Yao Guohua who emasculated the spring of science

 Yao Guohua: Who castrated the spring of science?
Time: the evening of 9 April 2004 7:00 to 9:00
Location: Tsinghua University, Room 5101
held five major religions: Tsinghua University Dusing Community
Speaker: Yao Guohua
all of you, good evening! (Applause.)
This time, thanks once again giving me the opportunity Tsinghua students, so I can continue speaking from this rostrum. the day before yesterday, I'm here done, entitled based, since the fifties of last century, after adjustment Department, Tsinghua University is also the case. For most science and engineering students, liberal arts is a form of knowledge from the rest of the textbook, and my ideas and instill orthodox textbook very different ideas, which, I might be thinking of you cause greater impact, some students may not stand in the habit of thinking, some students may not stand in the emotional, can I please put tolerate, if not stand, please stand up and refute the most acute way of me, no problem! I also hope that the dialogue between the different ways of thinking to reach understanding.
the topic of my talk today everyone is most familiar with the area involved China's science and technology. But I was standing real critics point of view, the view may be related to the formation of well-known opposition. My theme is (Laughter.)
First of all, I want to issue a prescription that, in the clumsy not aware of, including mistaken trap words, including learning, knowledge, science, talent, feudal, enlightenment, modernization, in my opinion, they are behind the trap of thinking. These traps caught only Chinese thought, and even more affect the thinking of the students had just received. I want to say is that these traps will not be revealed, the process of China's future will be a mediocre, the tragedy of the process. Today, I talk about a scientific concept mm.
Science This term, in this half-century, or nearly ninety years ago from the New Culture Movement and Mr. De Mr. Science put forward the slogan since the words among the Chinese dominated with. in the world in various languages, Perhaps the only Chinese in the philosophy is the truth, they say that Marxist philosophy is the philosophy of science. (laughter) But I want to reveal that the Chinese people in terms of today, or in the traditional context, almost does not understand what is science. Here insert a thing, the end of the year before, and I have been in two sessions at Tsinghua, an unknown audience (after he had sent me mail a letter of apology, but again not contact) for a kind, and the familiar New Threads in the Web master of science crackdown Fang wrote, wanted to recommend my work to the site, but did not get Fang's response, but he did not know why the letters to the New Threads website is inscribed, published in bbs on a well-known. Mr. Fang Zhouzi discovered that this is a misappropriation of his name, in the marketing of my book. Fang instinctive aversion to me, he thought he and I to be critical of the kind of intellectuals What is science, .
today that science is a special cultural phenomenon, it is only on the Mediterranean coast of ancient Greece, produced in a particular way of life. In ancient China, and did not produce like this science. Greece society, a group of special people, who dominated the commercial and handicraft industry, the formation of a business civilization. insert one, there is a learned and eloquent Tsinghua respected Professor Qin Hui was that disagree with this statement, he said, Ancient Greece is dominated by agriculture. I think he said, justified, any large civilization there is no large-scale agricultural areas, people how to feed it? Greek society is no exception. But I must stress that large-scale olive Greeks and viticulture, and not directly support a large population, must take their products and external trade, in exchange for food Caixing. Therefore, ancient Greece is not a self-sufficient farming community, it is the industrial and commercial city center, this should be no problem . the Greek city-states constitute the civilization of globalization is now the source of modern civilization. This kind of civilization is behind most other civilizations with very different way of thinking, where is the performance?
first talk about the business of civilization effects. First, businessmen wandering on the sea, a day at different space, need to constantly calculate their position and distance, and their sense of geometry relative to other civilized peoples who occupy other types of great advantage. Second, merchants and people to exchange goods, the concern is not the item itself, but the relationship between the ratio between items, so the ratio of a number of particularly sensitive. These two factors, has become the social basis of Pythagoreanism, completed up to Gela Si holds that the world we face is not the colorful nature of the thing itself, it is behind the abstract figures and forms is the pure essence. all things surface of things so complicated, but the substance is very simple, that is, 1,2, 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, as well as point, line and surface. This is an idealist philosophy. Pythagoras as the nature of the mathematical, metaphysical things, the West Mathematics is the traditional development along this down. The Chinese mathematics different, although some of the ancient Chinese mathematicians in the calculation far more than Western mathematicians, for example, Zu out pi. However, this can only be called arithmetic, and not a purely mathematical theory. Another example, China's only real experience of Pythagoras on a guess, and completed the La Las doctrine is the formation of the system of strict logic.
