| Since modern times, the scientific spirit has been a hot topic in society. One important reason for this is that it plays an important role in the development of science and the evolution of human society. Scientific development not only means innovating scientific knowledge and methods, but also means promoting the scientific spirit. Therefore, it is of great significance to clear off the connotations, characteristics, elements, expression, structures and functions of the scientific spirit as well as the internal connections between the scientific spirit and social progress, which theoretically and realistically determines the prosperity of scientific culture and the further development of scientific undertakings.Nowadays, the development of science and society are deeply integrated. As a system of social establishment, science is the organic unity of scientific knowledge, scientific approaches, scientific ideas as well as the scientific spirit. With its influence in the whole scientific system, the scientific spirit has become the soul of science and the spiritual motivation of science development. Actually, the scientific spirit could be found in science exploration, in the scientific awareness of science subjects, in the approaches of doing research as well as in the system of scientific ideas. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the concept of the scientific spirit inspired by both domestic and foreign researchers, this paper defines the scientific spirit as a certain kind of attitude and norm as a result of pursuing truth with rationality in the process of human being’s understanding and remaking nature. Meanwhile, the scientific spirit is regarded as a certain kind of mental attitude, where scientific attitudes and spiritual qualities such as doubt, verification, innovation, freedom, equity, tolerance, etc are united in one’s consciousness and behavior.The scientific spirit is the ideological source to seek after truth. This paper not only researches the scientific spirit scientifically and systematically in a narrow sense, but also discusses it in the development of economic society and social intelligence in a board sense. The objective of science is to promote the continuous improvement of human society. The scientific spirit plays a vital role as the spiritual guide and the intellectual support in the improvement of science and technology, as well as in the development of society.The scientific spirit has the historicity and contemporaneity of continuous development. Traditionally speaking, scientific spirit is derived from the ethos and firm conviction of scientific adventure activities related to the pursuit of truth; while in modern times, the scientific spirit is mainly about the rational spirit on the cognitive level, the innovation spirit on the functional level and the humanistic spirit on the value level, with the harmony and unity of seeking truth, goodness and beauty as its essence. Therefore, the social function of scientific spirit could be interpreted as offering motive power for scientific exploration, offering a worldview and methodology for human beings, and enriching the development of humanistic spirit and advanced civilization.This paper points out the essential interrelated links between the scientific spirit and social development. First of all, the scientific spirit directly influences economic establishment, democratic politics and ideals of development. Next, the scientific spirit, serving as the important content of the advanced culture, promotes the advancement and temporal spirit of human being’s cultures, which are proved scientific and practical. Finally, with promoting the healthy and all-round development of human beings as its objective, the scientific sprit tries to improve the cognitive ability and intellectual quality of human beings. Therefore, it is claimed that the improvement and development of human societies is closely associated with the cultivation and publicity of the scientific spirit.To China, modern science and the scientific spirit is adopted abroad. Thus, the scientific spirit has a special influence on the social progress in modern China.First of all, the scientific spirit gradually spreads in China, initiating the enlightenment of scientific methods and the innovation of scientific concepts.Secondly, with the implantation of the western science, the scientific spirit promotes the practice of the scientific localization. The scientific achievement and the formation of scientific spirit beneath the extensive science system after the foundation of New Chinaare particularly valuable. Some strategic thoughts are fitting into the reality of China and are embodiment of rational scientific spirit, such as"Save the Nation withScience", "March to the Science", "Treat Science and Technology as the First Productivity", "Developing ChinawithScience and Technology" and "Establishing an Innovative Country". Owing to these strategies, remarkable social progresses have been made in China nowadays.Especially, the establishment of the thought of seeking truth from facts, the establishment of the standard of productivity and the practice of the concept of scientific development prove that the scientific spirit plays a leading role in the ideology that guides social development.Even though considerable achievements have been achieved in terms of the spread and cultivation of the scientific spirit, a lack of this spirit on the whole should not be overlooked, especially in the area of scientific research, citizen’s quality, scientific management, school education and economic as well as social development. In modern China, there are plenty of examples which indicate the negative influence on social development caused by a lack of the scientific spirit. The two examples most worth noticing are the overpopularization of scientism and the abnormal development of science politicization. There are many causes of the absence of the scientific spirit, such as some historical factors in certain periods, some weakness in Chinese traditional cultures, together with the utilitarianism in society and the inappropriateness of the institutional systems.The scientific spirit can’t be formed and cultivated overnight. It not only has its own conditions and rules but also needs cultivating conditions such asthe science subject, the culture environment, social factors and so on. This paper tries to proposethe construction logic of shaping the scientific spirit in theory. Meanwhile, it conducts an objective analysis of the realistic conditions which are beneficial to the cultivation of the scientific spirit, such as the excellent cultural tradition, the increase of education scale, the shared vision in society and so on, which are all the favorable factors for cultivating the scientific spirit at present.Appropriate and correct methods and approaches are needed to promote and cultivate the scientific spirit. Several cultivation approaches are proposed in this paper, such as reforming scientific education pattern based on schooling, structuring a thorough scientific institution standardized system, strengthening the pertinence and effectiveness of science popularization, reinforcing the sense of self-cultivation and self-discipline among the group of scientists, creating a democratic and free social atmosphere and cultural prerequisites. In addition, an exploration of specific methods to cultivate the scientific spirit is also carried out in this paper.Finally, this paper closely combines the promotion of the scientific spirit with the historical mission of achieving the great rejuvenation of China and the construction of an innovative and powerful cultural country and emphasizes the importance and urgency of cultivating and popularizing the scientific spirit. Besides, it is also stressed in this paper that the scientific spirit is not only the thought motive force to realize modernization, but also the important part which reflects social progresses and even the cultural consciousness and vivid practice of the great rejuvenation of China.
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