Current Information#
Time Period: 24/12/17-24
Keyword Summary: modernization, legitimacy, Communist Party of China, social stratification, social mobility, logical thinking, entertainment, ideology, probability theory, epistemology, sociology of knowledge, unemployment, power supervision, medical insurance, information management, discipline construction, quantum physics, body posture, astronomical telescope
Table of Contents#
- 【Deng Yingtao: For the Modernization of the Majority】 (modernization, distribution system, organization) https://www.aisixiang.com/data/51053.html
- 【Zhao Dingxin: Performance Legitimacy, State Autonomy, and China's Economic Development】 (performance legitimacy, Communist Party of China, governance) https://www.aisixiang.com/data/65812.html
- 【Xiong Guangqing: The Transformation of the Sources of the Communist Party of China's Governance Legitimacy: History, Reality, and Prospects】 (Communist Party of China, governance, legitimacy) https://www.aisixiang.com/data/39760.html
- 【Major Breakthrough in the CCP's Discourse System: The Highest Level Clearly Discusses "CCP Legitimacy" for the First Time】 (Communist Party of China, governance, legitimacy) https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1373955
- 【Transitional Class Structure and Social Mobility Transformation Mechanism: Theoretical Interpretation and Realistic Analysis】 (political science, sociology, social stratification, social mobility) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PaACr8Fn2lp21gh6McFqcg
- 【Zhao Tingyang: Is There Any Special Reason Why Chinese People "Don't Talk Logic"?】 (Chinese people, logical thinking, rationality) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/r6hoJbu3Aw0HpUei7y1_Ug
- 【Zhao Tingyang: Once Society Faces Difficult Problems, It Will Encourage Entertainment and Sports】 (thought, entertainment, ideology) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9csdOyhFR7J912rNlDoJrw
- 【Probability Does Not Exist, P-Values Do Not Exist, Statistics Do Not Exist!】 (probability theory, information theory, epistemology, knowledge theory) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2cQ9_9RH4DFLjYc7ZRomRQ
- 【The "Scientific Revolution" of the Sociology of Knowledge】 (sociology of knowledge, history of science) http://nisd.cssn.cn/zcyj/zcyj_xslw/201212/t20121224_1819993.shtml
- 【The Streets at Four in the Morning Are Crowded with People "Looking for a Way to Survive"...】 (workers, employment, unemployment) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DCiN3s5SamroV1OniYPZSA
- 【Being Reported for Taking Bribes on a Clean Government Program. The Inquiry Scene Instantly Turns into an Arrest Scene!】 (bureaucratic system, power supervision system, public supervision) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15dz2Y8EDW
- 【A Medicine Dropped to a Few Cents, and Everyone Started to Worry】 (drug procurement, medical insurance) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kVkihiCyI2mBm8QmBhrVLA
- 【Xi'an Deploys 15 DJI Drones, "Aerial Police" Operate 24 Hours】 (surveillance, public security, police) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1YhqQYPE9M
- 【How the "Gambling" Platform Polymarket Beats Global Players】 (information asymmetry, game theory) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1askGYYET3/
- 【How to Create a Draft Paper That Is Always "Messy but Not Chaotic"?】 (information management, knowledge management) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ex6MY8Ekj
- 【Behind the Resignation Storm of Zhejiang University Professor Zhao Dingxin】 (Zhao Dingxin, academia, discipline construction) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/uaDkmJTe9MQnGVd95glP2A
- 【Canadian Scientists Observe "Negative Time" Using Quantum Experiments】 (quantum mechanics, quantum physics, time) https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E5%9B%BD%E9%99%85/20241221-%E5%8A%A0%E6%8B%BF%E5%A4%A7%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%A6%E5%AE%B6%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E9%87%8F%E5%AD%90%E5%AE%9E%E9%AA%8C%E8%A7%82%E5%AF%9F%E5%88%B0-%E8%B4%9F%E6%97%B6%E9%97%B4
- 【Physical Therapists: A Bad Stool Is Better Than Any Ergonomic Chair】 (health, body posture) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Djq8YPEyr/
- 【"The World's Largest Digital Camera"】 (astronomy, astronomical telescope, digital camera) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JwWN0fg3USj-bnSM6OBaVw
#2【Zhao Dingxin: Performance Legitimacy, State Autonomy, and China's Economic Development】#
(performance legitimacy, Communist Party of China, governance) https://www.aisixiang.com/data/65812.html
Excerpt#
The key to the success of the Chinese economy does not lie in any specific reform measures, but in the fact that some reform initiatives have produced unintended positive consequences for economic development, and that the state can utilize its autonomy to break through the constraints of interest groups and ideology when the negative factors of a nationalist or liberal policy become prominent, and introduce new countermeasures. I divide China's reform and opening up into five development periods. I want to emphasize that the logic and dynamics of economic development are different in these five stages. The driving force of economic development is always consistent with the legitimacy pressure of the state.
