[打听，讨论] 贝尔电话实验室式微的原因：A. Michael Noll 的说法

贝尔实验室： Bell Telephone Laboratories, Bell Laboratories

真正的使命： real missions

长期目标： long-range goals

   贝尔电话实验室股份有限公司（BTL），成立于1925年，一直存在到1984年1月1日贝尔系统解体。1984年1月1日贝尔系统解体，真正的“贝尔电话实验室 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.”也自然不存在了。

   现在的“贝尔”（诺基亚贝尔实验室，Nokia Bell Labs），是“贝尔电话实验室 Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.”的后继者。

Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc.

(owned jointly by AT&T and Western Electric Company)

1925-1984

贝尔电话实验室股份有限公司。

（由美国电话电报公司和西部电气公司共同所有）

1925年-1984年

迈克尔·诺尔 A. Michael Noll, Professor Emeritus of Communication 传播学名誉教授

https://annenberg.usc.edu/sites/default/files/80339788_noll_photo_2012_blurred.jpg

https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/michael-noll

一、关于贝尔电话实验室没落的原因

    迈克尔·诺尔 A. Michael Noll 在《Memories: A Personal History of Bell Telephone Laboratories 回忆：贝尔电话实验室的个人历史》里写到：

https://ethw.org/w/images/1/1e/Memories_-_A_Personal_History_of_Bell_Telephone_Laboratories.pdf

   第 101 页：

   it was clear by the mid 1970s that the Bell System was doomed. …… Freedom of thought was no longer tolerated at Bell Labs, although it would take ten years for the big ship finally to break apart in 1984.

   很明显，到了20世纪70年代中期，贝尔系统已经注定了要失败。……贝尔实验室不再容忍思想自由，尽管这艘大船最终在1984年解体需要十年时间。

   第 106 页：

   The Holmdel building was expanded in 1982, but even that was not sufficient space; and satellite labs were opened in New Jersey at West Long Branch, South Plainfield, Freehold, Neptune, and Lincroft. What had happened to the vision of 1941 to have research and development together all in one facility at Murray Hill? Two decades later, the large Holmdel building was constructed, and then expanded two decades after and satellite labs occupied all over New Jersey, with other large facilities in other States. At a time when competition was growing in telecommunication, the response of Bell Labs was also to grow – not become more efficient “lean and mean.” The end sadly was already in sight; the Bell breakup of 1984 simply formalized it.

   Holmdel大楼于1982年扩建，但即使这样也不够空间；在新泽西州的 West Long Branch、South Plainfield、Freehold、Neptune 和 Lincroft 开设了卫星实验室。1941年在默里山的一个设施里进行研究和开发的愿景发生了什么？20年后，大型霍尔姆德尔大楼建成，20年后扩建，卫星实验室遍布新泽西州，其他州也有其他大型设施。在电信业竞争日益激烈的时候，贝尔实验室的反应也是增长——而不是变得更高效——“精简和吝啬”。可悲的是，结局已经在望；1984年贝尔的解体只是将其正式化。

   第 114 页：

   The most significant factor was the quality of all the people who worked at Bell Labs – all levels and job descriptions. Bell Labs was not a building. It was people who made Bell Labs. Management rose through the ranks and thus intimately knew Bell Labs. Department heads in the Research Area were expected to continue their own research activity. In some cases, a promotion to department head, along with its obligatory paperwork was viewed as a burden and not an honor. People who worked at Bell Labs wanted to be there – it was hard to keep them away. They were there at night, weekends, and even holidays. Yes, it was the employees caring about Bell Labs – wanting to be there, proud to be there – that made Bell Labs what it was in the 1960s.

   There were real bosses in the Research Area at Bell Labs. The bosses were technically and scientifically competent, since they rose through the ranks. They were keenly interested in the work that was being done in their areas. I recall John Pierce bursting into my office to see for himself the results of my work in which he was most interested – he had to see for himself. By doing so, Pierce had bypassed two levels of intermediate management.

   最重要的因素是所有在贝尔实验室工作的人的素质——所有级别和工作描述。贝尔实验室不是一座建筑。正是这些人制造了贝尔实验室。管理层晋升，因此与贝尔实验室关系密切。研究领域的部门负责人预计将继续他们自己的研究活动。在某些情况下，晋升为部门主管，以及必须的文书工作被视为一种负担，而不是一种荣誉。在贝尔实验室工作的人都想去那里——很难把他们拒之门外。他们晚上、周末甚至节假日都在那里。是的，正是员工们关心贝尔实验室——想在那里，为在那里而自豪——才造就了20世纪60年代的贝尔实验室。

   贝尔实验室的研究领域有真正的老板。老板们在技术和科学上都很有能力，因为他们在级别上不断提升。他们对所在地区正在进行的工作非常感兴趣。我记得约翰·皮尔斯冲进我的办公室，亲眼看看他最感兴趣的我的工作成果——他必须亲眼看看。通过这样做，皮尔斯绕过了两级中级管理层。

   The Bell breakup of 1984 changed all that as many were forced to choose between staying with the new AT&T Bell Laboratories or with the new Bell Communications Research, although some were not even given a choice. Another breakup in 1996 would force more career choices and changes. Such uncertainty is not good for long-term research, and the Bell telephone companies simply did not relish nor know how to nourish and support fundamental research. The reduction in financial support for fundamental research resulted in the departure of good scientists, often to universities. 

