The Interpretation On "Needham Question" From Multidimensional Perspectives

After the British scholar -- Joseph Needham studied in-depth the history of science and technology of China, in his series of 15 volumes of the "China's History of Science and Technology" he proposed the official presentation of the "Needham Question": from the first century to the 15th century, Chinese people in the application to meet the needs of people is better than the Europeans, but why did modern scientific revolution not happen in China? The question was raised and he tried to answer it actively. However, his job was a kind of materials collection and analysis. The nature of his job decided that it would be impossible to answer his own problem. Until now, "Needham Question" still does not have the ultimate answer, but its significance is important. In one sense it changed understanding and defining of science and technology in the field of science and technology: science and technology is no longer a single, isolated cultural product. It is integrated products of human's diversified culture, the evolution result of pluralistic civilization, the historical product of multi-cultural symbiosis.After "Needham Question" was raised, in several decades, domestic and foreign scholars and experts were trying to find the answer. They are different in identity--historians, politicians and scientists, different in ideas, but they are impossible to answer "Needham Question". They carried out China's science and technology as Western standard of the development of science and technology. While, they focused only on external conditions for the development of science and technology, and ignored scientific and technological development of different civilizations and the characteristics of self-discipline. Human civilization is formed by many civilizations, and each civilization has its own characteristics. Science and technology is an integral part of civilization, so it also has its own model of development and the inherent law, which was set up by the tone of starting stage of the various civilizations. It cannot be ignored. So when studying "Needham problem", we should pay attention to the difference between China and the West and its intrinsic law in the development of science and technology. Compared with external factors, this is more crucial and important. Therefore, only at the height of the entire human civilization, by the view of pluralism of science and technology, "Needham problem" could be answered objectively.For "Needham problem", I am more inclined to the point of Mr. Ji Xianlin "from the thousands of years of human history, the relation of the culture between the east and west changed a lot." That means we should consider the issue in the perspective of the interpretation of the entire human civilization at the height of the development of civilization. Eastern technology and Western one are essentially distinct models. In short, China is utility-type technology, and the West is exploration-type technology. China's science and technology model determines its effectiveness as to the actual purpose and paying little attention to the perfection and development of the theory. While, the Western development model is to use technology to limit natural for the purpose of applying quantitative analysis to achieve the ultimate understanding of purpose. There is no quality difference between them. They are decided by their inherent law of scientific and technological development model. They both have the ability to trigger the scientific and technological revolution. Western and Eastern science and technology have a glorious history of the development of their scientific and technological achievements. So we must upgrade to a new platform, which takes the development of mankind as the backdrop. The development of civilizations in all its essence is the need to model, and that is in the mutual exchange of enhancing integration of the entire course of human civilization.Modern scientific revolution is all the more based on the accumulation of knowledge, not only ancient Greek tradition of Western civilization, but also the integration of other Arab civilization and the achievements of Chinese civilization, which is the accumulation of a qualitative leap, is development of the civilization of a combination of chance and necessity. Necessity is that in the modern scientific revolution of human civilization is the product of accumulated results and chance is that at the time of the European scientific revolution with the stimulation of the factors, which includes their own science in the development of the law and a specific historical background and factors. That does not move upon the will of the people. Modern scientific and technological revolution in the Western civilization is not the completion of the power of their own, and it contributed to the results of a number of civilizations, is the exchange of scientific and technological achievements diversified products.In today's era, once again with a completely new perspective - diversified technology development interpreting "Needham problem" still has a positive meaning. The world today is a limit of the world, is a lack of reference to the world. Western civilization occupies a dominant position, whether political, economic or cultural, regardless of the country, society or nation, and we can see the shadow of Western civilization. Western civilization Evaluation became the only absolute scale. In fact, only once the scale of evaluation became absolute, the evaluation itself will lose its significance, and this caused the supremacy of Western civilization rational, scientific unlimited radical development of the fundamental, because it lacked with a rival, complementary the development of civilization. So using technology to diversify to re-interpret "Needham problem " on the development of human civilization is of great value.It is more objective by the evaluation of the diversification. Similarly, a wide range of human development concept will guide the real ideal model of development. Western civilization is a kind of rigid civilization, and that is a purely scientific and rational civilization. While the oriental civilization is the civilization of a negative, stressed harmony, coordination of civilization. Only standing at the height of the entire human civilization, the development of Eastern and Western civilizations complement each other, and we can enhance the development of all mankind culture to a higher stage.