New technological revolution

Background

Therearemanybackgroundsfortheemergenceandrapiddevelopmentofthenewtechnologicalrevolution.Firstofall,theneedsoftherapiddevelopmentofmodernproductionandthemulti-facetedneedsofthedevelopmentofmodernhumancivilizationaremodernhigh-techThefundamentaldrivingforceforthegenerationanddevelopmentoftechnology.

Secondly,thegreatachievementsofnaturalscienceslaidthetheoreticalfoundationfortheemergenceofmodernhigh-tech.

Again,warandconfrontationbetweencountriesareanimportantfactorthatstimulatestheproductionanddevelopmentofhigh-tech.

Maincontent

Currently,internationallyrecognizedandincludedinthe21stcenturykeyresearchanddevelopmenthigh-techfields,includinginformationtechnology,biotechnology,newmaterialtechnology,newenergytechnology,Spacetechnologyandmarinetechnology,etc.

(1)Informationtechnologymainlyreferstotheacquisition,transmission,andprocessingofinformation,includingmicroelectronictechnology,computertechnology,communicationtechnology,andnetworktechnology.Inthenewtechnologicalrevolution,informationtechnologyisatthecoreandleadingposition.

(2)Biotechnologyisatechnologicalsystemthatappliesmodernbiologicalsciencesandcertainengineeringprinciplestoapplycertainfunctionsoforganismstoothertechnicalfieldstoproduceproductsforhumanuse.Modernbiotechnologymainlyincludesgeneticengineering,cellengineering,enzymeengineering,fermentationengineeringandproteinengineering.Biotechnologyisconsideredtobeoneofthemostsignificanthighandnewtechnologiesthatmaychangethefutureofmankind.

(3)Newmaterialtechnologymainlystudiesthesynthesisofnewmaterials.Newmaterialtechnologyisatakeypositioninhighandnewtechnology,andthedevelopmentofhighandnewtechnologycloselydependsonthedevelopmentofnewmaterials.

(4)Newenergytechnologymainlyconductstheresearchanddevelopmentofnewenergy,andexploreswaystodevelopnewenergyfrommanyaspects.Newenergysourcescurrentlyunderresearchanddevelopmentmainlyincludenuclearenergy(atomicenergy),solarenergy,geothermalenergy,windenergy,oceanenergy,biologicalenergy,hydrogenenergy,etc.

(5)Spacetechnology,alsoknownasaerospacetechnology,usuallyreferstoacomprehensiveengineeringtechnologyforhumanresearchtoenterouterspace,developandutilizespaceresources,includingartificialsatellites,spacecraft,spacestations,andaerospaceAircraft,mannedspaceflight,etc.Spacetechnologyisahighdegreeofintegrationofmodernscienceandtechnologyandbasicindustries,reflectingthecomprehensivestrengthofacountry.

(6)Marinetechnologyincludesmarinesurveyandscientificresearch,marineresourcedevelopmentandmarinespaceutilization,involvingmanydisciplinesandtechnicalfields,including:submarineoilandnaturalgasdevelopmenttechnology,marinebiologicalresourcesDevelopmentandutilization,seawaterdesalinationtechnology,oceanenergypowergenerationtechnology,etc.

Basiccharacteristics

Asforthebasiccharacteristicsanddevelopmentlawsofnewscienceandtechnology,itisdifficulttomakeacomprehensivegeneralizationsofar.However,itcanbeseenthatthisnewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionitselfhasthefollowingbasictrends:

Integrationofthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology

Thedevelopmentoftechnologyhasmadethedisciplineshighlydifferentiated,andatthesametime,ahighlyintegratedtrendhasemerged.Itismainlymanifestedinthreeaspects:First,themutualpenetrationandintegrationofnaturalsciencesandsocialsciences,asLeninsaid,"thepowerfultrendofnaturalsciencestowardssocialsciences"(TheCompleteWorksofLenin,vol.20,p.189),Suchaslasertechnology,electroniccomputerscience,remotesensingtechnology,etc.,havepenetratedintothefieldofarchaeologyandexploration,toascertaintheaccuratelocationandcapacityofancientundergroundruinsandundergroundtreasures.Inaddition,duetothemutualpenetrationofnaturalsciencesandsocialsciences,someemergingdisciplineshavealsoemerged,suchastheapplicationofmathematicsandelectroniccomputersintheeconomicfield,andtheemergenceoftechnicaleconomicsandeconometrics.Thesecondisthatmultipledisciplinesintersecteachother,formingacomprehensivescience.Suchasenvironmentalscience,energyscience,marinescience,materialscience,etc.Thesesciencescoverawiderange.Takingmarinescienceasanexample,itinvolvesmeteorology,hydrology,geology,physics,chemistry,biology,andsoon.Duetotheemergenceofinterdisciplinaryscience,thisnewtechnologicalrevolutionisnotasingletechnologicalrevolution,butanewtechnologicalrevolutiongroup.Thethirdisthatthetwodisciplinesintersect,formingamarginalscience.Suchasbiophysics,geophysics,quantumchemistry,quantumbiology,etc.Therapiddevelopmentofthesemarginaldisciplinesisplayinganincreasinglyimportantroleinsolvingmajoreconomicandsocialissues.AsEngelspredicted:"Atthecontactpointofmolecularscienceandatomicscience,physicistsandchemistsadmitthattheyareincapable,butitispreciselyatthispointthattheyshouldexpectthegreatestresults."(Engels,"TheDialecticsofNature"》Page247).Factshaveprovedthatmanybiologicalandchemicalphenomenahavebeenaccuratelyexplainedbythetheoreticalviewpointsofphysicsduetotheirintegrationwithphysics,whichhasledtoaunifiedtrendinthebasictheoriesofphysics,chemistry,andbiology.

Speedingupthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology

Thedevelopmentofthenewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutioncanbesaidtobe"severalmiles"and"changingwitheachpassingday."Itismainlymanifestedinthreeaspects:First,thenumberofnewdiscoveriesandinventionsinscienceandtechnologyhasincreasedextremelyrapidly.AccordingtothestatisticsofUNESCO’s"WorldScientificInformationSystem"(UNISIST),theannualgrowthrateofscientificknowledgehasincreasedfrom9.5%to10.6%sincethe1960s;bythe1980s,theannualgrowthratehasreached12.5%.Accordingtotheinformation,about5millionscientificandtechnologicalpapersarepublishedeveryyearintheworld,whichmeansthattheaveragenumberofpapers(includingnewknowledgepapers)publishedeverydayhasreached13,000-14,000;thenumberofregisteredinventionpatentsexceeds300,000peryear.800to900patentsarepublishedeveryday,andanewbookispublishedeveryminute.Fromtheperspectiveofthedevelopmentofelectronictechnologyintheeightmajortechnologicalfieldsofthenewtechnologicalrevolution,accordingtotheAmerican"ElectronicScience"magazine,fromOctober1981toSeptember1982,theworldmade39majorachievementsinthefieldofelectronictechnology.Theannualworkingdayiscalculatedas300days,thatis,thereisanelectronictechnologyinventionevery7.7daysonaverage.Ifthetheoriesandtechnologicaldiscoveriesandcreationsintheothersevenfieldsofscienceandtechnologyareincluded,thespeedofthenewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionwearefacing,Thatis,itisimpossibletocalculatebyyear,month,andday,butwillbecalculatedbyhour,minute,andsecond.Thesecondisthatthecycleoftransformingnewdiscoveriesandinventionsofscienceandtechnologyintodirectproductivityhasbeengreatlyshortened.Forexample,ittook65yearsfromtheestablishmentofelectromagnetictheorytotheuseofelectricmotors,andittookonly6yearsfromtheestablishmentofnuclearfissiontheorytothemanufactureofatomicbombs,3yearsfortransistors,andlessthanayearforlasers.Thirdly,therenewalrateofequipmentandproductscausedbythedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyhasalsobeengreatlyaccelerated.Accordingtotheinformation,abouteveryyearorso,50%oftheequipmentandproductsareupdated.Amongthem,electronicequipmentandproductsareupdatedfaster,suchaselectroniccomputers,whichweremadeintothefirstelectroniccomputerintheearly1940s,andhaveexperiencedfivegenerationsinlessthan33years.

