General Conclusion: The Necessity and Prospect of the Humanities

As a physics major, through this course, I would like to broadly discuss what I see as the necessity of the humanities.

Before this, I had always believed that the natural sciences possessed an inherent superiority: the natural sciences are the driving force behind the increase of productive forces (“Science and technology constitute the primary productive force”), and productive forces are in turn the fundamental driver of social progress. From this, one might naturally conclude that the natural sciences contribute far more to human society than the humanities.

But is that really the case?

In fact, the ultimate object of the natural sciences is still human society. To talk about the growth of knowledge or the expansion of its boundaries in isolation from human society is itself meaningless. Some might say, “Frontier problems in physics, such as string theory, do not seem to have any immediate effect on productivity.” Those who say this have a misperception of what constitutes “frontier problems in physics” and how they translate into productive forces.

• Historically, the two great theoretical revolutions of 20th‑century physics—quantum mechanics and relativity—provided enormous boosts to productivity only about 50 years later: the development of quantum mechanics and condensed matter physics directly gave rise to the transistor and the integrated circuit, which in turn propelled the invention of the computer; the development of relativity made indispensable theoretical preparations for space navigation, time‑keeping theory, and satellite positioning systems.

• In terms of disciplinary breadth, “frontier problems in physics” themselves encompass nearly all fields of physics, covering condensed matter, optics, relativity, computational theory, and a dazzling array of combinations and intersections, including both theory and applications. From my current field of study, topological physics—as an interdisciplinary field that emerged in the 1970s between topology and condensed matter physics—still has today:

  • Realisation of topological phases in electronic systems (artificial crystals);
  • Topological acoustics as a simulation platform for topological phases;
  • Non‑Hermitian topological systems;
  • Realisation of optically/electrically pumped topological lasers;
  • …

and various other research frontiers. These frontier problems will predictably play a major role in future applications such as chip development for various purposes and the fabrication of metamaterials in practical production and everyday life. Frontiers in physics are not limited to abstract, esoteric theoretical frontiers.

The role of the humanities in human society lies in serving as the spiritual foundation and anchor, upholding the development of the natural sciences.

• During the War of Resistance against Japan, in order to preserve the torch of knowledge, many universities evacuated in 1937 to Changsha (and later to Kunming), establishing the National Southwest Associated University, where teaching continued and a generation of talent was still cultivated for China. This precisely reflects the humanistic spirit of the Chinese people—valuing knowledge and education, regarding education as the engine and talent as the torch. If one only valued the natural sciences, the story of the Southwest Associated University would never have happened.
• In 1947, facing Chiang Kai‑shek’s encirclement of the Soviet areas, Chairman Mao ordered the evacuation of the revolutionary base at Yan’an, and pointed out: “If we preserve our forces but lose our territory, we shall retain both; if we preserve our territory but lose our forces, we shall lose both.” For human society, the humanistic spirit is equivalent to that “territory”: people are always the primary factor. Human society has reached its present state precisely because of the development of the humanistic spirit.

Currently, some people hold a view of natural‑science exclusivism, believing that humanities education should completely give way to natural‑science education, giving rise to the trend of “uselessness of the humanities.” I believe this view is mistaken, because it ignores the foundational role of the humanistic spirit in human society. However, it must also be recognised that this view has a reasonable motivation: current humanities education does indeed lag behind natural‑science education, and this has produced some regrettable cases. In these cases, one or more protagonists often make remarks that challenge social morality and public order and good customs, and some even put them into practice, thereby undermining public confidence in the humanities. My alma mater, Wuhan University, has been both a site and a victim of this problem. This issue can only be resolved with a developmental perspective: break down prejudices, develop humanities education and character education, and allow more people to inherit the humanistic spirit.

Finally, I would like to conclude with the plot of the Cangjian Valley (藏剑谷) story in Arknights: Endfield version 1.3: after a post‑apocalyptic catastrophe, people discover a legacy left by their predecessors in Cangjian Valley, initially presumed to be a base for preserving technology. After a series of explorations, they find that it is actually a library of documents on the cultural and everyday life of their forebears, intended to let later generations know why we develop and for what we develop.

In the process of development, we must always preserve something.