Lesson15
Secrecy in industry工业中的秘密 E First listen and then answer the following question.
所录膏,然后回答以下问题。
Why is secrecy particularly important in the chemical industries?
Two factors weigh heavily against the effectiveness of scientific research in industry. One is the general
atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out, the other the lack of freedom of the individual research
worker. In so far as any Inquiry is a secret one, it aurally limits all those engaged in carrying it out from
effective contact with their fellow scientists either in other countries or in universities, or even, often enough,
n other departments of the same firm. The degree of secrecy naturally varies considerably,. Some of the
bieger firms are engaged in researches which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a positive
advantage to them not to keep them secret. Yet a great many processes depending on such research are
sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. Even more processes
never patented at all but kept as secret processes. This applies particularly to chemical industries, where
chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in physical and mechanical industries. Sometimes
the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research cannot be mentioned. Many fir
have great difficulty in obtaining technical or scientific books from libraries because they are
unwilling to have their names entered as having taken out such and such a book, for fear the agents of othe.
firms should be able to trace the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking
]. D. BLKNAT. The Social Function of Science