say that handicraft Civilization. handicraft production Democritus atomic theory created. Industrial production and agricultural production is the difference between the significant agricultural production is not manufacturing, farming and cultivation can help plants and animals grow, and finally obtain the harvest. rice is to create not out; production of a sheep, first made a sheep's head, goat body recycling, recycling leg of lamb, can be put together into a live sheep? (laughter), in turn, can not rely on cultivation of industrial production, we can not sow a seed wait for it to give birth to a jar, we can not make a big watch, to multiply out of a few small watch. the object of industrial machinery, non-life, objective object, by the people to analyze, anatomy, measurements , design, construction, alteration, thus forming a mechanical materialist Democritus's philosophy. He believes that all things break down to the smallest, the composition is no longer sub-atomic, atoms have a different weight, size, shape, structure, resulting in different attributes of all things, as long as the master of the atomic structure and its necessity, will be able to grasp things. This mechanical lay the future of the Western mind the basic thinking of natural science, Newton by analyzing the forces of each particle and each particle the relationship between law to find and grasp the movement of the entire material system state is derived from this way of thinking.
can be said that the Greeks have a way of thinking a consistent thing. Pythagorean idealism Ye Hao , Ye Hao materialism of Democritus, who are resolved to the smallest of things will be complicated, the most simple, basic units, these basic units are defined, with specific rules, so long as its rules, you will be able to grasp The whole thing. Greek philosophy of Plato and Aristotle representatives will be made atomic theory of Democritus Pythagoreanism and the sublimation of a more comprehensive and laid the basis for the Greek way of thinking, Until today, the West has become the whole social structure and the basis for rational thought. This kind of thinking that: We tangible representation of the material is not fundamental, the concept behind it, the concept, structure, laws, rules, and the blueprint is vital important. For example, he talks to do a house, the Chinese people think of cement, steel, wood, bricks and other materials, these things are essential, as the design is included with the form of style, not very critical. And in the West people, the design drawings of the house is decisive, it is the house of the party. This way of thinking is the fundamental philosophy of ancient Greece, it does not attach importance to people's sense of direct control over the physical materials, and very attention to people's rational thinking, to grasp the abstract concept of the law of things.
Aristotle gave Alexander, King of the students, set up across Europe, Asia, and Africa's Macedonian empire, he was very interested in Greece cultural promotion, each must conquer a place where the establishment of Greek schools and libraries, Panhellenic Greek philosophy is also a brilliant area to bear fruit.
Greek era, there are three important people to lay the ancient scientific basis. The first is Ptolemy, today we have textbooks, it is treated as a scientific target, a typical mistake, but I must say, not Ptolemy, Copernicus is impossible. Toler direct extension of the passage secret thoughts of the ancient Greek philosophy, and its systematic. Plato's idea of what everything in the universe is the most essential form of abstraction, Celestial is in accordance with the circular orbit operation. Obviously, this idea is absolutely not science. Plato had a student named Eudoxus, not only dedicated teacher said that is correct, but also a model of observational data and combine the circle , resulting in a theoretical astronomy. China although there are so precise astronomical observations, but no such purely theoretical results, the Chinese people can only direct experience of the eyes observed star map, can not stand outside of an objective measurement of an object. Today, We know that objects are oval-shaped trajectory, rather than park shape. Therefore, the theoretical model that is a contradiction with the observations, but theory and practice of conflict, according to our habits of thinking, the practice should be respected, they tend to modify the theory or to give it locally to make a patch. Ptolemy is the case, he conceived of the stars in the circle on top of a small round, which more accurately, and some inaccurate, but also on the small round coupled with a small round, has been adding on until accurate so far. This shows that Westerners are always trying to complex and diverse material world to find some simple rules, such as mathematical proportion, formulas, equations, geometry model.
The second is Archimedes. Many Chinese people may think that, Archimedes buoyancy principle is pediatrics and who do not understand it? (laughter) But, Archimedes unique in that he can be summarized with the laws and formulas this principle. On the contrary, the Chinese experience is an intuitive experience. The third most important figure is Euclidean. He not only understand the laws of plane geometry, but also the use of the five postulates, to all the laws of plane geometry with a kinds of logical system revealed. Euclid's system, so beautiful, so complete, so perfect, to bring their infinite wisdom, the shock of the mind. This shock is unconditional, and can make you believe, somewhere there is an abstract command of the law of the world, who become involved, the heart will faithfully believe in it. Since then, the Euclidean represent the academic and cultural traditions of Western, specifically, an idea or a theory can perfectly logical constitute a system, that the correctness of its own self-evident, and has the highest value, it is scientific. I have repeatedly stated before, the value of science itself, not bring us any practical utility. Euclid has a students, a sudden collapse of an ancient Greek philosophers in question is heterogeneous, I am afraid that he has a problem. Euclid stunned for a long time, his achievements can not find what is the use, could not answer him. So, call your servant took two coins to the students, asked him to leave the. (laughter) ;. to the sixteenth century, the British philosopher Francis Bacon put forward a proposition, the basic premise that in certain other tendencies: , thought the value of the value and logic.