   1984年贝尔公司的解散改变了这一切，因为许多人被迫在留在新的AT&T贝尔实验室或新的贝尔通信研究公司之间做出选择，尽管有些人甚至没有选择。1996年的另一次分手将迫使更多的职业选择和改变。这种不确定性不利于长期研究，贝尔电话公司根本不喜欢也不知道如何滋养和支持基础研究。对基础研究的财政支持减少，导致优秀科学家离开，通常去了大学。

   第 114、115 页：

   1986-06-18，John R. Pierce 写到：

   “Some Thoughts About Laboratories and Research Therein.” His thoughts about what made Bell Labs such a great success included: “The good laboratories had real missions.” “Above all, a laboratory needs a clear purpose.” “The goal of the research at Bell Labs was very long range, and stability of funding is very important in pursuing long-range goals.”

   “关于实验室和研究的一些想法。”他对贝尔实验室取得如此巨大成功的想法包括：“好的实验室有真正的使命。”“最重要的是，实验室需要一个明确的目标。”“贝尔实验室的研究目标是非常长远的，资金的稳定性对于追求长期目标非常重要。”

二、对照

（1）贝尔实验室的研究领域真正老板的消失。

（2）资金的稳定性对于追求长期目标非常重要。

2.1  2019年“新华网”聘用制危害科技原创定理

http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2019-10/11/c_1210307397.htm

   日本学界认为，日本研究水平随着第二次世界大战后经济增长而提升，现在有不少尚未斩获诺贝尔奖的重要研究成果，意味着“诺奖热潮”将持续一段时间，但这一热潮最终会“冷却”。

   从过去情况看，获得诺奖的成果大多是研究人员25至45岁取得。在当前日本的大学和研究机构，对20岁至39岁的年轻研究人员大多采用聘用制。研究人员追求短期成果，难以作出大胆挑战和踏实从事基础研究。而且，攻读博士学位的学生数量2003年达到峰值后开始下降。

2.2  对照 2020年的日本

https://www.keguanjp.com/kgjp_keji/kgjp_kj_etc/pt20200221000002.html

   2019年12月获得诺贝尔化学奖的旭化成公司名誉研究员吉野彰也有同样的危机感。身为企业人的诺奖得主吉野在很多场合都强调：“没有失败就绝对不会成功”、“对年轻研究人员来说，至少需要保证10年以上的研究时间，希望能打造一个按照自己的想法如愿开展研究的环境”等。

2.3  对照 2023 《Nature Human Behaviour》的“Quality research needs good working conditions”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01508-2

   Nonpermanent employment is a systemic problem 非永久性就业是一个系统性问题

   High turnover harms research quality 高周转率损害研究质量

   Biased selection procedures endanger academic freedom 有偏见的选拔程序危及学术自由

   其它请看：

   来昕，2023-02-12，当今科研界的短期雇佣方式已经成了高质量和创新性科研的最大阻碍！

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-3518723-1375836.html

参考资料：

[1] 新华网，2019-10-11，日本迎来“诺奖热潮” 从科学到工程获奖领域广泛 

http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/2019-10/11/c_1210307397.htm

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1647107383699397810&wfr=spider&for=pc

http://news.china.com.cn/2019-10/11/content_75290207.htm

[2] 科学网，2018-08-14，短效评价阻碍科学创新 精选

http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2018/8/416516.shtm?id=416516

http://wap.sciencenet.cn/blog-1792012-1116106.html

[3] A. MichaelNoll. Memories: A Personal History of Bell Telephone Laboratories [DB/OL]. 

https://ethw.org/w/images/1/1e/Memories_-_A_Personal_History_of_Bell_Telephone_Laboratories.pdf

[4] 泷川进, 翻译编辑 JST客观日本编辑部, 2020-02-21, 【日本的科技政策】（十）“选择与集中”得到的与失去的

https://www.keguanjp.com/kgjp_keji/kgjp_kj_etc/pt20200221000002.html

   身为企业人的诺奖得主吉野在很多场合都强调：“没有失败就绝对不会成功”、“对年轻研究人员来说，至少需要保证10年以上的研究时间，希望能打造一个按照自己的想法如愿开展研究的环境”等。

[5] Rima-Maria Rahal, Susann Fiedler, Adeyemi Adetula, Ronnie P.-A. Berntsson, Ulrich Dirnagl, Gordon B. Feld, Christian J. Fiebach, Samsad Afrin Himi, Aidan J. Horner, Tina B. Lonsdorf, Felix Schönbrodt, Miguel Alejandro A. Silan, Michael Wenzler & Flávio Azevedo. Quality research needs good working conditions [J]. Nature Human Behaviour, 2023-02-08 

doi:  10.1038/s41562-022-01508-2

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01508-2

[6] 来昕，2023-02-12，当今科研界的短期雇佣方式已经成了高质量和创新性科研的最大阻碍！ 精选

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-3518723-1375836.html

相关链接：

[1] 2020-06-24，寻找共性：兴旺时期的贝尔实验室，和日本诺贝尔奖井喷

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1239188.html

[2] 2023-09-17，Zenas 公理：2023年汪波老师的《为什么芯片相关的发明最初总不受待见？》

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1402929.html

[3] 2023-02-14，Zenas 公理：2023年再遇 Nature 知音“Stop the peer-review treadmill. I want to get off”

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1376250.html

[4] 2023-02-12，[新闻] “原创三大杀手：同行评议、短期考核、没有时间”被顶刊论文证实

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1375905.html

[5] 2023-01-06，Zenas 公理：2023年《Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time》里的图示

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1370782.html

[6] 2022-09-14，[惊呆了] 比 Zenas 公理还狠：应废除出版前的同行评议。Prepublication peer review should be abolished.

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1355299.html

[7] 2022-07-17，[小总结，崩溃] Zenas 公理：你什么时候失效啊！

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1347631.html

[8] 2023-11-23，[小资料] 凯利（Mervin Joe Kelly）三事

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1410894.html

[9] 2023-11-24，[打听，讨论] 晶体管发明的具体地点（3）：默里山

https://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-107667-1411029.html

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