New Rational Era -- Reflections on Development, Environment, and Harmonious Societies

Author: Gan Feng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The reform and opening-up of China have achieved remarkable global recognition. However, while vigorously advancing modernization, industrialization and the "world factory" have also caused significant "ecological problems" in our living environment. The excessive exploitation of energy and natural resources has led to imbalances in land resources, unsustainable logging of forest resources, disruption of natural ecosystems, and over-exploitation of underground resources. As a result, soil erosion, desertification, and water scarcity have emerged, forming a vicious cycle with recurring droughts, heatwaves, and floods. All this seems to convey a message: blind development is yet another crisis for humanity; development, as a system purpose, does not necessarily bring us happiness. Our generation should be fully aware: how much space can our development open up for future generations in terms of survival and sustainable development? If the central idea of the 20th century was to establish a nation-state, then the central idea of the 21st century should be to build a modern nation while constructing a rational "shrinking society" within limited resource space. Drawing on theories and experiences of development and development from developed and developing countries, this book explores the path of China's development model. As a political scholar, the author strives to focus on the political proposition of "sustainable development," seeking a platform for the theory of public space, and achieving a transformation of a bottom-up, civil-led development system that separates power and profit. This is both an economic system issue and one that requires the attention of political science. The advancement of modern civilization transformation requires a collective effort and interdisciplinary research, which is a distinctive feature of this book. The writing of this book breaks the limitations of a single discipline, spanning political science, economics, sociology, public administration, thermodynamics, and more, integrating them into three major aspects of the monograph. This represents a pioneering attempt. It can be said that the author's efforts hold significant theoretical and practical value.