short, today the philosophical premise of Western scientific tradition, from ancient Greek mechanical materialism and mathematical formalism. It was almost interrupted in the Roman period, the Romans succeeded only in law Greek tradition, the more the latter, more and more indifferent scientific tradition. to what extent? library of parchment are thrown into a public bath in the oven. (laughter) anomalies on the surface of economic prosperity of Rome, Roman material life was at a peak state, but increasingly decadent Roman culture. If the empire for hundreds of years and then maintain it, a little bit of Greek tradition may die out. Roman mental breakdown led to the final collapse of the real.
in the deep disaster, the one of the most fragile power to save the Romans, and that is the bottom of society living in Rome, the Jews, they understand the suffering of life, they care for the other side of the world, given the disaster of the Roman society caught in a spirit comfort. remnants of the Greek tradition of rational thought, and Jewish religious beliefs to some form of combination, resulting in a Christian culture. This combination of iconic characters, mainly during the fifth century Augustine, then take the absolute belief dominant, but not to talk about the reason to believe an idea, only you believe it, it makes sense to tell. Today we, the opposite, you talk about the truth, convinced me, I'll believe you. Christianity tells brink of collapse the soul of people, only the entire life of God entrusted to the ultimate, you can get peace of mind. In other words, between faith and reason, faith is far greater than rational. But people also believe that God will listen to reason.
a thousand years long past, we see this as a textbook for a thousand years the dark Middle Ages. In today's loss of cultural self-confidence of the Chinese people's eyes, quite a gentleman who's blond hair style and modern style , blue eyes and white skin of foreign people, was also extremely brutal, they only know a knife and sword fighting. the destruction of the dream life of the Roman Empire, the prosperous civilization beneath them disappear, first they have destroyed the pleasure, and gradually way they feel empty, then, Christianity has given them the power of the mind Dayton, so they turn to become communicators of faith, the whole long history in the Middle Ages of Europe to form a state: the most important in everyone's life is not beer and skittles not material things, not the reality and the secular, but beyond the spirit of relying on daily life. man's ultimate happiness exists only in the other side of the world, with God, not in this side of the world, in real life. So I would say the medieval spirit of the West laid the platform so that they are most concerned about is not the everyday things, but the eternal God. And this God, do not exist in the real world, but in the world of the human mind.
before and after the 10th century, Christianity is facing strong pressure from the Islamic world, that George W. Bush than it is today due to the pressure on Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden is much greater. (laughter) In a crisis, the Christian world had to organize the Islamic world for the Crusaders tit for tat struggle. crusader action except for the first time though, the most of the failures, the fourth time actually occupied the capital of the Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire. However, the action itself to open their horizons, from the Arabs in the Eastern Roman Empire, They get a lot of their ancestors and cultural infection. All of a sudden, Plato, Aristotle's philosophy, Euclidean geometry, more and more back to Western world. The ancient Greeks spiritual connotation, and slowly get the recovery in the hearts of Christians. twelfth century, Thomas? Aquinas began the second largest Christian were integrated. At this time, the status of reason in faith to change . In a typical atmosphere of the Christian faith is absolute position, but people have begun to agree that is a very important reason. reason and faith, to reach a balance. It turned out that the doctrine of those who have been regarded as heresy, such as sub- Lishiduode philosophy, people think it is too fine, and then try to make it into the Christian system of thought. It can not withstand the temptation of a rational, reasonable people more and more. analogy, in the winter seed, the shell is rigid, while the core full of vitality; the arrival of spring, life force within the sprout, break through the shell, sprouted new leaves. kernels of seeds of Western civilization, is Greek rational thought, and its shell, is from the Jewish religion. In the Christian house, reason and faith in the inhibition of germination, both continue to battle from the second century to the Renaissance era, rational free to germination, especially religious reform, the rational development of culture completely out. At this time, science as a rational thing among the most typical, resulting in the Copernican doctrine.