Thequantificationofscienceandtechnologydevelopment

Theso-calledquantificationofscienceandtechnologyistheresearchfieldofexponentialmethodsenteringthenaturalsciencesandeventhesocialsciences.Inparticular,ithasbeensuccessfullyappliedtofieldsthathavealwaysbeenregardedasunrelatedtomathematics,whichhasbroughtaboutthefurthermathematicization,formalizationandaxiomaticizationoftheentirescienceandtechnology,makingmathematicsmoreandmoreimportantinthepracticeofunderstandingandtransformingtheworld.Themoreimportanttherole.

Integrationof"Science-Technology-Production"

Duetothedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,alargenumberofemergingtechnologieshavebeenappliedtoproduction,makingproductionscientific.Therefore,comparedwiththeprevioustworevolutions,thecharacteristicsofthisnewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionaremoreobvious:fromphysicalliberationtomentalliberation;fromasingletechnologicalrevolutiontoarevolutioninmultipletechnologiesandcomprehensivetechnologies;fromtheuseofthefirstnaturalresourcesFromthemaindevelopmenttothecreationofsecondresources;fromconqueringtheearthtoconqueringtheoceanandspace.Therefore,somepeoplesaythatthisisagreathistoricalrevolution.

Significance

Thewholesociety

Theimpactofthenewtechnologicalrevolutiononsocietyismultifaceted,suchastheimpactofinformationtechnologyonchangingtheentirehumansocietyHisappearanceplayedanimportantrole.Theestablishmentofcomputernetworksandinformationhighwayshasturnedtheentireworldintoaglobalvillage.Anotherexampleisthateverymajorbreakthroughinnewmaterialtechnologywillacceleratetheprocessofsocialdevelopment;theprogressofbiotechnologyhasenabledmankindtoobtainthecreativitytoactivelycreateneworganismsandnewlives.

WorldEconomy

Theimpactofthenewtechnologicalrevolutionontheeconomyismainlymanifestedintwoaspects.Ontheonehand,thenewtechnologicalrevolutionhaspromotedthedevelopmentofsocialproductiveforces.Thenewtechnologicalrevolutionhasfullydemonstratedthatscienceandtechnologyaretheprimaryproductiveforcesthroughthetransformationofvariouselementsofsocialproductiveforces.Ontheotherhand,thenewtechnologicalrevolutionhascausedmajorchangesintheindustrialstructure.Thenewtechnologicalrevolutionpromotedthetransformationoftraditionalindustrialsectors,ledtotherapidriseofknowledgeandtechnology-intensiveindustries,andpromotedtherapiddevelopmentofthetertiaryindustry.

Humanlife

Thenewtechnologicalrevolutionhasnotonlybroughtaboutthemodernizationofhumanlifestyle,butalsotriggeredtherenewalofpeople'sconceptsandwaysofthinking.Thenewtechnologicalrevolutionprovidesadvancedandhigh-qualitymaterialconditionsforhumanlife.Theachievementsofthenewtechnologicalrevolutionhavealsobroughtahugeimpactonthetraditionalconceptsofmankind,andputforwardnewchallengestomankind'soutlookonthefutureandtraditionalethics.Atthesametime,thechangeofpeople'swayofthinkingandthebroadeningoftheirhorizonshavemademankindpaymoreattentiontocreativethinkingandbefullofinnovativespirit.

Majorchanges

Manysociologists,economistsandfuturistshavedifferentdiscussionsaboutthechangesbroughtaboutbythenewtechnologicalrevolutiontothefuturesocietyandeconomy.Asearlyas1973,inthebook"TheComingofthePost-IndustrialSociety"writtenbyBell,itfirstsummarizedthefivecharacteristicsofthepost-industrialsociety(thatis,theindustrialsocietyenteringtheinformationsociety):

(1)MostThelaborforceismainlyengagedinagricultureandcreativeindustriestotheserviceindustry;

(2)Professionalsandtechnicalstaffwilldominatetheoccupationalstructure,andscientistsandengineersconstituteakeygroupOrtheheart;

(3)Theoreticalknowledgehasbecomethestrategicresourceofthesociety,anduniversities,scientificresearchinstitutionsandintellectualinstitutionsarethecentralstructureofthefuturesociety;

(4)FuturetechnologicaldevelopmentItisplannedandcontrolled,andtechnologicalvalueoccupiesanimportantposition;

(5)Theformulationofvariouspoliciesdependsonintellectualtechnology.

