The thesis of Robert Gordon’s magisterial book The Rise and Fall of American Growth, stands in sharp contrast to the technological optimism that bubbles out of Silicon Valley. The argument is that the years from 1870 to 1970 were the “special century”. Someone born when Benjamin Disraeli was prime minister and who lived to see Edward Heath in Downing Street would have witnessed horse-drawn transport give way to cars and aircraft. Born when medical services were largely useless, she would have seen cures found for most infectious diseases and experienced the introduction of electric light, indoor plumbing and colour television.
罗伯特•戈登(Robert Gordon)权威著作《美国增长的起落》(The Rise and Fall of American Growth)的论点与硅谷迸发出的科技乐观主义形成鲜明对照。本书认为，1870年至1970年是一个“特别世纪”。在本杰明•迪斯雷利(Benjamin Disraeli)担任英国首相时出生、并在有生之年看到爱德华•希斯(Edward Heath)入主唐宁街的人，见证了马拉交通被汽车和飞机取代。出生于医疗服务基本无用时的她，见证了多数传染病治疗方法的发现，并经历了电灯、室内下水管道以及彩电的诞生。