Sobre conquistas e avanços em C&T pelo Ocidente e pela China - Paulo Roberto de Almeida

 Um pouco mais — abaixo, em inglês — sobre os avanços da China em ciências e tecnologia, muito superiores aos do mundo ocidental, no passado até a era contemporânea, e num futuro ainda indefinido, mas que já se apresenta concretamente: em IA, nanomateriais, trens de alta velocidade, magnéticos e de levitação, biologia e engenharia genética, microeletrônica e no que mais vcs puderem pensar. 

A China esteve na vanguarda do mundo, no passado, e estará novamente no futuro, tenham certeza disso, e muito mais graças à energia e capacidade de trabalho do seu povo do que qualquer “planejamento burocrático” de um suposto “socialismo de mercado” ou um mistificador “socialismo com características chinesas”.

Participando de uma lista “Gutenberg”, e observando que a China já tinha inventado os tipos móveis alguns séculos antes do que o brilhante inovador de Mogúncia, alegado “pai da imprensa”, fui apostrofado de forma grosseira por um participante, por supostamente defender um “regime tirânico” engajado em roubo, pirataria e contrafação de invenções ocidentais.

Respondi com duas postagens, como segue:

China innovation (PRA)

[Name:] China was for many centuries in a more advanced stage of technological and scientific development, while Europe was still among barbarian invasions and feudal infights. 

Navigation era was much more motivated by European desire to access the marvelous creations and production  by and of Chinese civilization, than to an alleged necessity of Christian expansion and catequese. 

China was already a “weberian” state, with mandarins selected by open examinations (from 800 AD to 1906), while Europe lived by tyrannical sovereigns, murdering political adversaries, in a Shakespearean or Machiavellian style. 

I think you should read a little more of World history before rendering such dubious advices against copies and imitation, or theft of intellectual property: it was Europe that copied China, not the contrary, for the most part of recorded history. 

And, in a few decades, or years, more, Europe, and the Western, again, will start to copy Chinese inventions, innovations and discoveries, in science and technology. Be sure about that. 

Being a Western guy, albeit a member of a Gutenberg society, should not avoid anyone of being well informed about World history, and the relative stage of cross-country comparisons about science and technology. 

I would recommend the reading of Joseph Nedham works about scientific accomplishments in China earlier than the contemporary era. It could help you against being too arrogant without sufficient knowledge.

[Name] : As of about one other little remark of yours: I was not making any apology of a tyrannical regime, as I was just stating an historical fact. 

And is a fact that China is an autocracy, as it was for its entire history - an Oriental Despotic regime, according to Max Weber and Karl Wittfogel —, and it never knew any semblance of representative or “democratic” government. 

It is no more a tyranny, but the biggest capitalist dictatorship in the world, innovative in S&T, and is nowadays much more dynamic, by the energy of its people (not by any socialistic planning) than many of market democracies of the Western world. 

A little bit of modesty, and historical knowledge could help you in being less arrogant and authoritarian.

Paulo Roberto de Almeida

Brasília, 26 Dec 2020