China led the world in science and technology in ancient times, but why did the modern industrial and scientific revolution not take place in China?

After the Renaissance, modern science arose and developed rapidly in Europe, culminating in the publication by Isaac Newton in 1687 of his Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. However, the question: "Why did the modern scientific revolution not take place in China when the Chinese had outperformed the Europeans in applying the knowledge of nature to human needs from the 1st century B.C. to the 15th century A.D." is a difficult one to answer in the 20th century. This question has puzzled historians of science and many other scholars of the 20th century. Because the question was first raised by Joseph Lee, the famous British historian of science, it has been called the "Joseph Lee problem".

Why did modern science not emerge in China, and why was Western science and technology even strongly resisted during its introduction to China? This is a very complex question. Joseph Lee in his book "History of Science and Technology in China" has discussed this problem and given various reasons: the early Chinese philosophy such as the theory of yin and yang and five elements and so on had promoted the early scientific development in China, but these theories of the nature of the empirical and discursive in the later became the cause of the obstacles to the emergence of experimental science in China; China did not fully develop capitalism is the experimental science did not arise in China the basic social reasons; China did not fully develop capitalism is the experimental science did not arise in China; the basic social reasons; the experimental science did not emerge in China. China's failure to fully develop capitalism was the basic social reason for the failure of experimental science to emerge in China; and China's traditional values discouraged and even inhibited the emergence of modern science in China.

From the historical point of view, science and technology and culture have never been separated (culture in the broad sense refers to the sum of all the material and spiritual products created by human beings, science and technology are included in its content, and here we do not take culture in the broad sense.)

The link between science and technology and culture in a given period has always been so strong that when we try to find an answer to the "Joseph Lee puzzle," we find that it is one of the best answers we have.

China's traditional culture, with its long history and influence in today's globalized world, has a vitality that can be seen and an influence that cannot be underestimated. We have always been proud of our traditional culture, which has created and continued to support Chinese civilization. However, when exploring the answer to the "Joseph Lee Dilemma", we can find that traditional culture has an automatic mechanism that inhibits the development of science and technology (of course, traditional culture here also includes the "imperial examination system" and so on, which we usually criticize), especially in politics, ideology, and institutions. The culture of the special era, especially the political, ideological and institutional domination, and its cultural forms and characteristics different from those of the modern West, have mainly led to the stagnation of China's modern scientific and technological development. We can take a look at the following aspects of traditional Chinese culture to see how this cultural mechanism inhibited the development of modern science and technology in China.

I. Focus on the exploration of humanistic issues. From the perspective of traditional Chinese culture, ancient Chinese philosophers wanted to solve all the world's problems at once. "They wanted to solve humanistic problems in the first place, and in the second place, they wanted to solve humanistic problems in general." As a result, they were reluctant to go into specifics. Yet things like science and technology very often need to be developed by solving specific problems. Among the ancient Greek philosophers, there were those who attempted to solve all problems in general, "yet they were also those who worked on very specific problems." For example, from solving specific, phenomenal problems, Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy and Newton discovered gravity. In ancient and modern China, however, a large group of our intellectuals, instead of working on these specific problems, were exploring the humanities and society. The very different academic atmosphere and its dominant direction is the main reason for the gap between the scientific and technological levels of China and the West.

II. Problems of Ideology and System. Since the Qin Dynasty, China has established and continuously strengthened the centralized feudal rule, and thus established a series of auxiliary systems, such as the ideological "respect for Confucianism", educational "imperial examination" and so on. It is these ideas and systems directly affect the development of science and technology. Let's take the imperial examinations alone. Ancient imperial examinations from the creation of the final canceled, the experience of its long time is any other examination system can not be compared with it, which is related to its political support. The main content of the imperial examination is the Four Books and Five Classics, of course, there are some later additions and enrichment, but most of them did not go beyond the circle of humanities (when I was in high school, I once joked with my classmates: "The ancients are the same as ours, the study of literature."). ). Political enablement, one might even say coercion, is the key reason for the skewed direction of the culture as a whole.

Third, technological civilization is limited to the civilization of craftsmen and experience. This should be said to be a result, a state of technological development due to many factors. Although we have the world-famous Four Great Inventions, although we have a very brilliant scientific and technological and cultural achievements in the Tang and Song dynasties and other special dynasties, although our porcelain-making technology is the envy of the West, although our ships can sail into the Red Sea, but all of these are only in the civilization of craftsmen and empirical civilization. At that time advanced in the West for nearly several centuries of science and technology has not been well developed in our country, as Mr. Lu Xun pointed out that "foreign countries use gunpowder to make bullets to protect the enemy, but China uses it to make firecrackers to honor the gods; foreign countries use the compass needle to navigate the sea, but China uses it to see the feng shui." The development of science and technology requires the continuation of practice and application, which is not available in China. In addition, we lack the study of scientific theory and the training of logical thinking, theory is the soul and power of scientific and technological development, without the support of theory, science and technology is difficult to make great progress. In China's ancient and modern history, we can hardly find a specialized and systematic scientific theory, while in the West during the same period of time, the basic theoretical research on mechanics and optics has achieved remarkable results. From this we can see that the gap between the scientific and technological level of China and the West is almost inevitable.

Fourth, the lack of learning and open attitude. China has long existed in two states of mind: one, arrogance (often blind arrogance); two, closed. Self-importance of the "heavenly kingdom", self-importance of the Chinese culture is vast and abundant, this mentality in the Tang Dynasty may still have some to say, but to the Qing Dynasty is unreasonable, ridiculous and extreme ignorance and blindness. Do not know how to learn the "heavenly kingdom" was eventually "barbaric land" of the "British barbarians" ravaged, trampled. Based on the closed autonomy, exempt from foreign interference in the mind, the Ming Dynasty began to implement the policy of closed-door policy, this policy has continued to the Qing Dynasty, until the Opium War opened the door to China. The idea of negative closure can find its roots in the small peasant economy of self-sufficiency, but it is more and more directly embodied in the cultural level of the whole nation, and thus can also be used as an examination of the culture of this period.

The country itself does not have the soil to produce new technology, so the only way to learn from foreign countries is to open the doors of the country, but the fact of history is that the doors of the country were closed tightly, and the advanced technology of foreign countries was scorned as "strange skills and tricks" and "the art of the smallest" here. Neither direct access to progress, nor indirect access to progress through the study of the introduction of methods, the result is clearly, the gap between China and the West is inevitable.

By the above some superficial analysis, we can understand the science and technology and culture of the close relationship between the recognition of this relationship, summarize the previous lessons learned, help us today better development of science and technology and culture. To avoid the emergence of the "Joseph Lee problem" that makes people sigh with regret. In the wave of globalization, to grasp the opportunities and meet the challenges in a positive and open attitude, in the process of constantly strengthening the domestic system construction, cultural construction, and strive to learn from the advanced achievements of other countries and regions, to further enhance the level of science and technology and economic strength of the country.