On Scientific and Technological Innovation —— The First Paper "Scientific and Technological Innovation and Innovation Drive"
From the perspective of historical reference and comparison between China and foreign countries, this paper analyzes the relationship between scientific and technological innovation and superstructure innovation, and discusses how to eliminate the non-technical obstacles of scientific and technological innovation, so that the superstructure can better adapt to the economic base and promote science and technology to better play the leading role of the primary productive force.
Keywords: scientific and technological innovation: innovation-driven: superstructure
History has proved that the development of human society is driven by innovation. Since the history of human civilization, scientific and technological innovation has often promoted the development of productive forces first, and then driven by the innovation of production methods, ideology and culture, and institutional mechanisms to jointly promote the continuous progress of human society.
In today's China, after 30 years of reform and opening-up, the innovation of science and technology and mode of production has been reflected in different degrees, which has better promoted the development of productive forces and the adaptation of production relations. However, in the field of superstructure, there are still many aspects that restrict the development of innovation driving force, from ideology and culture to system and mechanism. This paper will analyze the relationship between scientific and technological innovation and superstructure innovation from the perspective of historical reference and comparison between China and foreign countries, and discuss how to eliminate the non-technical obstacles of scientific and technological innovation, make the superstructure better adapt to the economic base, and promote science and technology to better play the leading role of the primary productive force.
1, the historical reference of innovation drive
The history of human civilization mainly begins in the East. Ancient Egypt, Babylon, India and China are all important cradles of world civilization, while ancient Greece, as the cradles of world civilization, is more characterized by civilization innovation. Pythagoras' mathematics, Euclid's geometry, Archimedes' physics, democritus's atomism, Heraclitus' dialectical materialism, Socrates' philosophical system, Aristotle's scientific system, Plato's utopia, Epicurus' atheism, Solon's political reform, and Pericles's democratic politics all had a far-reaching influence on the world's science, philosophy, culture, education, ethics and politics. Of course, these achievements are not entirely the inventions of the Greeks, but they reflect the innovations of the Greeks.
From14th century to16th century, capitalism sprouted and began to develop in Europe. In order to change various feudal concepts and systems that bound the development of capitalism, the emerging bourgeoisie showed many innovative ideas in science, education, philosophy and literature. What do they use? Humanism? For the national flag, the Renaissance lasted for two centuries. Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, Dante, Boccaccio, Da? Representative figures such as Finch, Raphael, Moore and Shakespeare, like bright stars, lit up the dark sky in medieval Europe and shook the foundation of feudal rule ideologically.
18th century is the century of enlightenment and the second century of ideological emancipation after the Renaissance. In this century, the scientific discovery represented by Newton's classical mechanics and the technological innovation represented by the invention and application of Watt steam engine have greatly promoted the development of productive forces, but at the same time they have been seriously hindered by feudal production relations and superstructure. Face? Wan qi? Feudal imprisonment, not only thinkers such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Diderot, writers such as Goethe, Schiller and Defoe, but also Adam? Smith, David? Economists such as Ricardo, jurists and ethicists such as Bentham, together with the broad masses of the people, have created an unusual century in human history.
As an important ideological emancipation and cultural innovation in human history, the Enlightenment promoted the innovation of European mode of production and social system, and inspired the technological revolution and industrial revolution in Europe, America, Japan and Russia from 18 to 19. Manufacturing? In the class rule of less than 100 years, the bourgeoisie has created more productive forces than all the people in previous dynasties? (using Marxism). The Enlightenment also gave birth to Marxism, and Hegel, the representative of the three sources of Marxism, was born during the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment also promoted American independence. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence according to the ideas of the Enlightenment, which inspired the American people to win the War of Independence.
When mankind entered the 20th century, a scientific and technological revolution in atomic energy, radio, electronic information, aerospace, new materials and bioengineering, which was promoted by Einstein's theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, swept the world. Especially in the middle and late 20th century, the invention and popularization of computer network technology completely changed people's mode of production, lifestyle and even way of thinking. The resulting multi-culture and the integration of various economic components are promoting the continuous innovation of people's ideas, social systems and organizational structures with great momentum.
2. Non-technological innovation-driven comparison between China and foreign countries
15th century ago, China's science and technology was at the advanced level in the world. Four inventions (movable type printing, gunpowder, travel guide and papermaking) and five technologies (porcelain, textile, shipbuilding, architecture and water conservancy) have exerted worldwide influence. However, when the Renaissance, Enlightenment, technological revolution and industrial revolution promoted the rapid development of Europe, America, Japan and Russia, we missed development opportunities again and again. The main reason is that the non-technical factors driven by innovation in China seriously restrict the ability of scientific and technological innovation and hinder the development of productive forces.
