The Practical Significance of Needham Problem

Reference and Revelation 1949 Since the founding of New China, especially the strong impetus of reform and opening up in the past 20 years, science and technology in China have ushered in a new spring, and various disciplines have made remarkable achievements. But on the whole, there is still a big gap compared with developed countries. Although the gross domestic product ranks seventh in the world, the competitiveness of science and technology ranks 28th in the world, and the international competitiveness of scientific research and patent indicators ranks 32nd and 2 1 respectively, which is far behind the economic competitiveness. The number of scientific papers published in China is relatively small. According to the statistics of the Institute of National Defense Management and Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, 1997, the number of papers published by China ranked ninth in the world, and the number of papers published by scientific papers index ranked 12, accounting for only 1.6% of the total world papers in that year, equivalent to 6% in the United States and 19% in the United Kingdom. None of the 200 universities that publish the most papers in the world is from Chinese mainland. For another example, the United States now applies for more than 200,000 domestic invention patents every year, while Japan has more than 400,000, and China has only 6.5438+0.3 million. It seems that in today's great economic progress, we still haven't got rid of the Needham problem.

Where is the solution to Needham's puzzle? That is, how to get rid of the hat that China is backward in science and technology, or how to make science and technology and economy develop harmoniously and at the same frequency? The practice of scientific development has repeatedly proved that man is the pioneer of the primary productive force, and the quantity and quality of scientific and technological talents directly determine the scientific and technological level of a country. From June1996165438+10 to August 1997, China conducted the largest public scientific literacy survey since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The calculation results show that the proportion of people in China who understand the social impact of science is 3.3%, the proportion of people who understand the scientific research process is 2.7%, and the proportion who have scientific literacy is only 0.3%. According to the World Science Report published by UNESCO, the number of scientists and engineers per thousand people is 4.7 in Japan, 3.8 in the United States, 2.8 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, 1.9 in Europe, 1 person in newly industrialized countries or regions in Asia, and only 0.0 in China. The above two sets of figures are quite helpful to decipher the Needham puzzle. It is precisely because of the absolute advantages in quantity and quality of talents that western developed countries are ahead in the world in science and technology. It is conceivable that a country lacking scientific and technological talents will inevitably be in an embarrassing situation of backward science and technology.

It should be noted that scientific thought has not been sufficiently rooted and excavated in this ancient land of China, which is a very critical historical and social root. There is no obvious difference in quality between China scientists and foreign scientists. Zuckerman, an American social scientist, analyzed 3 13 Nobel Prize winners, and found that many of them were members of excellent scientists and had been taught by famous teachers. Only the Cavendish laboratory in Britain has produced 17 Nobel Prize winners. Some people think that western science has a good tradition of "seeking difference" when analyzing the reasons why China has missed the Nobel Prize in Science so far, so they always deliberately seek innovation. However, Chinese traditional culture attaches great importance to the ideological control of "keeping one" and "keeping one", which seriously affects the germination of science and inhibits people's creative spirit. Nowadays, it is clear to the whole world that the main theme of the 20th century is science and technology. Whether you can become the excitement or even the concern of a nation, the most important thing to pay attention to is what you think and admire, which is the same as the reconciliation of the Needham problem.

Where is the key to the rise and fall of science? "Needham Problem" and its enlightenment to us should be sober-minded, that is, with a strategic vision and task, vigorously cultivate fertile soil on which the scientific spirit depends and speed up the pace of training scientific and technological talents as the key chain and lever link for our great and ancient Chinese nation to stand on its own feet in the world. Only in this way can we catch up with the advanced, recreate the brilliance and usher in a scientific spring with birds singing and flowers changing with each passing day!