Research on the Relationship between System and Development

Author: Lu Peng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: The Chinese philosophy community has been concerned with social development for over a decade. Reviewing past research, two tendencies are noteworthy. One is the excessive emphasis on the metaphysical nature of development studies, which leads the research content to drift away from contemporary development realities, making it appear detached, abstract, and speculative. The other tendency goes to the other extreme, focusing too much on empirical analysis, even reducing it to purely policy-oriented solutions, thus "seeing the trees but not the forest" and becoming fragmented. Effectively overcoming these two tendencies is the key to whether current development studies can achieve breakthrough progress. This is not an easy task; it first requires finding an appropriate starting point and then providing reasonable explanations. The book "Research on the Relationship Between Institutions and Development" is said to have made pioneering and innovative explorations in both aspects. It proposes some new viewpoints. These views involve sociological or social relationship theory, life theory, freedom theory, and social structure theory, embodying Marx's ideas of practice and subjectivity, and were praised by many experts during the thesis defense and in some of the papers he published afterward. Regarding these points, readers will have their own judgment after reading the book.