Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

Preamble to the Constitution of theAcademy of Science of South Africa 1996Scientific thought and activity enrich us profoundly; they empower us to understand and to shapeour living environment; they are keys that can open doors to a peaceful and prosperous future. The functionof science is to create in a disciplined and systematic way a continuum of coherent, rational and universallyvalid insights into observable reality in all its various facets. Scientific thinking and knowledge are fundamentalto the best work done in the applied natural sciences and in technology, and this applies also to much of thehuman and social sciences.An academy that effectively harnesses the minds and energies of the most able practitioners of scientificthought, reflects, as almost nothing else does, the strong bonds between scientific disciplines and the uniquecharacter of the scientific contribution to the lives of all citizens. The Academy of Science of South Africa isconstituted to ensure that leading scientists, acting in concert and across all disciplines, can promote theadvancement of science and technology, can provide effective advice and can facilitate appropriate action inrelation to the collective needs, threats, opportunities, and challenges of all South Africans.