"TheThirdWave"publishedbyTofflerin1980pointedoutthatmankindhasexperiencedtwowavesofgreatchanges:thefirstwavewastheagriculturalrevolutionthatlastedforthousandsofyears.Thefishingandhuntingerahasenteredanagriculture-basedsociety;thesecondwaveistheriseofindustrialcivilization,andithasbeen300years.Nowmankindisfacingtheimpactofthethirdwave.Thisisanexplosiveeventinhumanlife.Newindustrialclustersdevelopedonthebasisof,biology,spacescience,oceanography,informationtheory,cybernetics,etc.-informationandelectronicsindustry,biotechnologyindustry,aerospaceindustry,marineindustry,willreplacetraditionalindustries-steel,petroleum,Thestatusofautomobiles,railways,etc.Thedevelopmentofnewindustrieswillbringabouttremendouschangesineconomicstructure,socialstructure,andhumanlifestyles.In1982,Nesbittpublishedthebook"MajorTrends:TenNewDirectionsThatChangeOurLife",whichpointedoutthedevelopmenttrendofAmericansocietyfromtenaspects.Amongthem,therearethreemaintrends:oneistoshiftfromanindustrialsocietytoaninformationsociety;thesecondistoshiftfromconcentrationtodecentralization;andthethirdistoshiftfromanationaleconomytoaworldeconomy.However,apopularviewisthatthechangesbroughtaboutbythenewtechnologicalrevolutiontothefuturesocietyhavethreemajorcharacteristics,namely,informationization,decentralization,andknowledgeization.Accordingtotheirinterpretation,theso-called"informatization"meanssocialinformatization,or"informationsociety."Itmeansthattheamountofknowledgeandinformationisincreasingveryrapidly,whichiscommonlyknownas"knowledgeexplosion"and"informationexplosion";thedevelopmentofsocialproductionandsocialchangesmainlyrelyonknowledgeandinformation,andithasbecomethemostimportant"industry";engagedinknowledgeproductionandTherearemoreandmorepeopleintheinformationindustry.Theso-called"decentralization"meansthatwiththedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology,especiallyduetothedevelopmentofelectroniccomputers,cyberneticsandautomationtechnology,socialproductionmethodsandsociallifeformstendtobedispersed.Thescaleofthefactorythatguidesproductionhasbecomesmaller,andpeoplecanengageinsmall-scaleproduction,design,office,andeducationathome,andthefamilyhasbecomeagardenforavarietyofintellectualactivities.Theso-called"intellectualization"meansthatinnewtechnology-intensiveenterprises,workersshouldalsobeintellectuals."Theproductionofknowledge"andthedevelopmentandexpansionofintelligencewillallbecomekeyfactorsthatdetermineproductivity,competitiveness,andeconomicgrowth.

Althoughthewayofexpressionisdifferent,themotivationisdifferent,andthegeneralizationisnotnecessarilyscientific,theyallpointoutthatthenewtechnologydominatedbymicroelectronicstechnologyhasorwillmakehistoricbreakthroughs.Appliedintheprocessofsocialproductionandinthefieldoflife,ithascausedorisabouttocausegreatchangesinsociety,economyandlife.Theresultscanbesummarizedasfollows:

