THE PARADOX OF CHOICE 



to be learned. Here lies much of the method of living with our 

 paradox. Does Detroit know this about making automobiles, 

 or the railroads about providing transportation, or the tobacco 

 manufacturers about safeguarding use of their product? Recog- 

 nition of this by the institutions and people who are organized 

 for the direction and application of science and engineering 

 would provide a powerful capacity. This capacity is for making 

 conditions in which the gifted individual researcher feels few 

 constraints and, in fact, is subject to no appreciable repressions 

 in the pursuit of his studies. Yet these studies can be closely 

 correlated with the needs, objectives, and practices of govern- 

 ment, industry, and the public welfare! The industrial and 

 government executive will say: "But how is the pay-off ob- 

 tained? How does this fine research actually get into the prod- 

 uct or the service needed?" From this point on we shall assume 

 that a carefully graded development and engineering facility 

 must be associated with all basic research whose use is desired. 

 Careful systems engineering will first extend to development 

 planning some appreciation of the indispensable theoretical 

 concepts. Then, development scientists and engineers must 

 have training and interests so broad as to cover what research 

 uncovers. 



Enlisting Basic Research 

 in Pursuing Goals 



We shall now attempt to explain and to illustrate how this 

 can come about. It is just by constantly renewed links between 

 the open-mindedness and open-endedness of scientific ex- 

 perience and the practical needs of our society. 



If this seems obvious or trite, we should recall that this is 

 what we don't do now. We distrust large enterprises that seem 

 unplanned. Yet, Dr. Warren Weaver said in a recent paper on 

 "The Encouragement of Science": 



49 



