Por que o conceito de progresso tecnológico e tão importante para os cientistas do século 19?

journal article

Análise Social

Segunda Série, Vol. 11, No. 44 (1975)

, pp. 538-575 (38 pages)

Published By: Instituto Ciências Sociais da Universidad de Lisboa

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41008196

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Abstract

O «casamento entre a ciência e a tecnologia» (Landes) foi historicamente precedido por um longo período de «noivado», o que leva a crer que o desenvolvimento recente da investigação científica e da inovação tecnológica e a sua integração no processo do crescimento económico são, antes do mais, o «produto» de um crescimento económico prévio. É o próprio arranque do crescimento económico que acaba por arrastar o arranque da investigação e da inovação, pelo menos no que respeita às suas aplicações directas à produção. Por outro lado, as disponibilidades em força de trabalho, as qualificações dos trabalhadores e as pressões salariais desempenham um papel determinante, não só na adopção de novas técnicas, como nas taxas de investimento consagradas à investigação científica. Como estes factores agem mais fortemente nos países onde o crescimento económico já atingiu um nível mais elevado, toma-se difícil inverter a dinâmica própria do progresso tecnológico. Acresce que a análise dos movimentos sociais dos países periféricos mostra que eles são, as mais das vezes, portadores de uma dupla exigência contraditória que tende frequentemente a bloquear o prosseguimento do crescimento que eles próprios haviam ajudado a pôr em marcha: com efeito, a pressão para aumentar o consumo deteriora o crescimento económico. Nem por iss ose deixa de verificar, desde há algumas décadas, urna indiscutível difusão das técnicas modernas de produção nos países periféricos, de par com um crescimento das suas forças produtivas. Porém, esta transformação parece ter-se feito até agora principalmente segundo um processo de capital-widening, cujo correspondente processo de capital-deepening continua situado nos países mais avançados. Le «mariage entre la science et la technologie» (Landes) a été historiquement précédé par une longue période de «fiançailles», ce que fait croire que le développement récent de la recherche scientifique et de l'innovation technologique et son intégration dans le processus de la croissance économique sont d'abord le «produit» d'une croissance économique préalable. C'est la mise en marche elle-même de la croissance économique qui finit par entraîner la mise en marche de la recherche et de l'innovation, du moins concernant leurs applications directes à la production. D'autre côté les disponibilités de force de travail, les qualifications des travailleurs et les pressions salariales ont un rôle déterminant pas seulement dans l'adoption de techniques nouvelles mais aussi dans les taux d'investissement consacrés à la recherche scientifique. Comme ces facteurs agissent plus fortement dans les pays où la croissance économique est déjà à un niveau plus haut, il est difficile d'invertir la dynamique propre du progrès technologique. Il s'ajoute que l'analyse des mouvements sociaux des pays périphériques montre, le plus souvent, qu'ils sont porteurs d'une double exigence contraditoire qui, fréquemment, tend à bloquer la poursuite de la croissance qu'ils eux-mêmes avaient aidé à mettre en marche: en effet la pression pour augmenter la consommation détériore la croissance économique. Malgré cela on a vu, depuis quelques décades, une indiscutable diffusion des techniques modernes de production dans les pays périphériques, en même temps qu'une croissance des forces productives. Cependant cette transformation semble avoir été faite jusqu'ici principalement suivant un processus de capital-widening, dont le proceussus correspondant de capital-deepening est toujours placé dans les pays les plus avancés. The «marriage between science and technology» (Landes) was historically preceded by a long period of «engagement», what leads us to believe that the recent development of scientific research and technological innovation and their integration in the processus of economic growth are, above all, the «product» of a previous economic growth. It is the start itself of the economic growth that in the end trails the start of research and innovation, at least as far as their direct use in production is concerned. On the other side the availability of manpower, the workers' qualifications and the salary pressures play a determinant role not only in adopting new techniques but also in the investment rates appointed to the scientific research. As these factors act more strongly in those countries where the economic growth has already touched a higher level, it becomes difficult to invert the dynamics inherent in technological progress. One must add that the analysis of the social movements in the peripheral countries shows that they very often are bearing a double contradictory exigence tending often to block the prosecution of the growth they had aided to set in motion: indeed the pressure to increase consumption impairs the economic growth. Even so there has alway been, after several decades, an indisputable diffusion of modern techniques of production in the peripheral countries, side by side with a growth of their productive forces. But this change seems to have been done up to now mainly according a processus of capital-widening the corresponding processus of which (capital-deepening) is always placed in the most advanced countries.

Journal Information

Análise Social is the oldest multidisciplinary Social Sciences journal in Portugal. It publishes original empirical and theoretical articles that develop qualitative or quantitative approaches and contribute novel reflections to the field of Social Sciences. The journal remained a reference in comparative and historical studies on Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries while promoting dialogue between national and international scholarship. Análise Social is theoretically and methodologically open and attentive to multiple geographical contexts. It publishes articles, essays, and reviews that are of interest to the general public of the Social Sciences.

Publisher Information

The ICS, an Associate Laboratory, is a university institution devoted to research and advanced training in the social sciences. The mission of the ICS is to study contemporary societies with a special emphasis on Portugal and the societies and cultures with which Portugal has an historical relationship, either in Europe or in other regions of the world. Linking researchers from several different disciplines, the ICS currently focuses its research on five main subject areas: the formation of the contemporary world; the study of citizenship and democratic institutions; the problem of sustainability, combining the environment, risk and space; social changes and individual action in the context of the family, lifestyles and schooling; and issues concerning identity, migration and religion. The main subject areas represented at the Institute are: Social and Cultural Anthropology, Political Science, Economics, Human Geography, History, Social Psychology and Sociology.

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