ISSUE118 过程与结果的问题

TMACJAMESUID: 2836445

TOPIC: ISSUE118 - "In any field of endeavor-the sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, industry, etc.-it is not the attainment of a goal that matters, but rather the ideas and discoveries that are encountered on the way to the goal."
WORDS: 753
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 8/26/2010 1:17:58 PM
1、在学术领域，过程同结果同样重要，因为其出发点亦是没有定论的
2、在生产领域，结果更加重要，因为已经论证的比较充分了
3、在不同的时间，过程和结果的重要性强调点不同

I partially concur with the statement that the significance of findings encountered during the process of pursuing ultimate goal is not less important than the final result, and sometimes it might contain greater importance. However, I disagree on the absolute expression within the statement which asserts the process is always more valuable than result in every field, because the responsibility and task in each field varies from one another. So we cannot reach a general conception or criterion on all of them. And dividing them by their nature as well as taking the occasion into account is needed.

First, in the field of sciences, humanities and social sciences, where the goal is academic-oriented, the process is as much important as result. The nature of those fields is to seek understanding of matters and rules in both the natural and social context that they seldom know what exact the result might be. Like in the field of science, scientists often make discoveries that they have not anticipated, such as the discovery of penicillin by Doctor Fleming which was totally an accident. It is similar in the field of humanities, which aims at probe the human nature in a metaphysical way through literature, art, and music so on. As many writers once stated, they themselves sometimes did not know the ending of their novels for they must follow the created characters' will to develop. Thus we may observe in many fictions' prologue that the author expressed his or her own surprise of how the novel goes which divagates far from the original intention. And in the field of social science, whose task is to fathom the pattern of human society, it is impossible to set certain specific goals and then prove them. Like in the field of economical studies, the general trend of a nation's development depends on information gathered, instead of the goal of researcher presumed at the first place. Otherwise, the result would be likely an illusion and meaningless. Hence, the process of research in those academic fields is extremely significant for their starting points might only be motivations rather than destinations.

Notwithstanding, unlike those academic fields, the fields such as industry and commercial production concentrate more on the result. In those fields, the technique for production is mature and examined through practice, and their missions are to finish what it is designed and planned. Those fields are firstly closely tied with the social life that they provide fundamental goods and services which are required every day. Secondly, they primary tasks are fulfilling their quotas of production by techniques which are well developed in research institutes, though they might conduct some improvements to enhance the performance. But generally speaking, those production fields do not need to concern much about ideas and discoveries they found during their production processes, but rather focusing on how to attain and complete the goal set for them.

In addition, except from the classification of fields, there is another factor that entails taking into consideration on this issue ------ occasion. By occasion, I emphasize the timing of concentration on those two aspects, the process or result. The survival of a society is the premise for other researches and development, so if one society has the ability to flourish regardless of how the other environment is, then it is sapient to focus on the process where many ideas and discoveries might be found. Nonetheless, during the time when a society is seriously threatened by outer world, either natural or social world, sticking to what is planned may be more important and efficient. Like when the People's Republic of China was founded, the outer surrounding was not very friendly; then the industrial production and even academic research must focus on achieving the goal, despite of what might be found during the process. And importing mature and reliable technologies for social production is vital at that time, which leaved the task of studying ideas and discoveries mainly on other countries such as the Soviet Union. After the nation can have a breath, the scientific researches should be back in balance of both process and result.

Simply put, it is difficult to argue which part, the result or process, is more important without particularizing the exact field and occasion in the society. Those two factors have different meanings and connotations toward different fields that one might value more on the former while another could value more on the latter. Anyway, the progress and development of the society as a whole is what matters ultimately.