Preface V
Chapter One
Humanity Requires a New Reasoning Method 1
Section I All Things Are Numbered:The Universe in a Wine Glass 7
1.Descartes' Dream:Deductive Reasoning,the "Divide and Conquer" Approach 7
2.God Created Numbers,and Everything Else Is up to Humanity 11
3.The Victory of Reductionism:400 Years of Glory 16
4.The Pinnacle of "Divide and Conquer":An Era of Atomic Energy 27
Section II Union After Long Division:The Reconstruction of the Systems Approach 33
1.The Era of "Union After Long Division" Has Arrived in the 21st Century 33
2.Systems Theory,Cybernetics,and Information Theory 37
3.Dissipative Structure Theory,Synergy Theory and Catastrophe Theory 54
4.The Santa Fe Institute and New Ideas on Complex Theory 66
Section III The Direction:Hsue-shen Tsien's Answer 70
1.The Göttingen School of Thought and the Ideology of Technical Science 70
2.The Development of Hsue-shen Tsien's Approach to Technical Science 76
3.The Birth of Man-Machine-Environment System Engineering 84
Summary 90
Chapter Two The Call of the Times:Creating Systems Science 93
Section I Tinder Awakening:From Aerospace Practice to Theoretical Innovation 96
1.The Growth of Systems Engineering During Trying Times 97
2.Hsue-shen Tsien Opened the Prelude of China's System Engineering 111
3.Hsue-shen Tsien Triggered a Wave of Chinese System Engineering 118
Section II Sparkling Fire:From Engineering Systems to Social Systems 122
1.Symposium on Systems and Its Impact 122
2.Meta-Synthesis 128
3.From the Innovation of Methodology to the Emergence of Wisdom 131
Section III The Ideological Fire:From the Scientist to the Ideologist 134
1.From Simple Systems to Complex Systems 134
2.The Context of Open Complex Giant Systems 135
3.The Influence of Chinese Systems' Science on the World 138
Section IV Systems Theory:Realizing the Dialectical Unity of Reductionism and Holism 141
1.Three Developmental Stages of Systems Science 142
2.Innovative Contributions of Systems Science Theory 144
3.The Dialectical Unity of Hsue-shen Tsien's Systems Theory 145
Summary 148
Chapter Three Scientific Foresight Under the system-based thinking 151
Section I Nuclear Power 153
1.Exploring the Scientific Application of Nuclear Power 153
2.Modern Warfare with Nuclear Deterrence 156
Section II Landing on the Moon 158
1.Humanity's Bold Vision of Landing on the Moon 158
2.Three Steps of China's Lunar Exploration Project 160
Section III Space Shuttle 163
1.Advanced Thinking on Space Shuttles 163
2.Forward-Looking Innovations in the Field of Rockets and Aerospace 167
3.Accurate Research and Judgment on China's Manned Spaceflight 167
Section IV New Energy Vehicles 171
1.Strategic Vision for New Energy Vehicles 171
2.Robust Development of New Energy Vehicles in the World 173
3.The Future of China's New Energy Vehicles 174
Section V High-Tech Industries 178
1.The Conception of High-Tech Industries 178
2.The Development of China's High-Tech Industry 180
Section VI Development of Modern Science and Technology System 183
1.The Prediction about Scientific and Technological Development 183
2.The Conception of a Modern Science and Technology System 186
Summary 193
Chapter Four From This Shore to Another:The Conjecture about a New World 195
Section I "What" and "How" 199
1.Scientific Interpretation of the Patterns of Social Development 199
2.The Historical Correction of the Industrial Revolution 201
3.Deep Insights into Future Industries 204
Section II Minimal Information Triggers a Big Wave 206
1.The Core of the Fifth Industrial Revolution Is Information 207
2.Steering the Space-Terrestrial Integrated Network Away from the "Tragedy of the Commons" at the Macro Level 211
3.Eliminating Uncertainty in Decision-Making at the Micro Level 217
Section III The Future of the Large Bio-Industry 223
1.The Sixth Industrial Revolution and Biotechnology 223
2.Providing New Development Ideas for Rural Revitalization 228
3.Building A Community Between Humans and Nature 230
Section IV Climbing the "Mount Everest" of the Scientific World 232
1.Human Science:The Seventh Industrial Revolution 232
2.Jumping Out of the "Curative Medicine" Mindset 237
Section V The Modern Answer to "Hsue-shen Tsien's Problems" 241
1.Education Method:Integrate Great Knowledge to Obtain Wisdom 241
2.Education Method:Stimulating Innovative Thinking by Using the Integration of Five Quotients 243
3.Education Method:The Simultaneous Development in Four Measures will Promote the Emergence of Innovative Talents 245
4.Education Tool:The Innovative Practice of Meta-Synthetic Wisdom Education 247
Section VI Trans-Era Resonance in Thoughts 252
1.Architecture-like Scientific Governance of a Society 252
2.Advance from Practical Application to Realization of Hsue shen Tsien's Systematic Thinking 256
3.Systems Approach in the New Era:A New Journey of Governing the Country 259
Summary 262
Conclusion 264
Postscript 272