Socio-political Situations and the Development of Science and Technology
Civilisation
This article illustrates the relationship between socio-political situations and the development of science and technology. Reviewing the contemporary history of the Chinese socio-political situation in China, it is clear that the primitive state of science and technology was first and foremost the product of social, economic and political underdevelopment. Evidence from around the world shows that when a country is socially, politically and economically developed, its science and technology will also be relatively advanced. Less developed countries in these three areas will not have the same level of scientific and technological progress. A major ideological liberation movement is often the precursor to scientific and technological advancement, it brings forth two requisites for the development of science and technology: political democracy and academic freedom. In history, the emergence of pivotal scientific centres in the world has always followed such a movement.
Generally, developed countries have transitioned from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy, then to a knowledge-based economy. For a long time, the Chinese economy remained an agricultural, economic and knowledge-based mix. Developed countries traditionally relied on scientific and technological progress to evolve from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. This also goes for the transition from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy. China must make better and faster progress in the field of science and technology in order to catch up with developed counterparts.