2. 1 Historical comparison of ideology and culture
China is one of the cradles of splendid human culture. Especially during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a hundred schools of thought contended, and unprecedented ideological activities appeared, forming a number of original ideas and excellent cultures that influenced future generations for more than 2,000 years. But since the Qin and Han dynasties, the ruling class needs feudal rule. First of all? Burning books and burying Confucianism? And then what? Abandon a hundred schools of thought and respect Confucianism alone? , will it? Three cardinal guides and five permanent members? Solidified feudalism, in? Words spoken by thousands of people are unbreakable, unchangeable for thousands of years, and unknowable? Under the imprisonment of ideology, the people gradually formed a conservative atmosphere of bookishness and ruthlessness. ? Blow a bird's head off, and it will rot first? 、? The beauty of the wood in the forest will be destroyed by the wind? People's enthusiasm for innovation is seriously bound by their ideas. In contrast, although European countries have thousands of years. Medieval darkness? However, after several ideological emancipation, such as the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, a profound culture of innovation was cultivated. The ideas of advocating science, pursuing truth, being brave in innovation and tolerating failure have been widely recognized. Of course, the formation of scientific spirit and innovative culture in European countries is also the result of the struggle and sacrifice of many generations. Bruno defended Copernicus at the cost of his life? Heliocentrism? , Huxley? Dog fighting? Spirit preaches Darwin's? Evolution? Wait a minute. Since then, natural science has been liberated from theology? (Engels)
2.2 Historical comparison of scientific quality
China is a country that respects teachers and values education, but it is also a country with low scientific quality. According to the 2000 China Scientific Literacy Survey published by China Association for Science and Technology, only 14 people in China have basic scientific literacy. This ratio is only 1/23 in the United States and115 in the European Union. The first reason for this difference is the difference in educational ideas and goals. China has been studying and being an official for thousands of years, with four books and stereotyped writing as teaching materials. Focus? As the only standard, we should not cross the line, which makes people stifle their innovative spirit and lack scientific knowledge from the time they study. In Europe and America, the goal is to cultivate talents who are useful to society, and the teaching content is mainly natural science and practical technology. Humanistic thought also emphasizes scientific spirit and innovative thinking, thus cultivating a large number of innovative talents. For example, Oxford and Cambridge universities have trained bacon, Newton, Darwin, Shelley and Adam. Famous figures such as Smith and hundreds of Nobel Prize winners. Secondly, the difference in the importance attached to the popularization of science. In China, although scientific and technological innovation has been highly valued, the supplementary role of scientific popularization has not been well understood. Innovative countries regard popular science as the proper meaning of science and technology. For example, there are countless popular science venues represented by various professional museums in European countries, and they are also places that citizens must go and often go, which has become a vivid landscape in which these countries attach importance to the cultivation of national scientific quality.
2.3 Historical comparison of institutional mechanisms
China's long-term feudal rule itself lacked the institutional setup and arrangement for the system and mechanism of scientific and technological innovation. On the contrary, the feudal social system and political system severely restricted scientific and technological innovation. After the founding of New China, the state attached great importance to scientific and technological work and formed a relatively complete independent scientific research system. However, as China is still in the transition period from a planned economy to a market economy, the system and mechanism of enterprise-oriented and market-oriented scientific and technological innovation are still not perfect. In innovative developed countries, as early as18th century, a system conducive to scientific and technological innovation was formed. By the19th century, the dominant position of enterprises, the management function of social organizations and the market competition mechanism of innovation activities in these countries have been relatively mature and perfect. Enterprises, social organizations and market mechanisms play a leading role in scientific and technological innovation, and the government mainly conducts macro guidance, management and regulation from the aspects of policy orientation, tax leverage and legal protection. Therefore, the direct combination of innovation results with the market is more conducive to the industrialization and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.
2.4 Historical comparison of the rule of law environment
Since the reform and opening up, China has begun to attach importance to the construction of laws and regulations on science and technology, and has successively enacted such scientific and technological laws as the Patent Law, the Law on Scientific and Technological Progress, the Law on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements, the Copyright Law and the Law on Popularization of Science and Technology, which have played a positive role in promoting scientific and technological progress and innovation in China. However, most of China's laws and regulations on science and technology came into being after 1980s, which did not play a far-reaching role in promoting scientific and technological progress. In addition, due to China's long-term feudal rule of man, the phenomenon of disobeying laws and violating discipline is still very serious. In innovative developed countries, laws to encourage and regulate scientific and technological activities formed a system more than 200 years ago, and some countries also encouraged and protected scientific and technological innovation in their basic laws to promote the popularization of science and technology. As stipulated in the US Constitution 1787? In order to promote the popularization of science and practical technology, the works and inventions of authors and inventors should be protected by patents within a certain period of time? , thus promoting the emergence of various inventions and creations in the United States, greatly promoting the development of American productive forces, making it the world's number one power at the beginning of the 20th century.
3. Countermeasures for innovation in ideology, culture and institutional mechanisms
To sum up, the progress of human society is always driven by the continuous innovation of science and technology, economy, ideology, culture, system and mechanism. They depend on each other and promote each other. When the society develops gradually, scientific and technological innovation plays an important role in promoting productivity. When quantitative change accumulates to qualitative change and enters the stage of rapid development, innovation in ideology, culture and system and mechanism has become a more important aspect of further liberating productive forces and promoting social progress. In China, due to the promotion of reform and opening up and the third scientific and technological revolution in the world, the productive forces have developed rapidly, gathered enough material energy, and produced a local qualitative leap, so it also puts forward strong reform requirements for the restrictive factors of superstructure.
