The Theory of Business

第40章

Ofcourse,nothingbutthemostmeagreandsketchiestoutlineofthismatterispracticableinthisplace,andeventhatonlyinitsrelationtothemachineindustryduringthepastonehundredyearsorso。WhatissaidaboveoftheBritishleadinmodernsciencemayperhapsbequestioned,anditisnotnecessaryforthepresentpurposetoinsistonitstruth;butsomuchseemsbeyondhazardasthattheleadinthematerialscienceslaywiththeBritishthroughtheearlymachineage,andthattheprovenanceofthismodernscientificresearchto-daydoesnotextend,inanypronounceddegree,beyondthosecommunitiesthatliewithintheareaofthemodernmachineindustry。

Intimeandspacetheprevalenceofthemodernmaterialisticscienceisroughlyextensivewiththatofthemachineprocess。Itis,nodoubt,relatedtoitbothascauseandaseffect;butthatitsrelationtomodernindustryismorethatofeffectthancauseseemsatleastbroadlysuggestedbythedecaywhichpresentlyovertookscientificresearch,e。g。,inthesouthofEuropewhenthosepeoplesturnedtheirattentionfrommaterialtospiritualandpoliticalaffairs。(28*)

Whatisofimmediateinterestisthechangethathascomeoverthescopeandmethodofscientificresearchsincethedominanceofthemachineprocess,incomparisonwithwhatprecededthecomingofthemachineage。Thebeginningsofmodernscienceareolderthantheindustrialrevolution;theprinciplesofscientificresearch(causalexplanationandexactmeasurement)

antedatetheregimeofthemachineprocess。Butachangehastakenplaceinthepostulatesandanimusofscientificresearchsincemodernsciencefirstbegan,andthischangeinthepostulatesofscientificknowledgeisrelatedtothegrowthofthemachinetechnology。

ItisunnecessaryheretoharkbacktothatscholasticscienceorphilosophythatservedasanintellectualexpressionoftheecclesiasticalandpoliticalcultureoftheMiddleAges。

Itscharacter,ascomparedwithlaterscience,issufficientlynotorious。Bythechangefromscholasticknowledgetomodernscience,totheextenttowhichthechangewascarriedthrough,theprinciple(habitofmind)ofadequatecausewassubstitutedforthatofsufficientreason。Thelawofcausationasitisfoundatwork,inthematurerscienceoftheeighteenthandearlynineteenthcenturies,comprisestwodistinguishablepostulates:

(1)equality(quantitativeequivalence)ofcauseandeffect;and(2)similarity(qualitativeequivalence)ofcauseandeffect。Theformermay,withoutforcingit,bereferredtocommercialaccountancyasitsanalogueinpracticallifeandastheprobableculturalgroundoutofwhichthehabitofinsistingonaninviolablequantitativeequivalencegatheredconsistency。Theascendancyofthelatterseemsinasimilarmannertobereferabletotheprevalenceofhandicraftasitsculturalground。

Statednegatively,itassertsthatnothingappearsintheeffectbutwhatwascontainedinthecause,inamannerwhichsuggeststherulethatnothingappearsintheproductofhandicraftbutwhatwaspresentintheskilloftheartificer。“Naturalcauses,“

whicharemademuchofinthismiddleperiodofmodernscience,areconceivedtoworkaccordingtocertain“naturallaws。“Thesenaturallaws,lawsofthe“normalcourse“ofthings,arefelttotendtoarationalendandtohavesomethingofacoerciveforce。

SothatNaturemakesnomistakes,Naturedoesnothinginvain,Naturetakesthemosteconomicalcoursetoitsend,Naturemakesnojumps,etc。Underthislawofnaturalcausationeveryeffectmusthaveacausewhichresemblesitintheparticularrespectwhichclaimstheinquirer’sattention。Amongotherconsequencesofthisviewitfollowsthat,sincethedetailsaswellasthewholeofthematerialuniverseareconstruedtoshowadaptationtoapreconceivedend,this“naturalorder“ofthingsmustbetheoutcomeofpreexistentdesignresidinginthe“firstcause,“

whichispostulatedbyvirtueofthisimputeddesignandisdesignatedthe“GreatArtificer。“Thereisanelementofconationinthisoriginalmodernpostulateofcauseandeffect。Theshadowoftheartificer,withhisintelligenceandmanualskill,isforeverinthebackgroundoftheconceptsofnaturallaw。The“cause“dealtwithinagivencaseisnotthoughtofasaneffect;andtheeffectistreatedasafinality,notasaphaseofacomplexsequenceofcausation。Whensuchasequenceisunderinquiry;asintheearlier,pre-Darwiniantheoriesofevolution,itisnothandledasacumulativesequencewhosecharacterma

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