Research On The Modern German Chemical Industrial Development Under The Perspective Of Social Institutionalization Of Science

In the developmental history of science and technology, the rise of German chemical industry is a subject worthy of study.Before chemistry was institutionalized in society, its developing mode is"experience, trial and error type". This was a kind of irregular, fragmented and slow-growing knowledge production mode, which accumulated plenty of experimental knowledge for the development of chemistry. However, it still couldn't promote the formation of systematic knowledge. One important reason was that it constrained the property of chemistry- the development of experimental methods, so that the development of chemistry was contingent and within a certain limits. During this period, the development of chemical industry and chemical disciplines was intertwined. Although the process was as slow as the development of chemical disciplines, it played an important role in people's production and lives though not being recognized. In other words, chemistry hadn't become a discipline and science and technology didn't demonstrate the nature of its powerful productivity.In the process of achieving institutionalization, the production mode of chemical knowledge turned from "experience, trial and error type" to "experimental" type of knowledge production, which contributed to the establishment of the precise experimental methods of this discipline and to the scientific and standard establishment of chemistry. Then chemistry began a gradually social institutionalization. In the process of social chemical institutionalization, laboratories were established respectively at universities, polytechnic schools and corporations. This new-type organization liberated the experimental property of chemistry and enabled chemistry to establish knowledge system. And above all, it promoted the formation of chemists community. Germans creatively established the chemical laboratory and produced chemical knowledge out of it. Through tests and verification in the industrial research laboratories, they found out the promising parts for application, and proceeded to find an economic and practical technology and achieved the industrial value by producing the commodity.The productive process of chemical knowledge, technology and products was just like the production line of a factory. Therefore, it was called the industrialization achemical knowledge and technological invention. What the newly-type organization as"laboratories"means to the production of science knowledge was like what"factory"means to the industrialized production. The industrialization of inventions not only complied with the characteristics of this discipline but also adapted to the development of chemical technology and also offered constant powerful support for chemical industry. The rise of modern German chemical industry was based on the preliminary completion of the social chemical institutionalization. It first cultivated a large number of talents for chemical industry and then contributed to the construction of laboratories, particularly the construction of industrial research laboratories. As a result, the chemical knowledge and technological inventions became industrialized, which was a very important factor for the development of modern German chemical industry.The rise of modern German chemical institutionalization and chemical industries has enlightened the development of China's science and technology: we should improve the system of science and technology, regard science and technology as the primary productive force and take the road of industrialization of inventions.