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

Author: Li Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-18
Features: When we realize that modern 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, 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 in ancient times. These figures stand out as prominent monuments, so that our understanding of them is not greatly affected by the vastness of the times they lived in. 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, and other massive, non-individually achievable advancements that no longer prioritize "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 display, are far more dazzling than the people engaged in these activities. These individuals exist in the form of a vast army, to the point where people are no longer accustomed to recognizing them as individual subjects. The modern face of science and technology—national technology and socialized cognition.