Chapter 7 The Way of Science

In modern times, the Five Elements are far from reality. In ancient times, the five elements of yin and yang were ubiquitous in daily life, the five elements can correspond to the four directions, for the four seasons, corresponding to the sky, corresponding to the earth, and more can correspond to the imperial court department, but also corresponding to the five colors, five tones and so on.

Therefore, there are rules for what color corresponds to a certain department. If you don't mention it, that's it. When you want to use it, you usually use this color. Near common sense.

He Xi's actions were obviously uneducated in the eyes of the ancients.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't care much about these things, and asked lightly, "Have you eaten it?" ”

He Xi said: "I just ate it." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Then let's work." "Zhu Yuanzhang's breakfast, when he came back from the next dynasty, he had already used it in a hurry.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat in his seat and asked everyone around him to go out. Let He Xi take all the notes behind the red sign.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the abridgement above and compared the content inside. Suddenly, he said, "The eunuch you talked about yesterday is in power. Is that it? ”

He Xi didn't react at first. After thinking about it, I realized that indeed, what He Xi did now was actually what the celebrant and eunuch did. He Xi said: "I don't know. Looking at what the literature says, it should be like this. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Then what should we do according to the cabinet system? ”

He Xi said: "It should be sent to the cabinet for the scholars to draw up a handling opinion." Then send it back to Zhu Pi. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was slightly louder, and he said, "Come on, send these recitals to Scholar Song, and let him draw up an opinion." ”

Xu Zheng immediately came in, took a few little eunuchs, and took these songs away.

The reason why Zhu Yuanzhang did this was that he was a little confused. From meeting He Xi to the present. Zhu Yuanzhang doesn't seem to have changed anything. But inside, there is chaos. Some have no intention of going to politics. On the other hand, he also wanted to see what the cabinet system that his descendants were using in later generations was like.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat on the throne and said, "Tell me what technology is today?" ”

He Xi couldn't help but yawn. said: "Technology, in the context of ancient times, is Gewu. ”

"Gewu?" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"Yes." He Xi said: "Through research and experiments, we can derive the basic laws of the real world, and then use this law to create items that can achieve a certain effect. The former is science, the latter is technology. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were a little confused. I seem to understand. I didn't seem to understand.

He Xi thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if you have read Xunzi, you can use it to control the way of heaven." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Naturally, I have read it." ”

He Xi said: "I understand that the Dao of Heaven itself is scientific research, and the use of the Dao of Heaven is a specific technology. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang's heart sank, and he said secretly: "Has the future world reached such a point?" ”

This is due to a different understanding of the way of heaven. In He Xi's view, the way of heaven and the basic laws of physics can be drawn together. But in Zhu Yuanzhang's view, the way of heaven shows the will of heaven, and there are too many ethereal places.

From the Tao of Tomorrow to the Dao of Heaven, what a great power. It's incredible.

Zhu Yuanzhang's whole person became serious and said, "How to understand the way of heaven." And how to control the way of heaven and use it? ”

He Xi said: "First of all, we must determine the premise of science, that is, the world is real, the world is regular, the world is cause and effect, and the world can be understood and cognizable. With these premises in place, they should be understood and explained rationally. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang listened very hard.

On the one hand, it is difficult to work, but these things are a bit difficult in the first place. On the other hand, He Xi's choice of words and sentences is different from this era. Zhu Yuanzhang has an obstacle in understanding.

"Reason, do you mean science?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

He Xi said: "Naturally not, the concept of rationality. should correspond to logic. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Logic? ”

He Xi said: "It is similar to the doctrine of famous masters, but it is deeper in deduction. It is also the root of all Western doctrines. ”

It took a long time for He Xi to explain to Zhu Yuanzhang what logic and what syllogism is. However, He Xi also found that Zhu Yuanzhang was not happy to listen.

It's both sides.

Science has become a matter of course for He Xi. It is something that can be used at any time, and it is the premise of many judgments. Something that is not on the mind. Now let He Xi elaborate on what science is and what is science? It's a bit difficult.

Even some of the prerequisites of science are things that later generations of women and children will know. But here Zhu Yuanzhang has to reinterpret.

But if you don't talk about it, you can't do it, and if you don't explain the premise clearly, the so-called science that follows will not be valid.

