The differences in relative growth of various areas of scientific research have several causes. (1)Some of these causes are completely reasonable results of social needs. Others are reasonable consequences of particular advances in science being to some extent self-accelerating. Some, however, are less reasonable processes of different growth in which preconceptions of the form scientific theory ought to take, by persons in authority, act to alter the growth pattern of different areas. This is a new problem probably not yet unavoidable; but it is a frightening trend. (2)This trend began during the Second World War, when several governments came to the conclusion that the specific demands that a government wants to make of its scientific establishment cannot generally be foreseen in detail. It can be predicted, however, that from time to time questions will arise which will require specific scientific answers. It is therefore generally valuable to treat the scientific establishment as a resource or machine to be kept in functional order. (3)This seems mostly effectively done by supporting a certain amount of research not related to immediate goals but of possible consequence in the future.
This kind of support, like all government support, requires decisions about the appropriate recipients of funds. Decisions based on utility as opposed to lack of utility are straightforward. But a decision among projects none of which has immediate utility is more difficult. The goal of the supporting agencies is the praisable one of supporting "good" as opposed to "bad" science, but a valid determination is difficult to make. Generally, the idea of good science tends to become confused with the capacity of the field in question to generate an elegant theory. (4)However, the world is so made that elegant systems are in principle unable to deal with some of the world's more fascinating and delightful aspects. (5) New forms of thought as well as new subjects for thought must arise in the future as they have in the past, giving rise to new standards of elegance.
参考答案
1．在这些原因中，有些完全是自然而然地来自社会需求。另一些则是由于科学在一定程度上自我加速而产生某些特定发展的必然结果。
2．这种趋势始于第二次世界大战期间，当时一些国家的政府得出结论：政府要向科研机构提出的具体要求通常是无法详尽预见的。
3．给某些与当前目标无关但将来可能产生影响的科研以支持，看来通常能有效地解决这一问题。
4．然而，世界就是如此，完美的体系一般而言是无法解决世上某些更加引人入胜的课题的。
5．同过去一样，将来必然会出现新的思维方式和新的思维对象，给完美以新的标准。
