With political independence four decades ago, India embarked on a determined quest to
develop modern science and technology as tools of social and economic progress and
national power. The result has been prodigious growth of scientific and technical
personnel and the institutional infrastructure for science and technology, with widespread
impact on agriculture, health, industry, communications, and national defense. But the
Indian experience also makes clear that deep-rooted social problems such as poverty and
exploitation cannot be solved through technical fixes. The rich and varied nature of that
experience suggests five myths about science in the Third World: (1) Science is a Western
monopoly; (2) science is autonomous; (3) advanced technology is derived from science;
(4) science and technology are the Third World's social salvation; (5) science is universal.
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