Changesintheindustrialstructure

TheemergingindustryclustersbasedonnewtechnologyclustershavebeenrecognizedbysomeWesternscholars.Theindustrysectorcalled"SunriseIndustry"(electronicindustry,biotechnologyindustry,aerospaceindustry,marineindustry,newmaterialsandnewenergyindustry)willbecometheeconomicpillarofsociety.Forexample,theelectronicsindustrywillbecomealeadingindustryandastrategicindustryafterthe1980s.Atpresent,thetotalinstalledcapacityofelectroniccomputersintheworldhasreachedmorethan100million,withmorethan30,000uses.Accordingtostatisticsin1981,theoutputvalueoftheU.S.electronicsindustrywas113.8billionU.S.dollars.Itisestimatedthattheoutputvaluewillincreaseto600billionU.S.dollarsby1991,makingitoneofthelargestindustriesintheUnitedStates.Anotherexampleisbioengineering,whichwillbecomeapotentialbrand-newindustry.Therearenowmorethan100professionalcompaniesfocusingonbioengineeringintheUnitedStates.Itisestimatedthatbytheendofthiscentury,therewillbemorethan160bioengineeringproductswithanoutputvalueof400billionU.S.dollars.;TheSovietUniondecidedtodevelopthebio-industryfourtimesfasterthanotherindustriesinthenextfewyears.Japanalsolistsitasoneofthenewindustriesofthiscentury.Atthesametime,aerospaceandoceanwillalsoformnewindustries.Thecombinationofelectronictechnologyandspacetechnologyanditsplanscanestablishlaboratories,factoriesandcitiesinspace,conductexperiments,collectminerals,energy,andmanufactureinstruments.Intheocean,thefurtherdevelopmentofpetroleum,fishery,andtransportationindustrieswillalsoformmarinepowerstations,deep-seaminingandthedevelopmentofmarinetourism.Inparticular,opticalfibercommunicationmusthaveamajordevelopment,anditwillbecomethemainmeansofinformationtransmissioninthelate1980s,anditscommunicationvolumewillbe1billiontimeslargerthanthatoftelecommunications.IntheUnitedStates,thesenewindustrialsectorswillquicklyreplacetraditionalindustries,namely"sunsetindustries"(steel,oil,automobiles,railways,etc.).Inparticular,thedevelopmentofinformationtechnologyisturninganindustrialsocietyintoaninformationsociety.Itisunderstoodthatcurrently,thereare300radiostationsintheMississippiDeltaintheUnitedStates,providingvariousinformationtofarmers;theSovietUnionhasestablished5,000automatedinformationsystemstoorganizethecountry'seconomicproductionandlife.Forexample,inJapan,itonlytakes5secondsto1minutetoquerythemarketconditionsaroundtheworld;itonlytakes3-5minutestoqueryandcallthedataof10,000keydomesticenterprises,andsoon.Theinformationgeneratedfromanycorneroftheearthwillspreadallovertheworldquickly,andthehugeearthhasreallybecomea"smallworld".Atthattime,informationwillbecomeanimportantstrategicresource,andmostpeoplewillshiftfromagricultureandmanufacturingtoserviceindustries,especiallytheinformationindustry.Accordingtostatistics,thecurrentagriculturalpopulationintheUnitedStatesis5%,anditwillbefurtherreducedto3%by1990.Inthepasttenyears,thenumberofmanufacturingworkershasfallenby1.6%,whilethenumberofserviceworkershasincreasedby55.3%.Itshowsthatmostpeopleareengagedinknowledge,serviceandinformationwork,whichcanbedescribedastheinformatizationofsociety.

Changesinlabormethodsandcontent

Astheknowledge-intensive“sunriseindustry”replacesthelabor-intensive“sunsetindustry”,people’slaborThemainmethodisnottoincreaselaborproductivitybyincreasingtheconsumptionofenergyandresources,extendingworkinghours,andstrengtheningphysicallabor,butrelyingonhumanintelligence,usingnewtechnologiestoautomateandmodernizeproduction,andreducinghumanbrainpowerwiththeapplicationofelectroniccomputersLabortoincreaselaborproductivity.Accordingtostatistics,atthebeginningofthiscentury,only5%-20%oftheincreaseinlaborproductivitywasachievedbytheadvancementofscienceandtechnology,butnow60%-80%hasbeenachievedbyscienceandtechnology.Inthehigh-techindustrysector,workers’laborskillsarenotbasedonphysicalstrength,butonknowledgeandintelligence.Thecontentoflaborwillalsobetocontrol,supervise,andadjustvariousrelationshipsintheproductionprocessduringtheproductionprocess.Theroleofrobots.Accordingtoforecastsbyforeignpresscircles:attheendofthiscentury,professionalandtechnicalpersonnelshouldoccupyadominantpositionintheoccupationalstructure,andtheproportionwillalsoincreasesubstantially.Scientistsandengineershavebecomethe"heart"oftechnologicaldecision-making,universities,scientificresearchandintellectualinstitutionshavebecomethecentralaxisofsociety,factorieshaveshiftedfromlabor-intensivetoknowledge-intensive,andknowledgeproductionintheentiresocietywillbecometheprimary"industry".Itcanbesaidthattherehasbeenanintellectualizationofsociety.

