ABSTRACT
This chapter emphasizes that much of the value of economic analysis in this complex field depends upon clearing up a certain amount of terminological muddle. It examines the relationship between science and technology, but it should be emphasized at this point that the links between the two are not simple and are far from being perfectly understood. In some cases an addition to scientific knowledge is seen to lead directly to a change in technology. Research is the process of adding to the total, or advancing the limits, of scientific knowledge. The main point at issue is whether invention include some element of scientific discovery. It is argued, for several reasons, that the distinction between invention and discovery is worth making. First, scientific discovery is not concerned with usefulness or practicality, and indeed most discoveries are not immediately useful. Secondly, a scientist is now a recognized professional worker, in a university or research laboratory, publishing his results for scientific purposes.
