EMPLOYMENT PSYCHOLOGY DEFINED I t
Every propagandist for a new scheme to solve the problems
of mankind labels it “The Science” of something or
other. Since the value of the scientific method is undisputed,
the addition of the word scientific to any scheme
whatsoever immediately raises a presumption in its favor
in the eyes of the credulous consumer. Science, like
psychology, is a word in whose name many sins are
committed.
The word science comes from the Latin word scire, to
know; but this fact tells us nothing about the meaning of
science; a man may know the entire “ Encyclopaedia Britannica”
and yet not be a scientist. Science means more than
knowledge, however extensive. It means more, even,
than accurate knowledge; for an accountant may know
every figure and item in his accounts and yet not be a
scientist. A scientist is one who can formulate and apply
standardized knowledge in a given field. And the scientific
method is a method by which knowledge is standardized
and refined far beyond the ordinary powers of the human
mind. But what do we mean by standardized knowledge?
Is this not carrying even science a bit too far, some one
will probably ask? Not at all. An inch is an example
of standardized knowledge. How many people could
agree on the size of an inch without the use of a rule?
In the Bureau of Standards at Washington lies the original
rule, a metal bar which is used as the standard for
every other inch. But this is only a first step in science.
What should we say to the tool and gauge maker who
measured his work with a foot rule? For his purposes
science has devised the micrometer which can measure
distances as small as .0001 of an inch and less. The gauge
maker is a master of standardized or scientific knowledge
in his field. If he were to send the drawings and spec