Changesinproductionlayoutandlifestyle

Withtheinformatizationofsocietyandtheautomationoffactoriesandcorporateoffices,factoriesandenterprisesarebecomingsmalleranddecentralizedchange.AccordingtoestimatesbytheUnitedStates,inthe1950s,thenumberofsmallbusinessesintheUnitedStatesincreasedbylessthan100,000peryear,andnowithasincreasedbymorethan600,000peryear.Theyaresmallandflexible,adoptadvancedtechnology,andarefullofvitality.Residents'residenceshavealsomovedtosmalltownsandruralareas.AccordingtoNesbitt'sstatistics:inthe1970s,thepopulationgrowthrateofscatteredtosmalltownsandruralareaswas15.5%fasterthanthatoflargecities.Now42%ofthepopulationlivesinsmalltownsandruralareas.Duetothedevelopmentofcommunicationtechnologyandthewidespreaduseofmicrocomputers,thelifestyleofthefamilywillundergotremendouschanges.Newelectronicproductssuchashomecomputers,audiovisualphones,electronicnewspapers,and"smartcars"willbeusedinfamilylife.Itispossibletoworkathome,andsomepeoplepredictthattherewillbenomoreofficesintheUnitedStateswithin15years;familylife,culturaleducation,andsocialcommunicationarearrangedthroughcollection,processing,andtransmissionofinformation.Makehomeofficeinformatization,laborcomputerization,andeducationmethodselectronic.Theproduction,work,andlifeoftheentiresocietyhaveshiftedfromrelativeconcentrationtorelativedispersion,whichcanbedescribedasdecentralized.

Openingupofsociety

Asthenewtechnologicalrevolutionsweepstheworld,thedevelopmentofeconomy,science,technologyandeducationinvariouscountrieshasbecomemoreadvancedthanatanytimeinhistory.Theyareallopen,andcountriesaremutuallyinfiltrated,influenced,andpromotedineconomy,science,technology,education,etc.,andtheirrestrictionanddependencearesignificantlyenhanced.Horizontaldevelopmentandopeningtotheoutsideworldhavebecomethecommontrendofeconomicdevelopment,scienceandtechnologydevelopment,andeducation.

Theresultofthenewtechnologicalrevolution

Thenewtechnologicalrevolutionwillfurtherintensifytheinternalcontradictionsofcapitalism.Becausetheoppositionbetweenlaborandcapitalstillexistsunderthecapitalistsystem,themarketcompetitionamongcountriesandenterprisesforemergingindustrieswillinevitablyintensify,andthemutualexclusionandannexationbetweenenterpriseswillnotstop.Therefore,itwillmakethecapitalworldmoreturbulent.Intheprocessofthenewtechnologicalrevolution,socialismwillseizetheopportunityandmakefulluseofthegreatpowerofscienceandtechnologytocarryouttheconstructionofspiritualcivilizationandmaterialcivilization,sothatmankindwillenteraneweraofcivilization.

Theaboveisageneraldescriptionofthenewfeaturesofscienceandtechnologyandtheirimpactonsociety.Theenlightenmentfromthesetrendsisthatthesocietyinthefuturerequireseverymembertohaveknowledgeandtechnology,sotheymustcontinuetolearnandupdateknowledgeandtechnology.Educationshouldadapttotherequirementsofthisobjectivesituationandtaketheinitiativetoundertakethearduoustasksinthisarea.