Freedom's Laboratory

The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science

Audra J. Wolfe

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English

Johns Hopkins University Press
15 November 2018

The Cold War; History of ideas; Political science & theory; Mathematics & Sciences; History of science

"The Cold War ended long ago, but the language of science and freedom continues to shape public debates over the relationship between science and politics in the United States.

Scientists like to proclaim that science knows no borders. Scientific researchers follow the evidence where it leads, their conclusions free of prejudice or ideology. But is that really the case? In Freedom's Laboratory, Audra J. Wolfe shows how these ideas were tested to their limits in the high-stakes propaganda battles of the Cold War.

Wolfe examines the role that scientists, in concert with administrators and policymakers, played in American cultural diplomacy after World War II. During this period, the engines of US propaganda promoted a vision of science that highlighted empiricism, objectivity, a commitment to pure research, and internationalism. Working (both overtly and covertly, wittingly and unwittingly) with governmental and private organizations, scientists attempted to decide what, exactly, they meant when they referred to ""scientific freedom"" or the ""US ideology."" More frequently, however, they defined American science merely as the opposite of Communist science.

Uncovering many startling episodes of the close relationship between the US government and private scientific groups, Freedom's Laboratory is the first work to explore science's link to US propaganda and psychological warfare campaigns during the Cold War. Closing in the present day with a discussion of the 2017 March for Science and the prospects for science and science diplomacy in the Trump era, the book demonstrates the continued hold of Cold War thinking on ideas about science and politics in the United States."

By: Audra J. Wolfe
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9781421426730
ISBN 10: 1421426730
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 15 November 2018
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Introduction 1. Western Science vs. Marxist Science 2. Ambassadors for Science 3. A War of Ideas 4. Science and Freedom 5. Science for Peace 6. Science for Diplomacy 7. Developing Scientific Minds 8. An Unscientific Reckoning 9. Scientists' Rights are Human Rights Epilogue

Audra J. Wolfe is a Philadelphia-based writer, editor, and historian. The author of Competing with the Soviets: Science, Technology, and the State in Cold War America, her work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, and the podcast American History Tellers.

Reviews for Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science

A strong contribution to the history of modern science. * Kirkus Reviews, starred review * Historian Wolfe (Competing with the Soviets) offers a thoughtful, thoroughly researched history of how the American government employed science and scientists to improve world opinion of liberal democracy during the Cold War... readers with an interest in the conjunction of science and politics will find her book an informative one. * Publishers Weekly *