And Zhu Yuanzhang is fifty years old after all, and it is no longer time to learn things. It is even more difficult to understand these conceptual and abstract things. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang has learned before that there are not many places in common with science. Zhu Yuanzhang's previous accumulation could not help him understand what He Xi said. On the contrary, it adds a lot of obstacles.

The harder Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it, the more he felt that there were such things as logic and syllogisms. It's just taking off your pants and farting, and that's an extra move. It's just a play on words.

What can it do?

He Xi saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was a little impatient when he heard this, and immediately omitted the basis of the scientific premise. "The first element is universal significance, the second is repeatability, and the third is quantifiable criteria," he said. The most direct scientific method is the experimental method. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "What experiment? ”

He Xi looked at the paper in his hand. And I saw a teacup next to it. Fill the teacup, then cover a piece of paper and turn it around. The cup does not leak. This is a classic elementary school experiment. He Xi said: "This is a very simple experiment. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "It's just a trick, a small trick." ”

He Xi said: "No, this experiment actually shows the existence of atmospheric pressure. We live in a world where there seems to be nothing. But there is this atmosphere. The atmosphere is everywhere. It's just that we're like fish in the water, we can't feel it. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to touch the so-called atmosphere. It's just a touch of a finger, but it's empty.

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "What's the use of this? ”

This is also the pragmatism of the Chinese, no matter what doctrine, the first thing to ask is whether it is useful or not.

He Xi said: "Now that you understand this truth. It can be deduced that it is a kind of ship that can sail in the air. Water and the atmosphere are both a medium, and boats can float on water. That's because boats are lighter than water. And look for a substance that is lighter than the atmosphere. Won't it just rise in the atmosphere? ”

Silence, Zhu Yuanzhang was silent again. He seemed to be thinking hard about the boat floating in the air. He secretly said in his heart: "Is it Xingcha?" "The Star Cha is a mythical ship that can drift into the Milky Way.

"You did it?" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

He Xi said: "How does Your Majesty say that it is not difficult to make a flying ship. It has been done a long time ago. Even if I am given enough conditions, I can also make it in Daming. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his temples, he felt that when he talked to He Xi, his brain always couldn't keep up with his thoughts. "Don't talk about that," he said. You just have to tell me. What was the most powerful weapon of your time? ”

He Xi said: "In terms of weapons, the most powerful weapon. It should be a nuclear bomb, and only one can destroy the entire city of Nanjing. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned for a moment and said, "This is impossible. ”

He Xi said: "The development of science is often beyond people's imagination. During World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, destroying two cities. In total, hundreds of thousands of people were killed. In the decades that followed, the power of nuclear bombs increased rapidly. When I came, the nuclear powers had more than 10,000 nuclear weapons, and they didn't dare to use them, because once they did. will destroy the world. ”

"And there are also ICBMs. It can hit anywhere on this planet in an hour or two. ”

The shock on Zhu Yuanzhang's face could no longer be hidden.

Many people think that the human imagination can run wild. But for a large number of people, their imagination is realistically limited. They may be able to exaggerate, distort, distort, and analogize things in reality. Thus imagining something else. But the cornerstone of this imagination is reality.

Zhuang Zhou only dreams of butterflies when he sees butterflies. And not the other way around.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't imagine what the bomb that destroyed the world looked like under any circumstances.

After all, in Zhu Yuanzhang's impression, the so-called firearms, the so-called bombs. Nothing more than primitive firearms. The ratio of gunpowder is no better than some firecrackers in later generations.

Not to mention, strike anywhere in the world in an hour or two.

The world that Zhu Yuanzhang understands is not the earth. Although He Xi had already explained to him what the earth was before. But there are some concepts that are ingrained and difficult to change. At this time, the world that Zhu Yuanzhang first thought of was just around the Ming Dynasty, plus a few vassal states at most.

But even within two hours, it will hit all the places within this range, which is beyond Zhu Yuanzhang's imagination.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately looked at He Xi with blazing eyes, his eyes were full of hope, and said: "Will you build this nuclear bomb and missile?" ”

He Xi didn't dare to take on this job, he said with a little crying and laughing: "This is a state secret, not something that an ordinary person can know." "Although there are schematics of the atomic bomb on the Internet." Now, even if I knew, I wouldn't be able to make it. What is needed behind this is the entire state system, tens of thousands of engineers, tens of millions of workers and soldiers. And not something that one person is capable of doing. It is not the same concept as before. ”