The book basically addresses one question: whether scientific and technological research should be (predominantly) conducted by free market enterprises or governments - and particularly in the USA. Being (or having been) a frontline libertarian thinker, Rothbard's position and the basic arguments for that are not difficult to guess even without reading the book.
Was it good?
The book is clearly a product of its time, i.e. the late 1950s. At that time, it probably was an interesting contribution to the ongoing question about how to best organize scientific research and technological development, and how scientists and engineers should be educated and paid. However, a modern reader probably will get relatively little out of it if he or she already has read a bit of basic Austrian economics or equivalent texts already.
The main take-away for me?
Being yet another book in my reading series in Austrian economics, I feel that there is no real take-away for me here. The book could have, in an abridged form, been one of the chapters in Rothbard's For a New Liberty - it is perfectly in line with everything said there. Of course it must be born in mind, that this one precedes For a New Liberty by more than a decade.
Who should read the book?
I think that the book is of most interest to those who are particularly interested in Rothbards' works and how his thinking has evolved over time. For others, some other more encompassing text by Rothbard or some other Austrian economics thinker is more recommended.
The book at Ludwig von Mises Institute (freely available): Science, Technology, and Government
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