The Centralization Logic Of Needham Puzzle

There are two divergences in the interpretation of Needham’s dilemma,namely,the theory of restraining innovation and the theory of restricting development.At the same time,the study of Needham Puzzle can be roughly divided into three levels:original theory,paradigm debate and theoretical system.Based on the previous studies on the theoretical system level,the author sums up the factors that affect the development of science and technology,and finds the structural law among many factors,that is,the logic of centralization.On this basis,the author tries to integrate the path differences between the theory of restraining innovation and the theory of restricting development.The logic of centralization affected the development of economy,culture and population in ancient China,which is characterized by comprehensiveness and continuity.The author demonstrates the influence of centralization logic on science and technology from macro and micro levels.At the micro level,through two cases of steam engine and movable type printing,the author analyzes the inhibition of centralization logic on scientific and technological innovation and development.Through the analysis of steam engine,the author demonstrates the restriction of centralization logic on scientific and technological innovation.The author finds that China lacks the necessary conditions for the development of two steam engines,so it stagnates in the second stage of steam engine development.The two necessary conditions are scientific paradigm and capitalism,and centralization logic restricts the development of these two factors.Through the analysis of movable type printing,the author demonstrates the restriction of centralization logic on the development of science and technology.The author finds that the further development of movable type printing requires three conditions: the diversity of knowledge,the diversity of audience and individual rights including freedom of speech,copyright and copyright.The logic of centralization limits the three,so even if movable type printing was born in China,it is difficult to further develop.At the macro level,the author discusses the constraints of centralization logic on science and technology from three aspects of economy,culture and talent selection system.In the aspect of economy,the excessive absorption of agriculture and nongovernmental industrial and commercial economy has produced four negative effects:first,the excessive absorption of non-governmental economy limits the market scale and division of labor,thus restricting the progress of science and technology.Secondly,the policy of encouraging fertility in agriculture creates a large number of surplus population,which makes the society fall into the trap of high-level equilibrium,so new technology can not appear.Again,the wanton plunder of the society and the disregard of private property rights make the society have no motive force for scientific and technological research and development.Finally,the squeezing of the bottom handicraftsmen makes the bottom handicraftsmen lose the enthusiasm of production and unable to innovate.In the aspect of culture,the long-term cultural monopoly makes the Confucian culture occupy the dominant position,and the Confucian culture itself has some factors that are not suitable for the development of science and technology.At the same time,Zhong Shu’s improvement of Confucianism made Confucianism fall into idealism and mysticism,thus limiting the progress of science and technology.In the aspect of talent selection system,the talent selection system has made the vast majority of social elites.However,the rigid and single talent selection system not only limits the intellectuals’ thinking,but also inhibits the emergence of science and technology.