The classic case for why government must support science―with a new essay by physicist and former congressman Rush Holt on what democracy needs from science today Science, the Endless Frontier is recognized as the landmark argument for the essential role of science in society and government’s responsibility to support scientific endeavors. First issued when Vannevar Bush was the director of the US Office of Scientific Research and Development during the Second World War, this classic remains vital in making the case that scientific progress is necessary to a nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Bush’s vision set the course for US science policy for more than half a century, building the world’s most productive scientific enterprise. Today, amid a changing funding landscape and challenges to science’s very credibility, Science, the Endless Frontier resonates as a powerful reminder that scientific progress and public well-being alike depend on the successful symbiosis between science and government. This timely new edition presents this iconic text alongside a new companion essay from scientist and former congressman Rush Holt, who offers a brief introduction and consideration of what society needs most from science now. Reflecting on the report’s legacy and relevance along with its limitations, Holt contends that the public’s ability to cope with today’s issues―such as public health, the changing climate and environment, and challenging technologies in modern society―requires a more capacious understanding of what science can contribute. Holt considers how scientists should think of their obligation to society and what the public should demand from science, and he calls for a renewed understanding of science’s value for democracy and society at large. A touchstone for concerned citizens, scientists, and policymakers, Science, the Endless Frontier endures as a passionate articulation of the power and potential of science. "Here, the draw is not so much the text of Bush’s report itself, but rather an excellent critical introduction by Rush Holt. . . . Holt’s introduction takes seriously the idea that the United States is a democracy, and that scientists have a specific role to play in that democracy, which is not the same thing as saying that scientists should control science policy." ---Audra Wolfe, Never Just Science "I just read the new Princeton University Press edition of Vannevar Bush’s Science, The Endless Frontier, with an interesting introductory essay by Rush Holt. I don’t think I’d ever read the whole of the famous Bush document before, and it was interesting to see how he made the pitch . . . . Both the Bush and the Holt essays are well worth a read." ---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist "This excellent reissue of Vannevar Bush’s visionary work comes at a pivotal moment for our nation. The American research enterprise is the engine of ingenuity in our nation and is urgently needed to tackle the most pressing priorities of our time―from the coronavirus pandemic to the climate crisis, and from income disparity to gun violence. Now elevated and updated by the brilliant writing of former congressman Rush Holt, an unmatched champion for the advancement of science, this book is a forceful declaration of the value of science for our democracy and a ringing call to action for policymakers and the American people alike." ―Speaker Nancy Pelosi "Vannevar Bush’s prescient report launched the modern scientific enterprise, spurred by generous government investment. Today, advances in public health, shared prosperity, and scientific understanding are more important than ever. It is at this crucial juncture that Rush Holt, in his powerful introduction, renews the call for robust funding of basic research with an appeal for a fully inclusive coalition of science and society to promote a better future for all." ―Robbert Dijkgraaf, director of the Institute for Advanced Study "Rush Holt gives new life to Vannevar Bush’s seminal report Science, the Endless Frontier by emphasizing its continued relevance to American science policy and raising issues that need reexamination―in particular, the relationship between the scientific enterprise and civil society. This is an important read for everyone who is deeply concerned about the status of science in today’s discourse." ―Ernest J. Moniz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former US Secretary of Energy "In his companion essay to this new edition of Science, the Endless Frontier ―the blueprint for American science since World War II―Rush Holt argues that a more expansive philosophical vision of the value of science is needed, one that embraces the public as a more equal partner. Hoorah for Holt, for having the courage to take on this important, timely issue." ―Naomi Oreskes, author of Why Trust Science? “Vannevar Bush’s Science, the Endless Frontier remains the touchstone for understanding how Americans regard basic research, why t