{"product_id":"science-with-human-face","title":"Science with human face","description":"This research analyses the activities of prominent scientists in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. The research highlights the active role of individual scientists and investigates their participation in national and international scientific communities as well as their manifold survival strategies and room for manoeuvre. The role of natural scientists in society is illustrated by case studies of two chemists, Frantisek Sorm - the President of the Academy of the Czechoslovak Sciences - and Otto Wichterle -the inventor of the soft contact lens. \n\nThe individual scientists recognised the dependence of their research on world science. They had to engage in constant negotiations with the state, which in turn attempted to limit this necessity because of its own political and ideological dependency on the Soviet Union. As the case studies exemplify, individuals with sufficient authority, scientific capacity and access to the Party structures could, however, use their bargaining powers to influence science policy. At the level of the natural sciences the Communist Party was dependent on the expertise of scientists and had to consult them on issues that were relevant among others for solving larger economic questions. The strategies of the two scientists to navigate in their professional lives do not always fit the stereotypical dichotomy of \"communist\" and \"non-communist\" but are far more nuanced. The study argues that the amount of the freedom granted to natural scientists varied in time and was a consequence of many factors.","brand":"Tampere University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32441541886052,"sku":"9789514488016","price":55.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/suomalainen-test.myshopify.com\/products\/science-with-human-face","provider":"Suomalainen Test","version":"1.0","type":"link"}