People who change the world
In the history of physics, Newton unified mechanics, Maxwell unified electromagnetism, and then Einstein.
1905, Einstein who worked in the patent office published six papers, four of which quoted Yang Zhenning's words. Triggered the basic concept of the physical world? Time, space, energy, light, matter? Three revolutions? . However, the "theory of relativity" is too brilliant, in fact, any one is a proper Nobel Prize.
On June 9, an exciting view on the generation and transformation of light, this paper begins with quantum mechanics.
18 July The motion of suspended particles in still liquid required by the theory of thermomolecular motion explains Brownian motion. This paper is the first time that human beings have proved the existence of molecules and atoms.
On September 26th, about the electrodynamics of moving objects, this is the special theory of relativity.
165438+1October 2 1, is the inertia of an object related to the energy it contains? ",that is, E = mc^2, means that quality and energy are actually the same thing.
Six papers a year, four revolutionary papers, and TV dramas dare not act like this. Einstein seems to be committed to changing the world.
1953, it is such a person who replied about? Is there science in the history of China? Problems, not only published their own views, but also published a letter to answer questions, which wrote:
The development of western science is based on two great achievements, namely, the formal logic system invented by Greek philosophers (in Euclidean geometry) and the discovery (in the Renaissance) that causality can be found through systematic experiments. In my opinion, it's not surprising that Tessa of China didn't take these two steps.
Einstein also explained the reason in the letter, which is relatively simple and abstract. Let me express his views in vernacular Chinese.
science and technology
Western science originated from philosophy until Newton appeared and established a scientific paradigm, relying on mathematics, experiment and observation, while philosophy is the knowledge of sitting at home and thinking hard.
From the media point of view, popular science is unpopular, which means that popular science is for ordinary people? Useless? Even in entertainment programs, big melons often appear, which makes us dumbfounded. It must be embarrassing for you to talk about popular science scenes while talking about melons in this era. But science is also supreme, because it guides the progress of mankind, and the great progress of science and technology must be assisted by science.
Simply put, science refers to things that don't matter and things that technology does. For example, why do apples fall from trees? This is a science, and it is too late to study it. Candles used to be lit, but now electric lights are used. This is technology. It must be difficult to light candles now. However, light needs electricity. How to use it? What is electricity? Where does the electricity come from? How to generate electricity? All this comes from science. In other words, technology solves practical problems and guides technology scientifically.
The four great inventions in ancient times were not based on science.
Which of the four great inventions is science? For example, the Taoist alchemist added honey to the alchemy, because many minerals tasted bad and the stove exploded, so there was gunpowder. Why does the compass point in one direction? Ancient literature did not describe the basic principles of the earth's magnetic field and compass. Paper making and printing follow one another? Surgery? Words, not subjects.
Many people say that we also look at the stars at night, which is proper astronomy. Indeed, the earliest and most detailed records of solar eclipses, sunspots and Halley's Comet in the world are all in China, but why not call them Confucius, Mozi and Qin Shiwang but Halley?
In ancient times, comets were called stars. Is it recorded in Spring and Autumn Annals? Does Beidou have stars? It means that Lu was the first to find out, and it was found in all previous dynasties that he would come back every 76 years. Why not call it? Comet Lu? ?
It's like a story about an apple falling to the ground. Every time an apple landed, the ancients recorded it, without studying the reason why it landed. Harley figured out the orbit of the comet and clearly knew why it came back every 76 years, because it was running in circles.
Generally speaking, we saw, recorded, maybe understood the appearance and applied it to become a technology or invention, while what the West saw was the verification of the hypothesis of recorded thinking and finally saw it through. One can do this, and the other can do this.
The ancients watched the stars at night to help the emperor make a calendar, convince the people and pay attention to the unity of heaven and man. I appointed heaven as the son of heaven, and you all have to listen to me. For example, Sima Qian recorded in Historical Records:
When the king was ordered to change his surname, he must be cautious at first, be a new moon, be easy to take color, push Tianyuan and follow his will.
It can be seen that the ancients didn't really want to do astronomical research, but there was a demand. Generally speaking, when demand often precedes invention and discovery, people make technology, while when invention and discovery often precede demand, people make science.
finally
There is a physics test paper asking: why do apples fall to the ground two meters from the ground, and how long does it take to land?
You will find that science is inseparable from mathematics, and the origin of mathematics is also in the West. For example, Euclid and Pythagoras, the fathers of geometry, originated in ancient Greece, and Newton originated in the Renaissance. It can be said that science has been struggling in philosophy, and it was not until after the Renaissance that the western concept gradually changed from divinity to humanity that science gradually became independent.
So Einstein thought that there was no such social background in ancient China, and the most brilliant moment of thought was? A hundred schools of thought contend? But it was only a flash in the pan, and later there was even a phenomenon that there was no science in ancient China.
However, we don't need to be depressed by what Einstein said. After all, that was before. Since ancient times, human beings have continued two major civilizations: not only the ancient Greek civilization, but also the Chinese civilization.