A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

If you love someone, send him to New York; if you hate someone, send him to New York.

This sentence is really suitable for the entire United States now.

When Li Yu came outside the classroom of the international students, a specially hired American teacher was telling them about various situations in the United States. He took out a large number of newspapers to let them understand the culture, history, customs, clothing, food, housing and transportation of this society and other details.

The American teacher told them several articles passionately, but Li Yu found the titles shocking: "Laissez-faire is the cornerstone of American success", "Five Enlightenments from "The Contradiction between Man and Country""...

This looks like social Darwinism at first glance!

That book, "Man versus State," was written by Spencer, the most powerful advocate of social Darwinism.

What is even more frightening is that the American teacher also took out several historical "Nature" magazines and said: "Mr. Darwin is a great scientist, and science is the most magnificent theory of this era, so sociological Darwinism is also the truth. "

Li Yu's head was buzzing and hurting. He was really trying to deceive people by pretending to be scientific!

At the beginning of the [-]th century, Social Darwinism began to penetrate into the consciousness of Americans and became the mainstream thought of the whole society; and it was not mainly in the more abstract field of historical philosophy, but at the political and economic level.

This is terrible, and has a far-reaching impact even in Europe, where the doctrine was born.

Nature magazine almost owes its unparalleled status in the scientific world to Darwin. Darwin once became the most talked-about scientist. However, if his influence is too great, various misinterpretations and forced interpretations will occur.

Today's American and American children's literature is all about "having to endure hardships to become a master."

Such advocating for Social Darwin is actually secretly promoted by major financial groups in the United States because it is in their interests.

Major financial groups will send their literati to write various articles praising "laissez-faire" and "survival of the fittest" to cater to their tendency of big fish to eat small fish.As for class divisions and the gap between rich and poor?Of course it has become an evolutionary necessity, and there is nothing wrong with it.

Li Yu understood very well that if a person lacks the ability to think independently, he will be swayed by other people's over-interpreted thoughts.

But people at this time did not have as convenient ways to obtain knowledge as in later generations, and it was too easy to be led away.

At this time, the American teacher in the room happened to say: "William Sumner, professor of sociology at Yale University, once said, 'We can only choose between the two: freedom, inequality, and survival of the fittest. Or lack of freedom-equality-the survival of the unfit. The former brings society to progress and benefits its best elements; the latter pushes society downhill and benefits the worst elements.' So indulging people's greed will certainly make society Paying a price is better than pampering the weak and prolonging the existence of the "unfit". Because the former leads to social progress, the latter leads to social degradation."

Li Yu coughed lightly: "Teacher, is this what I want to talk about?"

The American teacher said: "Of course, what I am talking about are the core ideas of American society."

"Okay, okay," Li Yu said, "You continue."

After the American teacher finished speaking and left, Li Yucai organized the students and said: "Everyone, I know that coming to the United States will have a lot of ideological impact on you. Some people may even think that our ancestors are useless and our culture is weak. But I hope you will always remain skeptical. Spirit, you must have a spirit of criticism and exploration for any thing or trend of thought.”

Hu Gangfu said: "The example given by the American teacher Mr. Hueter just now is very vivid."

Li Yu said: "You are all science and engineering students. You should understand that truth relies on evidence, not examples. I once wrote an article on falsifiability and explained this principle. If you give examples, you can prove it. If a theory is correct, then there is nothing wrong with the world. You cannot treat 100 people. If you only cure one person by mistake, just use it as an example to say that the treatment is correct. This is unscientific!"

Bingzhi said: "If you think about it carefully, what Mr. Huette said just now is indeed inciting."

Fortunately, the people who could be chosen were not ordinary people. A few words from Li Yu alerted them. Li Yu continued: "This is also a characteristic of Americans, or a characteristic of the entire European and American culture. They are very good at speaking. , and be able to output your opinions effectively. You should also learn to speak. But please also note that even in American society, there is not only one voice of social Darwinism, but also reformism, scientific speculativeism, etc.; in short, If you listen at the same time, you will understand.”

