This chapter aims to give you some idea about the world-wide scientific community and what makes it work. As the quote from Maxwell suggests, we will not be concentrating upon facts and figures, but upon the basic organisation of science, and its particular ‘go’, the way it works.

More than fifty years ago, the sociologist Robert K. Merton (1942) outlined a theory of how the scientific community works. Merton saw science as a self-regulating community of researchers, governed by a strong and distinctive ethos. This ethos involved the sharing of information, scepticism about results until evidence was produced, and a strong belief in the pursuit of truth. Merton was a shrewd observer of humanity, and was fully aware that many scientists pursue careers for their own self-interest. However, he argued, the ethos of science bound scientists to conform to the rules and expectations of science. In addition, scientists constantly scrutinised each other's work, ensuring that standards were maintained. Merton's ideal should be borne in mind as we investigate the scientific community.

The first point to make is that science is a varied activity, even within one country, as Figure 2.1 illustrates. It is based on official Australian statistics, and shows three important things about science in this country. It shows where the largest amounts of money come from to support science, where that money goes, and where the scientists are.