AS WE MAY THINK诚如我思.docx
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AS WE MAY THINK诚如我思.docx
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ASWEMAYTHINK诚如我思
AsWeMayThink
AsDirectoroftheOfficeofScientificResearchandDevelopment,Dr.VannevarBushhascoordinatedtheactivitiesofsomesixthousandleadingAmericanscientistsintheapplicationofsciencetowarfare.Inthissignificantarticleheholdsupanincentiveforscientistswhenthefightinghasceased.Heurgesthatmenofscienceshouldthenturntothemassivetaskofmakingmoreaccessibleourbewilderingstoreofknowledge.Foryearsinventionshaveextendedman'sphysicalpowersratherthanthepowersofhismind.Triphammersthatmultiplythefists,microscopesthatsharpentheeye,andenginesofdestructionanddetectionarenewresults,butnottheendresults,ofmodernscience.Now,saysDr.Bush,instrumentsareathandwhich,ifproperlydeveloped,willgivemanaccesstoandcommandovertheinheritedknowledgeoftheages.Theperfectionofthesepacificinstrumentsshouldbethefirstobjectiveofourscientistsastheyemergefromtheirwarwork.LikeEmerson'sfamousaddressof1837on"TheAmericanScholar,"thispaperbyDr.Bushcallsforanewrelationshipbetweenthinkingmanandthesumofourknowledge.—THEEDITOR
hishasnotbeenascientist'swar;ithasbeenawarinwhichallhavehadapart.Thescientists,buryingtheiroldprofessionalcompetitioninthedemandofacommoncause,havesharedgreatlyandlearnedmuch.Ithasbeenexhilaratingtoworkineffectivepartnership.Now,formany,thisappearstobeapproachinganend.Whatarethescientiststodonext?
Forthebiologists,andparticularlyforthemedicalscientists,therecanbelittleindecision,fortheirwarhashardlyrequiredthemtoleavetheoldpaths.Manyindeedhavebeenabletocarryontheirwarresearchintheirfamiliarpeacetimelaboratories.Theirobjectivesremainmuchthesame.
Itisthephysicistswhohavebeenthrownmostviolentlyoffstride,whohaveleftacademicpursuitsforthemakingofstrangedestructivegadgets,whohavehadtodevisenewmethodsfortheirunanticipatedassignments.Theyhavedonetheirpartonthedevicesthatmadeitpossibletoturnbacktheenemy,haveworkedincombinedeffortwiththephysicistsofourallies.Theyhavefeltwithinthemselvesthestirofachievement.Theyhavebeenpartofagreatteam.Now,aspeaceapproaches,oneaskswheretheywillfindobjectivesworthyoftheirbest.
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Ofwhatlastingbenefithasbeenman'suseofscienceandofthenewinstrumentswhichhisresearchbroughtintoexistence?
First,theyhaveincreasedhiscontrolofhismaterialenvironment.Theyhaveimprovedhisfood,hisclothing,hisshelter;theyhaveincreasedhissecurityandreleasedhimpartlyfromthebondageofbareexistence.Theyhavegivenhimincreasedknowledgeofhisownbiologicalprocessessothathehashadaprogressivefreedomfromdiseaseandanincreasedspanoflife.Theyareilluminatingtheinteractionsofhisphysiologicalandpsychologicalfunctions,givingthepromiseofanimprovedmentalhealth.
Sciencehasprovidedtheswiftestcommunicationbetweenindividuals;ithasprovidedarecordofideasandhasenabledmantomanipulateandtomakeextractsfromthatrecordsothatknowledgeevolvesandenduresthroughoutthelifeofaraceratherthanthatofanindividual.
Thereisagrowingmountainofresearch.Butthereisincreasedevidencethatwearebeingboggeddowntodayasspecializationextends.Theinvestigatorisstaggeredbythefindingsandconclusionsofthousandsofotherworkers—conclusionswhichhecannotfindtimetograsp,muchlesstoremember,astheyappear.Yetspecializationbecomesincreasinglynecessaryforprogress,andtheefforttobridgebetweendisciplinesiscorrespondinglysuperficial.
Professionallyourmethodsoftransmittingandreviewingtheresultsofresearcharegenerationsoldandbynowaretotallyinadequatefortheirpurpose.Iftheaggregatetimespentinwritingscholarlyworksandinreadingthemcouldbeevaluated,theratiobetweentheseamountsoftimemightwellbestartling.Thosewhoconscientiouslyattempttokeepabreastofcurrentthought,eveninrestrictedfields,bycloseandcontinuousreadingmightwellshyawayfromanexaminationcalculatedtoshowhowmuchofthepreviousmonth'seffortscouldbeproducedoncall.Mendel'sconceptofthelawsofgeneticswaslosttotheworldforagenerationbecausehispublicationdidnotreachthefewwhowerecapableofgraspingandextendingit;andthissortofcatastropheisundoubtedlybeingrepeatedallaboutus,astrulysignificantattainmentsbecomelostinthemassoftheinconsequential.