#3【Xiong Guangqing: The Transformation of the Sources of the Communist Party of China's Governance Legitimacy: History, Reality, and Prospects】#
(Communist Party of China, governance, legitimacy) https://www.aisixiang.com/data/39760.html
Excerpt#
In modern party politics, political legitimacy is a basic condition for a party to govern, and its sources mainly come from four aspects: ideology, leader charisma, governance performance, and democratic elections. The main source of the Communist Party of China's governance legitimacy has undergone an evolution from being primarily based on ideology to being primarily based on leader charisma, and then from leader charisma to governance performance. Currently, the Communist Party of China's governance legitimacy mainly comes from governance performance, which may struggle to support the legitimacy foundation of the entire governance system. In this context, it is very necessary for the source of the Communist Party's governance legitimacy to shift from governance performance to democratic elections.
#4【Major Breakthrough in the CCP's Discourse System: The Highest Level Clearly Discusses "CCP Legitimacy" for the First Time】#
(Communist Party of China, governance, legitimacy) https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1373955
Excerpt#
For a long time, due to complex historical and realistic reasons, there have been some notions in people's consciousness: the Communist Party "fought for the country" with revolutionary legitimacy, and thus it naturally has the right to "govern the country," which is self-evident and inherently legitimate. Moreover, the Communist Party's advanced nature, marked by its class foundation, theoretical armament, and historical mission, sufficiently proves its fundamental difference from bourgeois parties. Therefore, many people believe that as long as the Communist Party comes to power, it inherently possesses the qualifications to lead the country and society. If legitimacy is to be discussed, it is merely an issue for ruling parties in capitalist countries. Based on this understanding, people have rarely discussed the legitimacy of the Communist Party's governance, as if raising this issue is a doubt about the Communist Party and socialism. The lessons from the Eastern European upheavals and the collapse of the Soviet Communist Party have taught people a profound lesson: the "ought" theoretical setting does not equal the "is" objective fact, and the Communist Party may also face the loss and depletion of governance legitimacy resources, leading to the loss of its governing position. The legitimacy issue of the Communist Party is by no means a fabrication or alarmism. Studying the legitimacy of the Communist Party's governance, from a theoretical perspective, helps deepen the understanding of governance laws and aids in understanding the governance laws of the Communist Party; from a practical perspective, it facilitates the transformation of the Communist Party's governance concepts and methods, and enhances its governance capabilities.
#6【Zhao Tingyang: Is There Any Special Reason Why Chinese People "Don't Talk Logic"?】#
(Chinese people, logical thinking, rationality) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/r6hoJbu3Aw0HpUei7y1_Ug
Excerpt#
There is another way of not talking logic. People are accustomed to using analogy, metaphor, symbolism, and implication to "argue." We have been trained from a young age to play with various literary rhetorical techniques. What are the consequences of this in thought? Zhao Tingyang: Like you, I also disagree with relying on these literary techniques to "argue." They can create interest but are not suitable for argumentation. Using "rhetoric" (as Aristotle said) for argumentation easily leads to sophistry or nonsense. The Greeks were very good at rhetoric, just as they were at logic; many "popular leaders" in ancient Greece liked to use rhetoric in the square to incite the people. Aristotle already knew that rhetoric could obscure the truth.
#7【Zhao Tingyang: Once Society Faces Difficult Problems, It Will Encourage Entertainment and Sports】#
(thought, entertainment, ideology) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9csdOyhFR7J912rNlDoJrw
Excerpt#
Entertainment is not a bad thing; the problem is that if entertainment becomes the highest value while opposing grand narratives and profound thoughts, it creates a frivolous and weak spiritual structure, making people only care about trivial details of life, personal interests, personal rights, and personal feelings, in short, narrowing the perspective to the individual. In this way, there is nothing worth thinking about; regarding the individual, at most, there is literature (and bad literature), but there cannot be thought. What is called thought is to think about others, society, the country, and the world. Not thinking about big issues is not thought but mere feelings. In thinking, thought only represents a certain possibility, not to represent the individual or a collective. If it represents the individual, it is frivolous; if it represents the collective, it is ideology.
