Mr. Science and Mr. Democracy

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

During the May Fourth Movement (1919) in China, Chinese intellectuals and students did a deep reflection on traditional Chinese culture and the reasons for Chinese “backwardness.” They decided that what China lacked was two things — Mr. Science and Mr. Democracy. They believed that these two things had to be imported from the West.

Today, science has made great inroads in China. But democracy seems to be still lacking. Many Chinese people ask why. The Western nations also ask why. Is it because China has been under dictatorship for thousands of years?

Looking at the US today, it seems that democracy is in trouble too. What are the Chinese people really looking for? And what are the American people looking for? Does the existence of a system of election solve the problem? What is the meaning of an election if the modern world is too complex for people to understand and special interest groups spend millions in swaying public opinion? In his book, Science in a Democratic Society, philosopher Philip Kitcher explored the difficulties in integrating scientific knowledge into a modern democratic society. How much do the ordinary citizens understand about economics and the issues in our contemporary economy? How much do they really know about climate change? And how much do they know about the risks and…