The Research and Development (R&D) enterprise of the U.S., involving Federal Government, universities, and corporate sector, was conceived at the end of World War II and implemented in the intervening decades. We examine advances it has produced in such areas as high performance computing, weather forecasting, and disease treatment and prevention. Proposed 2026 Federal funding cuts for research will negatively impact future innovations. The public policy and moral implications of these changes will be examined.

Jack Hansen is an active member of the OLLI program at Furman University. Prior to retiring, he held leadership roles in research organizations in academia (e.g., Penn State ARL, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition) and in the federal government (e.g., Office of Naval Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center). He has also served as a consultant to NASA Ames on a range of topics (including Artificial Intelligence). Aaron Simmons is a Professor of Philosophy at Furman University and author of numerous books and journal publications on Philosophy. Much of his recent efforts have been devoted to making philosophical concepts applicable to and accessible to society more broadly. A very good example is his recently published book Camping with Kierkegaard.