武夷山 辑译
2021年5月12日，我参加了一个基础研究主题的研讨会。此事激发我收集、翻译一些提及基础研究的英语名言。今天再翻译几条关于基础研究的英语名言。
Basic research at universities comes in two varieties: research that requires big bucks and research that requires small bucks. Big bucks research is much like government research and in fact usually is government research but done for the government under contract. Like other government research, big bucks academic research is done to understand the nature and structure of the universe or to understand life, which really means that it is either for blowing up the world or extending life, whichever comes first. Again, that"s the government"s motivation. The universities" motivation for conducting big bucks research is to bring money in to support professors and graduate students and to wax the floors of ivy-covered buildings. While we think they are busy teaching and learning, these folks are mainly doing big bucks basic research for a living, all the while priding themselves on their terrific summer vacations and lack of a dress code.
Smalls bucks research is the sort of thing that requires paper and pencil, and maybe a blackboard, and is aimed primarily at increasing knowledge in areas of study that don"t usually attract big bucks - that is, areas that don"t extend life or end it, or both. History, political science, and romance languages are typically small bucks areas of basic research. The real purpose of small bucks research to the universities is to provide a means of deciding, by the quality of their small bucks research, which professors in these areas should get tenure.
— Robert X. Cringely，引自Accidental Empires(1992)。Robert X. Cringely系1987-95期间InfoWorld（信息世界）杂志Notes From the Field（现场报道）栏目的作者的笔名，涉及的真实作者不止一人
大学的基础研究分为两类：需要很多钱的研究和用不了多少钱的研究。昂贵的研究与政府研究很像，而且事实上它通常就是政府研究，只不过是通过合同方式为政府做的研究。像其他政府研究一样，高校从事昂贵的研究是为了认识宇宙的性质与结构，或是为了认识生命现象，这其实意味着，研究的目的要么是摧毁世界，要么是延长生命，哪个放在前面都无所谓。再说一遍，这两条就是政府的动机。大学开展昂贵研究的动机是争取经费，以资助教授和研究生，给覆盖着常春藤的大楼里的地板打蜡。我们以为他们在忙着讲课和学习，其实这些人主要靠从事昂贵的基础研究为生，同时他们也为拥有痛快的暑假和不需要讲究衣着而洋洋得意。
不用多少钱的研究是这样一些东西：只需要纸和笔，也许还需要一张黑板，其目标主要是增进通常争取不到大笔经费的一些研究领域（也就是说，它们不是能延长生命或终结生命的研究领域，也不是既能延长生命又能终结生命的研究领域）的知识。历史学、政治科学、罗曼语等就是典型的不用多少钱的基础研究领域。大学开展不需多少钱的研究的真实目的是提供一种手段，以便依据不需多少钱的研究的质量，来确定从事这些领域研究的哪些教师能够进入长聘系列。
Basic research is not the same as development. A crash program for the latter may be successful; but for the former it is like trying to make nine women pregnant at once in the hope of getting a baby in a month’s time.
— Sir Richard Doll（1912-2005，英国著名医生，在吸烟有害健康的科研上做出过重大贡献），引自New Scientist, November 18, 1976
基础研究与开发不一样。对于后者，弄一个应急计划也许能成功；对于前者，应急计划就好比试图让9位妇女同时怀孕，就指望一个月后婴儿呱呱落地。
Basic research may seem very expensive. I am a well-paid scientist. My hourly wage is equal to that of a plumber, but sometimes my research remains barren of results for weeks, months or years and my conscience begins to bother me for wasting the taxpayer’s money. But in reviewing my life’s work, I have to think that the expense was not wasted.
Basic research, to which we owe everything, is relatively very cheap when compared with other outlays of modern society. The other day I made a rough calculation which led me to the conclusion that if one were to add up all the money ever spent by man on basic research, one would find it to be just about equal to the money spent by the Pentagon this past year.
— Albert Szent-Gyorgyi，引自The Crazy Ape (1971)。阿尔伯特·舍恩特-热尔盖，匈牙利生物化学家，1937年生理学或医学诺贝尔奖得主
基础研究似乎很昂贵。我是一个薪水不低的科学家。我的小时工资与管道工相当。但有时候，我的研究几个星期、几个月甚至几年间出不了成果，于是我的良心开始责备自己浪费了纳税人的钱。不过，在回顾我一生的工作时，我不得不认为，纳税人的钱没有浪费。基础研究（一切都可归功于它）与现代社会的其他支出相比还是相对便宜的。几天前我做了个粗略的计算，得出一个结论：如果把人们迄今花在基础研究上的钱全部加总，就会发现这个数额只不过与五角大楼去年这一年花的钱差不多。
相关阅读:
武夷山，关于基础研究的英语名言（1），http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-1557-1286761.html
