A Nonlinear Study On The Joseph Needham's Problem

A Nonlinear Study on the Joseph Needham's ProblemThe Joseph Needham's Problem, certainly viewed as a current focus, has made the researchers from east to west greatly interested in the research of the science and technology history and the cultural contrast between the west and the east . There have been various tentative solutions to the problem including skeptics and analysis. As far as general direction of research and methods is concerned, however , there still exist some irrational aspects of those study, i.e. The discussion of the problem is either in a state of controversies without any breakthrough or is deviated to some trivial conclusions. In order to broaden the horizon of the research and to acquire a profounder understanding of the issue, the paper on the one hand dates back to the original thought by Needham in an attempt to approaching to the problem in Needham's own perspective. And on the other the paper tries surveying the problem in the light of modern nonlinear views so as to grasp the essence and overcome the Needham's paradigm.Any cultural tradition can be ascribed to the material life. Therefore the emergence and development of the culture of science and technology can be traced back to the initial conditions of geography and climate , viewed as the factor of internal fluctuation from the sensitiveness of the random choices of the cognitive subject to the initial conditions. Since a culture has a pivotal component as its core, once the culture of science and technology comes into being under nonlinear interactions of the social subsystems, the core component functions in the same manner as order parameter in the self-organization system, immensely attracting, regulating and controlling others under the slaving principle. And thus the analysis provides a nonlinear approach to the Needham's Problem.Starting from the history of the study on Needham's Problem, the paper makes a detailed review in three stages. Firstly, on the basis of analysis of Needham's own investigation method and premise, the paper makes a study on the various solutions to Needham's Problem both at home and abroad. With regard to its deficiencies, it further explains the possibility and feasibility of nonlinear study upon the problem and makes a philosophical analysis of the nonlinear explanation. And in addition, the paper explores the aspects of internal fluctuation, which is viewed as the random choices of the cognitive subject, how it is depend on the initial conditions and is enlarged by the method of positive feedback with step by step on the views of the nature, material outlook and thought modes. What's more, under the controls of the nonlinear interactions, the paper respectively explores the development principle in the culture oftechnology and science between the west and the east on the aspect of attractors and the order parameters, which result from the cooperation and competition. Finally, the paper correctly formulates the different value preference in accord with the attractors and the order parameters, and focuses respectively on the traditions of the eastern pragmatic preference and the western contemplative preference and technological preference. Thus the paper answers Needham's Problem in a positive manner by reviewing their different roles during different periods.