Table of Contents

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

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Preface