Forgetting the public future

摘要

One of the historically most important forces in technological innovation apparently has decided to focus on the short term at the expense of the future. The New York Times felt that this change was important enough for a front-page mention and to dedicate a quarter of the first page of the business section to the story The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), according to the enabling memo, was established "to engage in such advanced projects, essential to the Defense Department" responsibilities in the field of basic applied research and development which pertain to weapon systems and military requirements." While its name has alternated between ARPA and DARPA a few times, it has been a steadfast supporter of cutting-edge (and beyond) research in a variety of fields since being established in 1958. Most importantly, DARPA program managers have maintained a flexible definition of what might pertain to weapon systems and military requirements.