The short video shows the ancient times, and the emperors cried with envy!

Chapter 852: Needham's Problem: The scholar-official class monopolized knowledge. The scholar-officials: What does it have to do with us?
For a long time, the ancients were shocked by the gender change of Xiang Yu and the group of people in Liu Bang's Pei County, and they got together with Liu Bang.

Until China was mentioned in the Tianmu video:

[John Bull's Joseph Needham once summarized the scientific achievements of ancient China]

[For a long time, China's level of scientific knowledge has been far beyond the reach of the West]

[The four great inventions are undoubtedly the most well-known, and their influence on the world is also enormous]

No dynasty, no religious sect, no great man has ever exercised greater power and influence on human affairs than these inventions.

[In the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago, the decimal mathematical calculation method appeared, which was about a thousand years ahead of the Indian Empire.]

[The Pythagorean theorem, also known as the Pythagorean theorem, appeared as early as the pre-Qin period and was included in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art during the Han Dynasty.]

[During the Southern Song Dynasty in China, Yang Hui invented Yang Hui's Triangle Theorem, which includes concepts such as binomial coefficients, Fibonacci numbers, normal distribution law, the densest stacking problem, and infinite mixed series.]

[The mathematics of the Southern Song Dynasty represented by him can be said to be far ahead of others at that time]

The attention of everyone in the heavens was immediately attracted.

From the emperor to the common people, everyone stood up straight and was extremely proud of what was said in the sky.

China is a great country, and it deserves to be a shining pearl in the world!
However, this feeling of pride suddenly extinguished when he heard the sound behind the sky.

【However, Needham also raised a difficult question】

[Why did ancient China, which was far ahead of the world in science and technology, not develop modern science and technology? 】

[In the end, China fell behind the West, and its doors were opened by Western countries using science and technology]

Everyone in the world was a little confused. Wasn't ancient Chinese technology ahead of the world?

At the same time, they also remembered one thing. There would be a period of time in the future when China would be invaded by cavalry from Western countries due to its backward technology.

The Westernization Movement mentioned in the Tianmu video not long ago still required learning technology from the West.

However, since China's technology was so far ahead of the world in the past, why did it fall behind later?
The decimal system alone was more than a thousand years ahead of other countries!
More than a thousand years, how many years does a dynasty last? This time is enough for three dynasties to replace each other.

And there are those four great inventions.

Although some ancient people did not know what they were specifically, just by hearing such high praise from later generations, one can know how powerful these things are.

But how did it end up like this?
They were also beaten by the Western countries that once lagged behind them, leaving them with almost no ability to fight back.

"Yeah, why?"

Yang Hui was quite puzzled. The Yang Hui Triangle he created was enough for future generations to study for a long time.

He believes that as long as further research and development is carried out, it will not be difficult to open the door to modern science.

How come in later generations, not only did we fall behind, but we even had to learn guns and cannons from the West?

Wasn't gunpowder first invented and widely used by the Chinese?
……

[One of the reasons is that the two observation methods are different]

[Western scientists believe that as long as we observe the laws of appearance of all things, summarize and accumulate a large amount of information and data, and then use our thinking to perform logical deduction, we can come to the final truth.]

[However, our ancient philosophers lacked a deductive logic system and only focused on surface phenomena, without asking about the underlying causes of things.]

[We invented gunpowder, but we don’t ask the principles behind it]

Song.

Zhu Xi frowned, "Isn't this Neo-Confucianism?"

To study things and acquire knowledge is to discover the truth by observing the surface of things.

How similar is this to the Western way of observing phenomena and finally arriving at the truth? Why can't modern science be developed?
As for the principle behind gunpowder, isn't it enough to just know how gunpowder is produced?
Northern and Southern Dynasties.

"Observe the patterns of appearances, accumulate data, use thinking to make logical deductions, and the final truth..." Zu Chongzhi muttered to himself, his eyes gradually becoming absent-minded as he looked at the sky.

He repeated it several times, and suddenly he hit his palm with an epiphany!
"That's it! That's it!"

Their so-called truth and essence are actually just the manifestation of laws.

There has been no extensive accumulation of these laws of expression, no logical deduction, and no attempt to discover the truth behind them.

In their view, finding the law is the last step.

For example, they concluded that the hypotenuse is three, the leg is four, and the chord is five, and they used it widely in measuring land, observing sundials, and calendars.

However, we have never thought deeply about what truth is behind the three-pole, four-pole, and five-pole, and what its universal essence is.

"In that case, I will first understand the essence behind pi."

……

[Of course, the observation method is only one of the reasons, there is another important reason]

[That is, the development of science and technology in ancient China fell into a state of stagnation. The Chinese technology, which had been developing day and night, began to stagnate.]

【why? 】

[Because in the Song Dynasty, a new force emerged, which was the scholar-official class]

[This group of officials produced by the imperial examination system were not only officials of the feudal dynasty, but also the elites of the era who monopolized knowledge]

[In order to safeguard their own class interests, they regard knowledge as a class monopoly privilege]

Unexpectedly, the accusation of "preventing the emergence of modern science in ancient China" was put on the heads of the literati.

They didn't even have time to react, especially the literati of the Song Dynasty who were named.

"Ridiculous! What does this have to do with us?"

"This kind of class monopoly of knowledge already existed in the pre-Qin period. If it was really harmful, there would have been problems long ago."

"Even if we have a monopoly, how can we expect those people who can't even read to invent something?"

The scholars and officials were so angry that their faces turned red, and they couldn't help showing their guilt, worry and fear.

This hat is too big. If it is really put on their heads, it would be a huge crime that is condemned by the whole world!

Who dares to let it fall on them, on Confucianism?
"Humph! I knew that these Confucian scholars were useless, yet they keep claiming to be doing good for the people."

"It seems that my decision to ban Confucianism and leave only law is not bad."

Upon hearing this, Qin Shihuang snorted coldly, and his black dragon robe fluttered in the air.

He had long felt that Confucianism was of no benefit to the country. Now it seemed that it was not only of no benefit, but actually a great harm!

……

[How does this privilege have a negative impact on the development of science and technology? ]

All the people in the heavens looked up, gazing at the sky with eager eyes.

[During the Southern Song Dynasty, a man named Zhu Xi appeared.]

[He changed Confucianism into something that Confucius would shake his head at]

[Using "preserve the principles of heaven and eliminate human desires" he created a school of thought called Neo-Confucianism]

[All people and activities in society are used to serve the civil servants and scholar-officials under the Neo-Confucian thought]

(End of this chapter)