves to it - though we routinely do. We should, instead, insist on applying the criterion of quality. Being a Citizen Though neglectful of their responsibility to protect science, scientists are increasingly aware of their responsibility to society.
Some dreamers demand that scientists only discover things that can be used for good.
That is impossible. Science gives us a powerful vocabulary, and it is impossible to produce a vocabulary with which one can only say nice things. Others think it the responsibility of scientists to coerce the rest of society, because they have the power that derives from special knowledge. But scientists, like any other group, are not permitted to seize the levers of power. Nor should they be blamed for failing to do so.