Hu Dunfu said: "Thank you very much, Imperial Master, for your guidance."

They are all the pillars of the future country. Li Yu was afraid of making any mistakes, so he added: "I will talk about a field that you are more familiar with to understand the spirit of science.

“Light is one of the most common natural phenomena, but its nature still cannot be fully understood because of the skeptical spirit of science.

“More than 2000 years ago, Pythagoras and Plato believed that light emits from our eyes, then reaches objects, detects the world, and then forms vision.

"Do you think there's anything wrong with this theory?"

Hu Gangfu, who specializes in physics, immediately said: "What a problem! Obviously, if light comes from the eyes, then why can't humans see anything at night? It can't be because the eyes are tired, right?"

"Excellent! Your rebuttal hits the mark!" Li Yu praised, "A thousand years ago, the Arab physicist Alha once believed that light is emitted by luminous bodies such as the sun, and then reaches the human eye through reflection. This makes human beings understand The understanding of light has improved a lot.

"More than 300 years ago, Newton, the god of physics, was born and began to conduct in-depth research on optics. He proposed the particle theory. Huygens, his contemporary, believed that light is a wave. Neither of them is the most correct, but they are Not entirely wrong.

"A few decades ago, humans continued to study the frequency and wavelength of light and found that the range of wavelengths that the human eye can see is actually very short. Some animals can see a wider range of wavelengths than we do. But does this mean that humans are different from each other? Do animals see the world differently? Who sees the real world?

“Just two years ago, the nature of light ushered in another innovation, because it is likely to have wave-particle duality.

“I can’t say whether this is a joke on the history of science.

“But light, the most common material science, also requires such a long cognitive process. It is the most precious spirit, and it is also the scientific spirit that you should learn the most.

“Science in the future will be like fireworks that explode after a long lift-off, illuminating the sky in an instant, dazzling and colorful.

"I think this is something to be thankful for. We were born in the worst of times, but also in the best of times..."

After Li Yu finished speaking impassionedly, a burst of applause suddenly came from outside the door. Li Yu looked over and saw a middle-aged man in his 50s wearing glasses.

Li Yu quickly recognized that the other person was Wilson.

That is, the President of the United States during World War I.

Li Yu had a pretty good impression of him. Wilson was an alternative among the more than 40 presidents in the history of the United States because he was an idealist.Speaking of which, idealists are not uncommon in various countries around the world. The famous ones include Hai Rui, Zhou Gong, Han Xin, etc. whom we are very familiar with.

But it is so rare for an idealist to become the master of a country!Especially in the super chaotic era of the first half of the twentieth century.

The reason may have something to do with his experience. At this time, Wilson was the president of Princeton University, and it was he who started the revitalization of Princeton University.

Li Yu walked out of the classroom, shook hands with him and said, "Hello, Mr. Wilson!"

"You actually know me?" Wilson asked in surprise. "That's good, I missed some self-introduction. I came to Washington originally at the invitation of the Ministry of Education to select a few Chinese students."

Li Yu said: "General... the principal came in person, we are honored."

Wilson said: "Studying abroad with the Geng Geng Fund is a diplomatic move that I admire very much, so I came to Washington to find out in person. I didn't expect to hear Mr. Li Yu's speech. It was really wonderful!"

Li Yu said: "Thank you for your praise, Mr. Principal."

Wilson said: "I'm still thinking about what you just said, 'Humans and animals' eyes receive light in different wavelength ranges. Do they see the same world? Who sees the real world?' Oh my God, how rich. A philosophical passage! It has been a long time since I heard such profound philosophical thoughts from a scientific perspective. It was indeed a worthwhile trip!"

Wilson himself is a doctor of philosophy (which seems to be one of the reasons for his tendency towards idealism) and is very sensitive to philosophical ideas.

