Sir

The story told in Ad Lagendijk's Essay “Pushing for power” (Nature 438, 429; 2005) is very familiar to many of us who have chosen to make a living in science.

As Lagendijk points out, the archaic and myopic value system now used in science favours a limited set of outcomes, often at the expense of scientific progress. But this value system and associated behaviours have other, far-reaching consequences.

First, they can compromise the integrity of the scientific enterprise through tremendous pressure to publish.

Second, they may reduce the diversity of the workforce by attracting, rewarding and therefore retaining those who thrive in particular kinds of competitive environments — who are not necessarily those of greatest scientific ability, insight or creativity.

Third, they may limit the range and relevance of scientific pursuits and may devalue interactions between scientists and the public. Implicitly, this could reduce the potential to identify and address scientific issues of more global relevance.

The current reward system needs reassessing and reformulating in order to accommodate and reflect wider, more inclusive values.