As far as scientific and technological innovation is concerned, New China has built a multidisciplinary and complete scientific research system, with trillions of assets of scientific instruments and technical equipment and more than 33 million professional and technical personnel. According to national statistics, in 2007, the total social R&D expenditure reached 366.4 billion yuan, and the national financial allocation for science and technology reached 2 127 billion yuan. It should be said that China's scientific and technological innovation has a solid material foundation. On the other hand, 75% of enterprises above designated size in China have no R&D institutions and R&D activities. 99.7% of enterprises have no patent application and independent intellectual property rights, and 60% of enterprises do not have their own trademarks; China produces tens of thousands of scientific and technological achievements every year, and the industrialization rate of transformation is less than 10%. This disproportionate input-output shows that the main contradiction that restricts China's scientific and technological innovation has gradually changed from the restriction of material conditions to the restriction of non-technical factors such as ideology, culture, system and mechanism. Therefore, the following countermeasures are put forward.
3. 1 Carry forward the spirit of innovation. Cultivate innovative culture
The spirit of innovation is the soul of scientific and technological innovation, and in the final analysis, it is the scientific spirit, which is the essential embodiment of Marxist world outlook of seeking truth from facts. Innovative culture is the soil of scientific and technological innovation, and only when the soil is deep can we achieve fruitful results. However, on the ideological and cultural front, we are faced with the heavy accumulation of feudal culture for more than two thousand years, and the influence of the remnants of feudal culture cannot be underestimated. This requires us to take the great discussion of ideological emancipation as an opportunity to deeply understand the connotation of innovative culture and make a comparative analysis with the traditional culture of China. We should resolutely criticize and discard its dross, organically integrate its essence with innovative culture, and strive to determine the main position of innovative spirit and innovative culture in ideological theory, literary and artistic creation, public opinion propaganda and so on. And take the lead in promoting it among leaders at all levels, so that it is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and gradually becomes a common practice.
3.2 Strengthen scientific popularization and improve scientific quality.
Throughout the history of world science and technology development, scientific and technological progress is always driven by two rounds of scientific and technological innovation and scientific popularization. Scientific and technological innovation has changed any aspect of human society, and scientific popularization will follow that aspect. Hu Jintao once pointed out? Scientific and technological innovation and popularization are two important aspects of scientific and technological work? . However, at present, compared with scientific and technological innovation, popular science work is obviously short-legged in terms of leadership attention, popular science investment, personnel and facilities construction. For example, in 2006, the central government's investment in science popularization was less than 1% of its investment in science and technology. Popular science work is an important aspect of improving the scientific quality of the whole people. In order to gradually eliminate the basic constraints of the low scientific quality of the whole people on scientific and technological innovation and realize the goal of building an innovative country by 2020, we must attach great importance to popular science work, especially leaders at all levels should attach great importance to popular science work and truly meet the requirements of the central leadership? Grasp science popularization as development, and grasp development by grasping science popularization? The scientific quality of the whole people will be greatly improved in a relatively short period of time, and the scientific development of China will have the most important solid foundation.
3.3 Clear innovation subject. Accelerate institutional innovation
At present, the reform and innovation of system and mechanism is the key to further promote scientific and technological innovation and liberate productive forces. Institutional mechanisms should be conducive to promoting enterprises to become the main body of scientific and technological innovation, and guide innovation resources to gather in enterprises through institutional arrangements of institutional mechanisms. The third is to make the formation mechanism of innovative talents, including innovative entrepreneurs, more adapt to the law of economic and social development and market economy. The innovation of system and mechanism should not only promote the relations of production to further adapt to the productive forces, but also reform the administrative system and even the political system in the superstructure, so as to make the relevant institutional setup, management functions and operating procedures more conducive to the needs of scientific and technological innovation.
3.4 Improve the legal system and create a legal environment.
A perfect legal system is the fundamental guarantee of scientific and technological innovation. In view of the imperfect and inflexible legal system of scientific and technological innovation and the indifference of citizens' awareness of the rule of law, on the one hand, we should further revise and supplement relevant laws and regulations, pay attention to keeping pace with the times, being scientific and reasonable, being fair and just in legislation, and prevent the legalization of departmental interests; In local legislation, we should make the necessary provisions as rigid as possible according to the actual situation, so that all parties can have practical legal standards to follow. On the other hand, it is necessary to vigorously carry out the popularization education of laws and regulations on scientific and technological innovation, so that relevant laws and regulations can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and effectively enhance the awareness of the rule of law. Form a good legal environment.
Innovation is the fundamental driving force for the development of human society, and innovation drive is a huge systematic project, which needs to be promoted systematically and grasped the main contradictions according to different stages of development. At this stage, on the one hand, we should make great efforts to continue to do a good job in scientific and technological innovation; On the one hand, we should intensify ideological and cultural innovation and institutional innovation to achieve new breakthroughs in building an innovative country.