In American Genesis, which covers the century of technological innovation
in the United States beginning in 1876, Thomas Hughes assigns special
prominence to Thomas Edison as archetype of the independent nineteenth-
century inventor. However, Hughes virtually ignores Edison’s famous contemporary and notorious adversary in the field of electric light and power, George Westinghouse. This comarative neglect of Westinghouse is
consistent with other recent historians’ works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two “pioneer innovators” of the electrical industry. My recent reevaluation of Westinghouse, facilitated by materials found in railroad archives, suggests that while Westinghouse and Edison shared important traits as
inventors, they differed markedly in their approach to the business aspects of innovation. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount: the overriding goal of the business of innovation was
simply to generate funding for new inventions. Edison therefore undertook
just enough sales, product development, and manufacturing to accomplish this. Westinghouse, however, shared the attitudes of the railroads and other industries for whom he developed innovations: product development, standardization, system, and order were top priorities. Westinghouse thus better exemplifies the systematic approach to technological development that would become a hallmark of modern
corporate research and development.
Q:
The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as
A. natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
B. a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
C. reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
D. inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
E. surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had
Can someone explain? Thanks!
in the United States beginning in 1876, Thomas Hughes assigns special
prominence to Thomas Edison as archetype of the independent nineteenth-
century inventor. However, Hughes virtually ignores Edison’s famous contemporary and notorious adversary in the field of electric light and power, George Westinghouse. This comarative neglect of Westinghouse is
consistent with other recent historians’ works, although it marks an intriguing departure from the prevailing view during the inventors’ lifetimes (and for decades afterward) of Edison and Westinghouse as the two “pioneer innovators” of the electrical industry. My recent reevaluation of Westinghouse, facilitated by materials found in railroad archives, suggests that while Westinghouse and Edison shared important traits as
inventors, they differed markedly in their approach to the business aspects of innovation. For Edison as an inventor, novelty was always paramount: the overriding goal of the business of innovation was
simply to generate funding for new inventions. Edison therefore undertook
just enough sales, product development, and manufacturing to accomplish this. Westinghouse, however, shared the attitudes of the railroads and other industries for whom he developed innovations: product development, standardization, system, and order were top priorities. Westinghouse thus better exemplifies the systematic approach to technological development that would become a hallmark of modern
corporate research and development.
Q:
The author of the passage implies that the shift away from the views of Westinghouse’s contemporaries should be regarded as
A. natural outgrowth of the recent revival of interest in Edison
B. a result of scholarship based on previously unknown documents
C. reflective of modern neglect of the views of previous generations
D. inevitable, given the changing trends in historical interpretations
E. surprising, given the stature that Westinghouse once had
Can someone explain? Thanks!
