About this site

Science has always been political. Studying the organizing principles of nature requires resources: money to construct or purchase equipment, personnel to carry out the work, a medium to disseminate findings. Property must be secured to house laboratories. Materials and reagents must be manufactured or imported. These requirements have shaped the relationships between scientists and their governments throughout history.

Degenerate States is a publication dedicated to exploring those relationships. As governments secure their interests—territory, natural resources, military dominance—they often turn to scientific and technological advancement for a competitive edge. In some cases, the interests of the state and its scientists align. In others, there is only conflict. Scientists have labored under these shifting conditions for millennia, producing works both terrible and magnificent.

In quantum mechanics, an energy level is said to be "degenerate" if there are two or more physical arrangements of a system with that amount of energy. Here we use the term more literally. Modern governments often reject scientific truth to further their interests, solidify their grip on power, and deter opposition. The rejection of truth leaves these states morally corrupt. In other words, they become degenerate.