Copernicus Ptolemy the entire system of thought is thinking of a face-lift. they are between , not much difference. Copernicus Ptolemy almost follows the way of thinking and philosophy, but do little to change the Earth as the center of the sun as the center of change. And as for whether the earth center or the sun as the center, he is hesitant. (laughter) He found that if the sun as the center of arithmetic is much more simple, can be simplified into hundreds of dozens of round circles. Since the figure it is so simple, may the sun is the center of the. (laughter) before dying, he announced that view. can be seen, but he is from the mathematical point of view, from a technical level, on Ptolemy's thought has been transformed. Copernicus, the emergence of a Bi-rich, his observations of the new precise mathematical way of sorting out. to Kepler, put the sum into the fact that the three laws of astronomy, it is a complete discovery in the modern sense . there is a person, is Galileo, he put the ancient ways of thinking and experiment combining the development of the Copernican astronomy to the empirical experience of thinking of the field. another analogy, imagine if that is the seed Copernicus The first film leaves sprout, then grow out of Galileo's thought is the first section of the root, and Kepler's discovery is the first needle. Newton is doing? he will complete the system presented was He made a very important task is the key to the law when the use of the scientific community the way the original layout geometry into a book called analysis. I want to say is, if there is no Newton, no flood of a lot of great masters. but Newton picked up a great deal. (laughter) Newton's excellent use of the material was found in the scientific community , for example, Newton's laws of astronomy, in fact, included in the three laws of Kepler; Newton's calculus, Leibniz there; Newton's three laws of mechanics, Puck has similar findings. Even so, Newton was changed become the new representatives of science, as he summarized the findings of science in Over the years people on the cult of reason in the eighteenth century, Harley Clifford Green reunification, not only in theory based on the Newton, but also in the field of experience and empirical world over. This is the science of.
Here, I summarize, science must be the product of a particular way of thinking, the product of a particular philosophy, or rather more directly, is the product of mechanical materialist philosophy. sciences have completed Lagrasse mathematical formalism and the two platforms Democritus atomic theory basis, we can be summarized as: the world is material, the material exists in time and space, matter is to abide by the law of the operation, and these rules, you can use mathematical and logical way of exact expression. This is the modern science philosophical premise of the establishment. This philosophy in ancient Greece to be laid.
China has no such philosophical thinking? Strictly speaking, no. farfetched point that the Warring States period of ancient Greece Mozi's thought and philosophy were similar. Mozi's groups. Mozi is downright ancient Chinese businessmen. So you can see that there are many close Mohism mechanical materialism. Mozi have thought of atoms, the atoms he called the son of a similar proof of completion of Lagrasse way; Mo exquisite geometrical optics are similar to ideas. Unfortunately, Mozi's natural scientific thinking, in a later process to kill off society, and even completely disappeared in China civilization, and now we know that the only thought of those Mozi is spread over from Japan. We can imagine that, if the Chinese culture is not the core of Confucianism of Confucius, Mozi's thought but rather center, perhaps in the Tang and Song Dynasties completed the Industrial Revolution, Ming and Qing Dynasties satellite into space. (laughter) But, this assumption is no practical significance. because China is a vast land, agricultural civilization dominated country, industry and commerce there is no possibility of becoming the leading industry. Only in the special geographical environment of ancient Greece, in no way means, the only derived from commercial and industrial civilization, unique way. In the actual situation of Chinese society, once the business-oriented mode of production, will suffer a great disaster. ancient Chinese emperors are some very smart people, once the business over the boom, they will boat from the country point of view, to suppress the development of industry and commerce. commercial and industrial prosperity, which means the coming social unrest , the ancient Chinese society for thousands of years the process has never been such a law to escape.
we know, was a period of time, the ancient Greek philosophical tradition in Western society is broken, but the Middle Ages, through the Christian parent, Greece the Philosophy of people re-germination, from this perspective, the spirit of Newton's resources directly from the religion. The fact is that, Newton was a devout Christian, we usually say, Newton's later years fell, he went to study God. We often use this transformation to warn Newton scientists must uphold the right of the materialist worldview, otherwise repeat the Newtonian detour, is extremely sad. In fact, this is a great misunderstanding of history. If Newton is not a devout Christian, he would not be a later Newton. Newton's later years if not of Christianity, it was strange too! Why? religious reform, the Newton is a holding deistic philosophers, Deism told people that God created this world, and the form is created from the U.S. itself, but after creating the world's end, he went to lie down to sleep. (laughter) You like talking to God, you pray, you confess God will not reason you. The only way to make your way of communicating with God, in the empirical world and in daily life to pursue God's clues, to discover God-given rules of the world. So, from an apple fall on his head, Newton thought, why God let the apple hit his head, rather than as ordinary people would not think he was unlucky today, or his great good fortune, (laughter) Newton's apple fell from the inevitability of conviction, and slowly to explore the rules behind the events, and ultimately he concluded that the law of gravity. Newton's life has done so much great discovery in his later years, he puffed up with pride to want to know, God arranged the first workings of the world what is the driving force, and he had report went to God. And, so to speak, when most scientists were Christians, especially Protestants.
