Pasteur's quadrant
Pasteur's quadrant is a label given to a class of scientific research methods that both seek fundamental understanding of scientific problems, and, at the same time, seek to be eventually beneficial to society. Louis Pasteur's research is thought to exemplify this type of method, which bridges the gap between "basic" and "applied" research.[1] The term was introduced by Donald Stokes in his book, Pasteur's Quadrant.[2]
[edit] Applied and basic research
As shown in the following table, scientific research can be classified by whether it advances human knowledge by seeking a fundamental understanding of nature, or whether it is primarily motivated by the need to solve immediate problems.
| Quest for
fundamental |
Yes | Pure basic
research (Bohr) |
Use-inspired
basic research (Pasteur) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | – | Pure applied
research (Edison) |
|
| No | Yes | ||
| Considerations of use? | |||
The result is three distinct classes of research:
- Pure basic research (exemplified by the work of Niels Bohr, early 20th century atomic physicist).
- Pure applied research (exemplified by the work of Thomas Edison, inventor).
- Use-inspired basic research (described here as "Pasteur's Quadrant").
[edit] References
- ^ Mention in an article on the FAPESP website.
- ^ Donald E. Stokes, Pasteur's Quadrant – Basic Science and Technological Innovation, Brookings Institution Press, 1997.
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