The Modern Face of Science and Technology - National Technology and Social Cognition

Author: Li Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-03-01
Features: When we realize that today's science may have undergone tremendous changes compared to the past, we might think of a path humanity has walked: a path lined with monuments, recording the spiritual and aesthetic explorations of individual thinkers about the world, their journeys and contributions. It includes not only Marie Curie or Roentgen, but also Maxwell and Newton before them, Kepler and Galileo before that, and even Archimedes and Euclid from ancient times. All of them stand out as prominent monuments, so that our understanding of them is not greatly affected by the vastness of their time. But under the name of science, humanity may now be walking a new, intertwined path. This path is not even a distinct, identifiable one, but rather interwoven with the path of industrial and commercial civilization, the path of sovereign national interests and national economic systems, and the path of humanity grasping the future. What captures people's attention are modern technological activities such as super-large-scale integrated circuits, new materials, space travel, cruise missiles, etc. These are grand, non-individual efforts that no single person can achieve, no longer prioritizing "purely rational" progress. The speed at which the results of these activities permeate all aspects of social life, as well as the material prosperity they demonstrate, are far more dazzling than the people carrying out these activities. These individuals exist in the form of vast armies, to the point where people are no longer accustomed to recognizing them as individual subjects. The modern face of science and technology—national science and technology and socialized cognition.