It made me think again, Fang called me three words. Here, I make a response it. He remarks were aimed at my three. The first speech, I said, Newton's either a devout Christian, then he is not Newton. more than I have explained clearly. The second speech, I said, love Einstein devout religious beliefs. This is nonsense, he said. He believes that Einstein has nothing to do with religion. But, I learned from Stan and religious association. Einstein's religion, not a type of religious idols, he believes that all religions are included in the final analysis a common thing: people are small and limited, while the universe is vast and infinite , people awe of the universe, is the starting point of all religions. Einstein, I do have this sense of awe, there is this religious complex. He scientists divided into three categories, the first group of people engrossed in wealth, fame, I am afraid that many scientists in China today. (laughter) The second category of people want to play in the science to their wisdom, the release of their own interests, that is, access to self-realization. these people who, though a minority, But they are the backbone of the scientific community, can make greater achievements. The third category of people is more individual, they will be science as a philosophical and religious care, scientific research from the bottom of the inner life of the call. Only Such people, is the core of the scientific community in order to produce a comprehensive scientific community pioneering role. Einstein since that belongs to the third category. My third statement derived from a particular time watching the fourth set of CCTV show the feelings, when a young fellow was invited to guest at the studio, he talked about four hundred of a particular class of biological biologists to participate in international seminars, the host asked: with impunity? seen from the heart of the Chinese people's misunderstanding of science. we said earlier, the scientific term, the Chinese have the supreme authority, it is almost equivalent to the truth. So, we imagine, since it is such a good thing science , it must be experienced many twists and turns. countless traditional textbook tells that story: the birth of a scientific achievements, there are many people opposed it, on the fierce struggle of science. Thus, Huxley bold to say: I am Darwin's dog! who opposed Darwinism, to whom I am desperately. use science to fool people, who know that to add two points, who does not know this for two points deducted. (laughter) scientific authority of science into superstition, the status quo built on the scientific conclusions on the basis of worship We both firmly believe that scientific knowledge at the level of accuracy, and even the transition to a moral level, the value level and happy on the level, we have no doubt the truth of science. you little think about it, we can see that implicit error of. gene product of scientific research though, but it has tremendous negative effects, if abused, may change the physical structure of humans, can also lead to confusion or even destroy the entire planet. Therefore, the results of science, for human whether it is beneficial, it is an open question. Therefore, genetic materials, we reflect on the attitude to keep and maintain a sense of distance, vigilance. However, this proved Fang, Yao Guohua and those ; are birds of a feather. (laughter) I do not exaggeration, if someone does not believe, you can go online to search. This difference in the way of thinking, so I can not in-depth exchange of Fang down. But anyway, for the Ark Mr. Son exposed and dealt a blow to so many pseudo-scholars, the scientific community, I express my deep admiration. only his superstition for science, I regret that.
tell from the above, we can see that the premise of scientific philosophy in addition to , there is the premise of religion. Even today, between science and religion, there is still a close relationship. However, this does not mean that science attached to religion. eighteenth century, French scientists use Newton's law of La Las deduce the doctrine of cosmology as envisaged evolution of the universe using the laws of science the first person mode. It is said that Napoleon's palace in La Las, just a submissive, cowardly and incompetent nobles, but in the scientific field, he made an unusual behavior. One time, when Napoleon towards a suddenly asked La Las: ; Club Las uncharacteristically, said: marks the start full-fledged science, with religion say goodbye.
science itself must be strictly theoretical system, which is the third important feature of science. scientific concept contains a number of methods of formal logic can be used to accurately express and deduction, mathematical science can be a way to correspond with the experience of the world, this is the fourth feature of science. when science and experience in conflict, or a new way to re-interpretation of experience, or the results obtained from the experience to make up inadequate science. In other words, between theory and experience, the need to maintain some balance. in front of us said before, we are accustomed to say, to be unconditionally subordinated to the practice. the fact that the case? fact often the opposite. often practice a mistake, rather than theoretical error. put it specific, or is wrong in your eyes, or the instrument you have errors , or the wrong steps. So it is not theory in the ever-changing, but the practice continues to improve.
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