Recently, there has been a lot of controversy on the Internet about Mr. Yau Shing-tung .
The reason is that Qiu Chengtong said in an interview that "ancient Chinese mathematics is not good, systematic mathematical research originated from ancient Greece..."
I think the main meaning is that Qiu Chengtong said that ancient Chinese mathematics is not good, modern mathematics (Technology) originated from Greece .
Obviously, this argument stung many people.
After all, some netizens previously discussed the argument that ancient Chinese technology was not good, which also triggered a lot of controversy.
As we all know, China is a country with a long history. China is also the only civilization that has never been interrupted. People today can still understand Chinese characters and recite poems written more than 2,000 years ago. This is truly an anomaly in world history.
Many Chinese people are proud of this, and they are also proud of other similar things that are worthy of our pride, such as Chinese culture, food...etc.
This is a simple patriotic enthusiasm. Being proud of our nation's great achievements and further solidifying democratic sentiments can unite the hearts of most of us and form a stronger collective.
This is a good thing, and this is also a good aspect of nationalism.
However, the problem is that everything has two sides. Nationalism has both good and bad sides.
Excessive nationalism will be harmful.
What is excessive nationalism?
This question is very complicated. Today we will only talk about one thing, It is excessive nationalistic self-esteem. Some people always feel that their own nation is the most powerful and their own national civilization is the most advanced. And then they are unwilling to admit that their own nation also has shortcomings and are unwilling to admit that other nations If you are wise, you should not listen to bad words saying that you are not good enough.
Like Qiu Chengtong, he said that there was no mathematics (science) in ancient China and that systematic mathematics originated from ancient Greece. This obviously stung the pride of some excessive nationalists.
Is this statement by Qiu Chengtong correct?
This issue can be discussed and debated. Everyone can have their own opinion.
However, first of all, there is one thing that needs to be emphasized. As the greatest mathematician in the world today, Qiu Chengtong’s views on his profession may not be understood or accepted...
However, this is somewhat like an amateur table tennis player. Question the meaning of Malone .
Reading the comments from these netizens, it really makes people speechless.
Okay, let’s not talk about Qiu Chengtong first.
Let’s talk about another topic. Do you think there are differences in IQ between different ethnic groups (races)?
I believe that no further explanation is needed. Many people think that black people have poor IQ.
Many people also think that East Asians have the highest IQs.
Do you agree with this argument? There is a similar question on Zhihu , with more than 1,000 answers and more than 2 million views.
The most upvoted answer is this
Looking around the world, there is one industrial revolution , the second industrial revolution, the third industrial revolution, and all the most cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements today.
Obviously, the contribution of us East Asians (Chinese) is far less than that of Westerners.
This is a fact, you can’t admit it.
There are many technologies, and we Chinese are catching up and even doing better on the basis of Westerners. For example, high-speed rail, ultra-high voltage power grid, new energy vehicles, etc. In many fields of today's technology application, the Chinese are becoming the world's number one. But you also have to admit that these technologies all originated in Western countries.
Of all the major scientific and technological inventions in the world today, few are original to the Chinese. This is also true.
Of course, since the Chinese can be the first in the world in high-speed rail and new energy vehicles, it proves that the IQ of the Chinese is indeed not inferior to that of Westerners. Otherwise, we would not have achieved what we have achieved today.
Moreover, ancient China's scientific and technological level has been leading the world for a long time. It’s just that after entering the Age of Discovery, we didn’t keep up.
This is another story. The reason is mainly that social systems affect the development of science and technology.
From this, we should clearly realize that although there are differences in nationalities and races, there will not be a big difference in people's IQ. Whether an ethnic group, a nation, or a country can make achievements in science, technology, and culture depends more on whether the internal mechanism of this ethnic group (nation, country) can inspire potential power?
For example, ancient China had a long-term lead in science and technology because the continent of East Asia was finally integrated into one, forming a powerful country that could mobilize more craftsmen and form new technologies.
After the Age of Discovery in the West, science and technology advanced rapidly because of a series of huge incentives, colonies, and wealth, which brought exponential stimulation and the possibility of nurturing new technologies.
Therefore, a country’s scientific and technological development depends on the historical process and objective conditions such as internal integration or external stimulation, which has many contingency.
But no matter what, you can't say who has a higher IQ. In fact, everyone has similar IQ, but whether it can be developed depends on the ability of social organization.
Modern China has been lagging behind in science and technology for a long time, which means that its social system has fallen behind and its social organizational capabilities have weakened. Today we can make great progress again, and hope to become the world's number one power again in the future, which also shows that our social organizational capabilities have become stronger now.
In the final analysis, social organizational capabilities are the foundation and the key. Whether it can be integrated internally is the key.
We must admit that there are times when we are ahead, and there are times when we lag behind. The West also has times when it lags behind, and there are also times when it is advanced.
Black Africa, which many people have always looked down upon, will be able to lead new trends in the future?
Speaking of many people's deep-rooted belief that black people have low IQ, in fact, if you look at Cuban black people, you will know that it is pure nonsense to say that a certain race is born with low IQ.
Therefore, don’t engage in excessive nationalism, don’t always think that your own nation must be better, more powerful, and noble than other nations, and don’t slip into racism.
You must face up to your own strengths, and you must also look at your shortcomings correctly. We should look at the strengths of others objectively and observe their flaws calmly.
In today's world, whether it is China, the United States, or Europe, if you can succeed in a certain aspect, there must be a reason.
The correct approach is to learn from other people's good aspects, avoid other people's experiences and lessons, and learn from each other's strengths to make progress.
Instead of thinking every day that I am the best in the world, we are the most awesome.
Don’t jump the gun whenever you hear someone say that we are not good at something or that we were not good at something before.
is not good.
