Technological advancements, such as the personal computer and medical discoveries, are primarily driven by the profit motive. However, such advancements eventually promote the public or social interest as though they are guided by
Blank
______.

BlackTom题目解析

Question

Technological advancements, such as the personal computer and medical discoveries, are primarily driven by the profit motive. However, such advancements eventually promote the public or social interest as though they are guided by 
Blank
______.

BlackTom题目解析

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question presents a claim about technological advancements and suggests they are driven by profit but eventually promote public interest as if guided by a certain concept.

Option 1: 'an invisible hand' — This phrase is famously associated with Adam Smith, describing how individual self-interest in a free market can inadvertently promote the general welfare, guiding outcomes without intentional coordination. It fits the idea that profit-driven actions can yield broad social benefits as if guided by an unseen regulator.

Option 2: 'the quest of efficiency' — While efficiency is a common goal in technology and economics, it does not capture the broader sociopolitical metaphor of an unseen guiding force that shapes societal outcomes in a spontaneous, market-like way. It’s more of a descriptive objective than a metaphor for benevolent guidance.

Option 3: 'managed incentives' — This implies purposeful design and control by authorities or institutions to steer behavior. It contradicts the notion of an autonomous, market-driven process guiding public interest, and it suggests deliberate manipulation rather than an emergent property of the system.

Option 4: 'unlimited greed' — This would present a negative view where profit-seeking is unchecked, and any social benefits are incidental at best. It conflicts with the idea of progress being guided by a constructive, almost benevolent force rather than by destructive, unbounded self-interest.

Putting these together, the statement describes a classic liberal market idea where individual profit motives yield collective benefits as if steered by an unseen mechanism. The phrasing points toward a familiar economist’s metaphor, not merely a description of efficiency, incentives management, or unchecked greed. The historical and theoretical linkage makes the first option the most consistent with the described dynamic.

In summary, each alternative highlights a different interpretation of how market forces relate to social outcomes. The second option emphasizes a technical target, the third implies top-down control, and the fourth portrays a negative extreme; none of these capture the same implicit metaphor as the first option. The reasoning aligns with the notion that disembodied guidance can emerge from self-interested actions in a free market, shaping public interest without direct intention.

Technological advancements, such as the personal computer and medical discoveries, are primarily driven by the profit motive. However, such advancements eventually promote the public or social interest as though they are guided by Blank ______. BlackTom题目解析

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