What kind of innovation is the best innovation?

(Wen/Alan · Jacob)

Google has a "corporate e-mail list" in which employees can present their ideas about new or http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/aggregation/17801.html products > development products in email. Each proposal can be from 0 ("dangerous or harmful") to 5 (say "Good idea, just do it!"). "). This scoring system is interesting and interesting. It recognizes one thing: innovation cannot be by default natural is positive and beneficial, and some innovations may be "dangerous or harmful".

What is the difference between a new, good idea and a new idea?

Some ideas are "good" because they are powerful and far-reaching, and some ideas are "good" because they make the world a better place in some way. This involves an old problem-how to distinguish between the two. If you just focus on how to nurture innovation, there's not much room to think about the pitfalls of innovation or even abuse.

Science and technology, to adapt to the environment and development

People have always regarded science as a "pure" knowledge, and technology as the "application" of knowledge, this division can not be understood too absolutely, or the problem to be simple, but the science and technology to distinguish between the two, there is a practical value. We cannot generalize that Darwin's knowledge of natural selection theory has made Willis Kirill (Willis Carrier) invented the air-conditioner. Both Darwin and Kirill were innovative, but there was a difference between the two "innovations": one that promoted human understanding of the world and its creatures, and the other as a tool that enabled us to use existing laws to achieve a variety of purposes.

The understanding of science can give rise to a great temptation to explore technology. The Land Institute in Kansas, USA, is dedicated to the study of eco-agriculture, its founder, Cato Jackson (Wes Jackson) once told Wendell Berry (Wendell Berry) said: "We should be outside the ' nuclear '." "Wyndham Berry is an American famous contemporary ecological literary writer and ecological thinker.

The word "nuclear" in Jackson refers to nuclear power and genetic engineering (nuclear). I think what he's trying to say is that once we get into the "core", we're going to stop trying to move here and look over there, and we actually do.

Berry had written in the article, he felt that Jackson "was revealing an instinct, though not scientific, but sensible: it was a universal intuition, something inherently taboo, beyond common sense, unimaginable, bizarre and unknown, and should be so." ”

I am quite aware of what Berry means, but I do not fully agree with Jackson's view. The "core" is amazing--seeing how they work can inspire intense curiosity--but if we want to ban the exploration of knowledge in a certain field, because it can cause harm if not prohibited, then we have to completely prohibit the exploration of knowledge. There is no knowledge that human beings cannot abuse. I think that instead of banning means, it's better like Jacques Ellul (Jacques Ellul) says, "Measure technology by standards other than technology" [1].

Wen de Seoul · Berry, a famous American contemporary poet, novelist and essayist, whose works are mainly based on the American Kentucky countryside he lived in for many years, is concerned about the natural ecology and the well-being of people's livelihood, advocating the ideal state of harmony between man and nature, man and man, and people and groups. The picture on the right is the cover of the Berry anthology. (Photo: Indianapublicmedia.org)

Wen de Seoul · Berry also expressed the same view: "Of course, I do not recommend the termination of science and other knowledge disciplines, but should change the standards and objectives." Our code of conduct should not be derived from technological capabilities but from the nature of the natural environment and the social environment. "According to Berry's judgment, this requires us to:

Not to develop productive forces first, but to adapt to the environment first, not to innovation first, and to the first, not the strength of the gifted, but with tolerance for the gifted, not to luxury, but to thrift. We must learn to think about what is suitable for human and ecological health of the development scale and development mode. Through such a change, we may be able to avoid repeating ourselves to the fate of the past. Note that Berry's preference for warming is more than innovation. He may think it is the cost of innovation-he notes that invention not only brings power, but also destroys it.

Also note that Berry uses the keyword "first"-The Romans call it "decent" and "appropriate". and appropriateness is always related to conditions--here, the key condition is whether we have the wisdom to apply. "The proper concept refers to the appropriateness of our actions in terms of our environment, situation and future expectations." ”

Innovation is the best invention

These words are powerful and are a necessary remedy for anyone who believes that innovation is inherently beneficial, or at least harmless. But relying on "cronies" is also problematic: it may encourage people to continue to rely on flaws that have been tried or discovered. This may not be a big problem in America in the 21st century, but it could be problematic elsewhere.

In developing countries, tens of thousands of newborns are premature by exposure to infection or premature birth. The most powerful solution to all these problems is the incubator. It is not surprising, therefore, that charities have sent many incubators to the world in order to address these most common neonatal health problems.

However, such incubators, which are used in hospitals in the first world, are extremely complex devices. If there is a thermostat in a poor area that is malfunctioning, it is difficult to find a technician who is capable of maintenance. In addition, many of the world's poor live in hot and humid climates, where incubators often fail-even if hospitals have reliable power supplies. Moreover, in such an environment, reliable power supply than skilled maintenance technician is also rare. That's the inevitable result: like the Massachusetts General Hospital doctor, Chris "We see a lot of newborn graves [Kris] in the back of the hospital," says Olsen Olson. Dr. Olson regularly goes to work in developing countries.

30,000 of millions of dollars of machines turned into rubbish--no help to the suffering newborn.

"Neonurture Baby Car", a nonprofit group of DtM members, uses car parts designed for Low-cost baby carriages, both of which have thermostat functions. (Photo: Design that matters/the the New York times)

Interior construction of "Neonurture Baby Car" (Photo: Design that matters/the the New York times)

Take a look at a non-profit organization called "Design This Matters" (DtM), funded by the Center for Medicine and Innovation Technology (CIMIT) [2], which uses auto parts to design a low-cost baby incubator. The DtM member study found that even in the poorest areas, people have cars, so why not use local car supply chains and vehicle maintenance resources to develop better baby incubators? Then, like the chief executive of the DtM company, Timothy F. "The idea was first tested on a Toyota 4Runner, and we took away parts that were not part of the thermostat," Plestillo Timothy Prestero said. "The incubator is done.

In my opinion, "neonurture" embodies a way to use technology, which should be able to get the temperature of Delphi · Berry's endorsement. "Our code of conduct should not be derived from the ability of technology but from the nature of the natural environment and the social environment," Berry wrote. "Berry will innovate and warm up two choices before us, but the neonurture baby car shows that the best inventions can combine both.

Finally, what is the idea of "good" in every sense? The answer is that new, powerful, spending money and resources are the least, helping those who need the most help to make their lives a better place to be.

Comments】

[1] Jacques · Ellul (Jacques ellul,1921~1994), a renowned French scholar and one of the most influential technical philosophers of the Age, has written 43 books and over 1000 articles in his life, including the Technical Society (1954), the Technical Order (1963), the Propaganda (1965), the Political Illusion (1967), "Technical System" (1977) and other works in the academic community has produced a great response. Druid (Don Ihde) The Ellul School, and Marx School, Dewey School, Heidegger School and called the four technical Philosophy school. Chen Changli, a renowned technical philosopher in China, said: "The views put forward by this scholar, whether we agree or not, should be taken seriously." "(Die Renkun, Cao Guan law.) Jacques Herulle's technical philosophy [J] foreign Social Sciences, 2002, (04).)

[2] Medical and innovative Technology Integration Center (center for Integration of Dentistry and innovative Marvell), abbreviated as CIMIT, a charitable organization composed of Boston Teaching hospitals and engineering schools.

This article compiles from the Big Questions Online website Review article Rethinking Innovation

Because of the space reason, the compile time has the deletion. Author Allen Jacob is a professor of English at Wheaton College (Wheaton Eton).

Nevin Pictures: IStockphoto

This article is compiled by the Nutshell Nvgone.