原文

Two factors weigh heavily against the effectiveness of scientific research in industry. One is the general atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out, the other the lack of freedom of the individual research worker. In so far as any inquiry is a secret one, it naturally limits all those engaged in carrying it out from effective contact with their fellow scientists either in other countries or in universities, or even, often enough, in other departments of the same firm. The degree of secrecy naturally varies considerably. Some of the bigger firms are engaged in researches which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a positive advantage to them not to keep them secret. Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. Even more processes are never patented at all but kept as secret processes. This applies particularly to chemical industries, where chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in physical and mechanical industries. Sometimes the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research cannot be mentioned. Many firms, for instance, have great difficulty in obtaining technical or scientific books from libraries because they are unwilling to have names entered as having taken out such and such a book, for fear the agents of other firms should be able to trace the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking.

--J.D. BERNAL The Social Function of Science--

译文

两个因素严重影响了工业中科学研究的效能。其一，是进行研究时所处的普遍保密氛围；其二，是个别研究人员缺乏自由。

凡是调查工作带有保密性质，它自然会限制从事这项工作的人与国内外同行、大学里的科学家，甚至同一家公司的其他部门进行有效的接触。

保密的程度自然有很大差异。

一些大公司从事的研究具有如此广泛和根本的性质，以致于不保密对它们反而是一种积极的优势。

然而，许多依赖于此类研究的工艺，却在能够申请专利的阶段之前，完全保密。

甚至更多的工艺根本不申请专利，而是作为秘密工艺加以保密。

这尤其适用于化学工业，在那里，偶然发现的作用远比在物理和机械工业中大。

有时，保密达到如此程度，以致整个研究性质都不能提及。

例如，许多公司从图书馆借阅技术或科学书籍时遇到很大困难，因为他们不愿意让自己的名字被记录为借阅了某书，唯恐其他公司的代理人能据此追踪他们可能从事的研究类型。

--J.D. BERNAL The Social Function of Science--