Thedifficultyseemstobe,notsomuchthatwepublishundulyinviewoftheextentandvarietyofpresentdayinterests,butratherthatpublicationhasbeenextendedfarbeyondourpresentabilitytomakerealuseoftherecord.Thesummationofhumanexperienceisbeingexpandedataprodigiousrate,andthemeansweuseforthreadingthroughtheconsequentmazetothemomentarilyimportantitemisthesameaswasusedinthedaysofsquare-riggedships.
Buttherearesignsofachangeasnewandpowerfulinstrumentalitiescomeintouse.Photocellscapableofseeingthingsinaphysicalsense,advancedphotographywhichcanrecordwhatisseenorevenwhatisnot,thermionictubescapableofcontrollingpotentforcesundertheguidanceoflesspowerthanamosquitousestovibratehiswings,cathoderaytubesrenderingvisibleanoccurrencesobriefthatbycomparisonamicrosecondisalongtime,relaycombinationswhichwillcarryoutinvolvedsequencesofmovementsmorereliablythananyhumanoperatorandthousandsoftimesasfast—thereareplentyofmechanicalaidswithwhichtoeffectatransformationinscientificrecords.
TwocenturiesagoLeibnitzinventedacalculatingmachinewhichembodiedmostoftheessentialfeaturesofrecentkeyboarddevices,butitcouldnotthencomeintouse.Theeconomicsofthesituationwereagainstit:
thelaborinvolvedinconstructingit,beforethedaysofmassproduction,exceededthelabortobesavedbyitsuse,sinceallitcouldaccomplishcouldbeduplicatedbysufficientuseofpencilandpaper.Moreover,itwouldhavebeensubjecttofrequentbreakdown,sothatitcouldnothavebeendependedupon;foratthattimeandlongafter,complexityandunreliabilityweresynonymous.
Babbage,evenwithremarkablygeneroussupportforhistime,couldnotproducehisgreatarithmeticalmachine.Hisideawassoundenough,butconstructionandmaintenancecostswerethentooheavy.HadaPharaohbeengivendetailedandexplicitdesignsofanautomobile,andhadheunderstoodthemcompletely,itwouldhavetaxedtheresourcesofhiskingdomtohavefashionedthethousandsofpartsforasinglecar,andthatcarwouldhavebrokendownonthefirsttriptoGiza.
Machineswithinterchangeablepartscannowbeconstructedwithgreateconomyofeffort.Inspiteofmuchcomplexity,theyperformreliably.Witnessthehumbletypewriter,orthemoviecamera,ortheautomobile.Electricalcontactshaveceasedtostickwhenthoroughlyunderstood.Notetheautomatictelephoneexchange,whichhashundredsofthousandsofsuchcontacts,andyetisreliable.Aspiderwebofmetal,sealedinathinglasscontainer,awireheatedtobrilliantglow,inshort,thethermionictubeofradiosets,ismadebythehundredmillion,tossedaboutinpackages,pluggedintosockets—anditworks!
Itsgossamerparts,thepreciselocationandalignmentinvolvedinitsconstruction,wouldhaveoccupiedamastercraftsmanoftheguildformonths;nowitisbuiltforthirtycents.Theworldhasarrivedatanageofcheapcomplexdevicesofgreatreliability;andsomethingisboundtocomeofit.
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Arecordifitistobeusefultoscience,mustbecontinuouslyextended,itmustbestored,andaboveallitmustbeconsulted.Todaywemaketherecordconventionallybywritingandphotography,followedbyprinting;butwealsorecordonfilm,onwaxdisks,andonmagneticwires.Evenifutterlynewrecordingproceduresdonotappear,thesepresentonesarecertainlyintheprocessofmodificationandextension.
Certainlyprogressinphotographyisnotgoingtostop.Fastermaterialandlenses,moreautomaticcameras,finer-grainedsensitivecompoundstoallowanextensionoftheminicameraidea,areallimminent.Letusprojectthistrendaheadtoalogical,ifnotinevitable,outcome.Thecamerahoundofthefuturewearsonhisforeheadalumpalittlelargerthanawalnut.Ittakespictures3millimeterssquare,latertobeprojectedorenlarged,whichafterallinvolvesonlyafactorof10beyondpresentpractice.Thelensisofuniversalfocus,downtoanydistanceaccommodatedbytheunaidedeye,simplybecauseitisofshortfocallength.Thereisabuilt-inphotocellonthewalnutsuchaswenowhaveonatleastonecamera,whichautomaticallyadjustsexposureforawiderangeofillumination.Thereisfilminthewalnutforahundredexposures,andthespringforoperatingitsshutterandshiftingitsfilmiswoundonceforallwhenthefilmclipisinserted.Itproducesitsresultinfullcolor.Itmaywellbestereoscopic,andrecordwithtwospacedglasseyes,forstrikingimprovementsinstereoscopictechniquearejustaroundthecorner.
Thecordwhichtripsitsshuttermayreachdownaman'ssleevewithineasyreachofhisfingers.Aquicksqueeze,andthepictureistaken.Onapairofordinaryglassesisasquareoffinelinesnearthetopofonelens,whereitisoutofthewayofordinaryvision.Whenanobjectappearsinthatsquare,itislinedupforitspicture.Asthescientistofthefuturemovesaboutthelaboratoryorthefield,everytimehelooksatsomethingworthyoftherecord,hetripstheshutterandinitgoes,withoutevenanaudibleclick.Isthisallfanta
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