Li Yu said with a smile: "But humans can never know what kind of world animals see, so this question seems unsolvable."

“This is the most interesting thing about philosophy,” Wilson said. “If you can get the answer easily, it will lose the value of philosophy, let alone the meaning of thinking.”

The more he talked, the more mysterious he became. Li Yu spread his hands and said, "I don't understand philosophy."

"No, no, no!" Wilson waved his hand, "What you said has proven that you know philosophy best! At least much better than many people who pretend to be mystical."

Wilson's praise made Li Yu feel a little embarrassed, and he quickly changed the subject: "How many Chinese students can Princeton accept?"

"The amount is determined by the Ministry of Education," Wilson said. "Originally I had some concerns, but now I have full confidence in them and can accept any amount. Of course, our Princeton University does have some advantages compared to Harvard and Yale. gap."

This year, one of the students studying in the United States entered Harvard, namely Hu Gangfu.

In the past, Princeton University was one of the Big Three along with Harvard and Yale. However, 50 or [-] years ago, it suddenly stepped down. When Wilson took over a few years ago, it was almost a divinity school, completely unable to keep up with Harvard and Yale. footsteps.

Wilson was the first non-Presbyterian minister to serve as president of Princeton University, and was preparing to reform the school toward secularization.

At that time, the school was full of various clubs, the most famous of which was the "eating club" run by the rich children - the name was so unpretentious - and the content was completely hedonistic, studying how the upper class held the most luxurious dinners, and various Top delicacies from all over the world.

In Wilson's own words, undergraduates at Princeton University spend at least two-thirds of their time on activities unrelated to study, such as sports and hiking trips.

Then the idealist Wilson carried out drastic reforms. Unfortunately, he encountered a lot of resistance, which also led to his later leaving Princeton University, but it finally put Princeton University on the right track.

This is a person who should be well-acquainted with. Maybe he can gain many practical benefits for domestic national enterprises in the future.

Li Yu said: "We are very happy that your school can accept Chinese students."

Wilson said: “I hope to have more academic communication with Mr. Li Yu in the future.”

"I also have the same expectations." Li Yu replied.

"Don't worry, Mr. Academician, I will turn Princeton University into a university comparable to Harvard and Cambridge." Wilson said again with confidence.

Li Yu could only say casually: "I hope the principal will succeed."

It would take many years before Princeton University truly rose to prominence (later Einstein entered the Institute for Advanced Study, not Princeton University, and the two have nothing to do with each other).

As an idealist, Wilson did not forget to express his attitude towards the East: "I will try my best to promote the school to build a research institute specifically for the East to study your Zhouyi and Confucianism. This is the most mysterious thing in the East and my most important thing." Interested in."

Well, it is indeed a bit idealistic.

Li Yu said: "I appreciate the principal's willingness to study our traditional doctrines, but what we lack most now is modern thinking, science and democracy."

"I understand," Wilson said, "and I also hope that China becomes as powerful as Japan, which is good for you and good for our American trade."

Wilson's overall attitude towards China was friendly.

Li Yu said: "China's strength will definitely come true."

"It's best to be faster, because the Japanese are not easy to deal with," Wilson said. "I almost forgot, I also hope that the academician will open a special research institute at Princeton University. As a top company, it cannot be justified without a research institute."

Li Yu suddenly thought that the famous Bell Labs seemed to be in New Jersey, so he said, "I will consider it carefully."

Wilson shook hands with him again: "If Mr. Academician makes a decision, I will fully support it."

Although it is not easy to get along with idealists, Li Yu's actions are considered idealistic by everyone including Wilson, so Wilson's attitude towards Li Yu has been very good from the beginning.

Li Yu naturally had pragmatism in mind. After all, only time travelers can combine idealism and pragmatism.

In the next two days, after giving several more lectures to the students, Li Yu set off for New York.