Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Faraday on the fiscal benefits of science

Nature volume 468, page 634 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

In considering Daniel Sarewitz's view of the value of scientific research in today's difficult economic times (Nature 468, 135; 2010), it is worth recalling physicist Michael Faraday's reply in the 1850s to William Gladstone, then British chancellor of the exchequer. Questioned about the practical value of electricity, Faraday answered: “One day, sir, you may tax it.”

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Texas A&M University, USA

    Michael Polymenis

Authors
  1. Michael Polymenis
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Contributions Items for Correspondence may be submitted to correspondence@nature.com after consulting the author guidelines at http://go.nature.com/cMCHno .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Polymenis, M. Faraday on the fiscal benefits of science. Nature 468, 634 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468634d

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/468634d

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing