The Needham Question

The Economist reviews a biography of Joseph Needham, the quirky British scientist and historian who obsessed over the question of why Chinese science and invention collapsed in the 1400s. This question has become known as the "Needham Question."

So why did Chinese science collapse? The world will never know, but many speculate that the reason was political; during the Ming dynasty, Chinese government exams and education were purged of hard science, and retooled to emphasize "Confucian" loyalty above all other virtues.

Basically, China was ruled by 500 years of George Bush.

The Economist article relates the following anecdotes:

[T]he Chinese continue to fret about the Needham question. A Communist Party chief of a middle school in central China recently said that it deserved deep thought and that the answer lay in an education system that fails to emphasise improving “character”. A former government minister also referred to Needham’s lament that China had produced no idea or invention of global impact for more than 500 years. Its contribution henceforth, the official said, should be “harmony”.

"Harmony," in Chinese Government-Speak, of course means "You are my bitch." And when officials talk about emphasizing "character," it seems to me that they're saying "Being innovative might result in you thinking to challenge my authority; please focus your studies on being my bitch."

We can't let it happen here, folks! Sadly, under Bush, it sort of is beginning to happen here.