The science of social adjustment / by Sir Josiah Stamp.

  • Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The science of social adjustment / by Sir Josiah Stamp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    121/192 page 109
    10!) gotlior in tliis way, tlicro cao be no clear thinking about tlie problems suggested, and we remain, not in the spirit of scientific enquiry into the nature of the impact of scicuce u])on society, but in rhetorical and unprofitable, though seemingly intelligent, discussion, without any rudder or compass. A little consideration shows that all the cases are covered l)y a main threefold classification with various subheads. First, the plenty of physical or scientific potentiality ; second, the plenty of unused or un¬ marketed production ; third, the plenty of unused capacity. The plenty of potentiality is mainly an engineer’s and scientist’s conception, and the idea was brought to its highest point in the technocracy boom, which has left its sinister trail of dreams and pseudo-statistics over the whole field of thought and enquiry, a wreck¬ age of irresponsible optimism which impedes smooth and orderly movement. CTcnerally speaking, it ex¬ presses the facts of output in terms of reduced man power for a given output, and it therefore suggests that much reduced costs are available for the con¬ sumption now existing. So far it does not assert ‘ plenty ’. But the immediate suggestion to the mind is that with reduced costs we should all either con¬ sume more at lower prices per unit, or else that the sales would be extended to people at present unable to afford the article—both assumptions often justified by experience. But the crude figures of engineering potentiality need to be qualified before the net figures of economic potentiality are deduced. The Brookings Institute enquiry into American capacity declared : By ignoring the practical considerations which govern actual productive output (apart from I'estricted de-
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