Back from China

http://blogs.lesechos.fr/article.php?id_article=3774

NOTE: This is a Google Translation

[01/04/2010 - 12:00]

Invited by the Chinese Academy of Sciences as part of its Einstein Chair, I spent several weeks in Beijing, to evaluate a large laboratory space, and I was able to share the daily life of my colleagues, although far off from normal. I have collected some impressions that I deliver in all humility.

We know that the rate of growth of the Chinese economy resulting from the introduction since 1979 of the Western doctrine of high productivity and consumerism, that is ie the maximum use of natural resources through science and technology.

The country's leaders, or rather the ruling class as a whole, are aware that current rates of development, as well as methods for manage the planet, are incompatible with the limited nature of these resources. We must find other engines of growth as those operating today. And it is the science that they place their hopes in a scientism that recalls more moderate than the Soviets, and for good reason. They considered primarily important not as the application of existing knowledge, certainly not negligible, that future breakthroughs in the fundamental domain. The official dogma is that China needs to invest in basic research, only capable of generating large-scale actions that solve its vast problems: agricultural "green" friendly and water saving soil, an aging population which is already eighty million people without progeny will have to deal with it, energy while China has only coal as a fossil fuel, etc..

Applying this analysis, China wants to be twenty years before the "first country scientific the world "by his discoveries, patents, publications. The political will is there to support universities, create and pay for research institutes, provide heavy equipment, and it employs vigorously. But the Chinese realize that this will is not enough to bring forth the findings. They are upset and irritated that no Chinese had yet received a Nobel Prize. This award has indeed crowned no Chinese left the country and having worked all his life in a Chinese laboratory. While the vast modern technology has been assimilated: skyscrapers, high speed trains, satellites and astronauts, computers, telecommunications, pharmacy out in quantity of sites and factories. The national target is to move products "Made in China" label to "Invented in China". I think the country is still far. He works hard but the specific creativity of the scientific community, based on organized communication, respect and even worship of heterodoxy, in short, intellectual freedom, creativity needs to be established. Science, built by the iconoclastic and provocative, not like technology, built by the followers and conformists.

There is thus a paradox in Chinese philosophy, this national priority given to an activity difficult to reconcile with the political morals, paradox that joins another, that of a building frenzy which must be conducted under absolute "stability" golden rule regime. Chinese pragmatism will he solve them?

JACQUES BLAMON
Jacques Blamont graduated from the Ecole Normale Superieure, associate in physics and PhD. Associate then Senior Research Fellow at CNRS (1952-1957), he became first deputy director (1958-1961) and director (1962-1985) Service Aeronomy CNRS. It is also, from 1962 to 1972, Scientific and Technical Director of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) from 1972 to 1982, CNES Top science adviser and from 1982 to today, Adviser to the President of CNES. The work of Jacques Blamont devoted to astronautics and astrophysics, is remarkable for its work on the Earth's atmosphere, the Sun and planets. Responsible for the development of artificial satellites launched by France, he conceived the idea in 1962 to build a shooting range space from Kourou in French Guiana. Jacques Blamont is a partner of the Academy of EI . He is a member of the Club and writes for Vigilant Vigilances, the letter Club Vigilant.