#8【Probability Does Not Exist, P-Values Do Not Exist, Statistics Do Not Exist!】#
(probability theory, information theory, epistemology, knowledge theory) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/2cQ9_9RH4DFLjYc7ZRomRQ
Notes#
This is actually a question of epistemology and knowledge theory, involving the construction of human knowledge concepts and the scientific development history of studying physical phenomena and abstract physical laws.
#9【The "Scientific Revolution" of the Sociology of Knowledge】#
(sociology of knowledge, history of science) http://nisd.cssn.cn/zcyj/zcyj_xslw/201212/t20121224_1819993.shtml
Excerpt#
So far, the sociology of knowledge has roughly gone through three major stages: classical sociology of knowledge, sociology of science, and sociology of scientific knowledge. However, from the perspective of attitudes toward scientific knowledge, the sociology of knowledge can also be divided into modern sociology of knowledge and postmodern sociology of knowledge. Modern sociology of knowledge includes classical sociology of knowledge and sociology of science, adhering to the principle of "knowledge dichotomy" and believing that scientific knowledge can be exempt from sociological interpretation; while postmodern sociology of knowledge mainly refers to sociology of scientific knowledge, which attempts to transcend the "knowledge dichotomy" principle and argues that all knowledge, including scientific knowledge, is merely a social construct. Therefore, the birth of sociology of scientific knowledge actually signifies that the sociology of knowledge itself has completed a Kuhnian "scientific revolution," that is, a transcendence from the "modern paradigm" to the "postmodern paradigm."
#10【The Streets at Four in the Morning Are Crowded with People "Looking for a Way to Survive"...】#
(workers, employment, unemployment) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DCiN3s5SamroV1OniYPZSA
Excerpt#
They refer to doing odd jobs as "looking for a way to survive." For the sake of their family's survival, they are unwilling to rest, cannot complain of fatigue, and dare not stop.
#11【Being Reported for Taking Bribes on a Clean Government Program. The Inquiry Scene Instantly Turns into an Arrest Scene!】#
(bureaucratic system, power supervision system, public supervision) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15dz2Y8EDW
Excerpt#
@Where are the flowers not blooming: This is not a good phenomenon; these should be the inquiries and supervision from the National People's Congress and the public towards government departments, but can only be realized through a television program supported by higher authorities. Although the publicity effect is good, it is a superficial remedy, lacking supervision from the source of power, which is the questioning of the National People's Congress, and the questioning of governance is merely a direct impeachment and dismissal.
Notes#
As the audience comments, this type of program is essentially responsible to bureaucratic superiors, not to the public.
#12【A Medicine Dropped to a Few Cents, and Everyone Started to Worry】#
(drug procurement, medical insurance) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kVkihiCyI2mBm8QmBhrVLA
Excerpt#
China News Weekly: Recently, there has been considerable discussion in society regarding this round of national procurement, mostly focusing on the low-price issue, such as the proposed winning price of 0.22 yuan per unit for the injection of phenobarbital. Some opinions suggest that the current low price of injection procurement may not even cover industrial costs. How do you view this issue? Chen Hao: Compared to oral medications, injections carry higher risks, thus requiring stricter quality and system standards. The low price of injection procurement has sparked social debate because the proposed winning prices for some products have dropped to levels that may not cover basic industrial costs. For example, according to the requirements of the National Medical Products Administration, borosilicate glass containers should be used for injection packaging materials. However, the domestic production capacity of borosilicate medicinal glass is limited, and prices are relatively high. Many pharmaceutical companies, in pursuit of low costs, still use soda-lime glass containers. If produced strictly according to registration processes and drug regulatory requirements, the cost of injections is unlikely to drop below 20 cents each. For instance, the proposed winning price for a phenobarbital injection is 0.22 yuan, which is already on the edge of cost. However, ultimately, the company's pricing is a market behavior and not entirely based on cost considerations. As the procurement department, what is more concerning is whether the quality of drugs can be stably and sustainably compliant under low-cost management and whether supply can be sustained. China News Weekly: How is the cost and value of a drug assessed? Chen Hao: The modern pharmaceutical industry has very advanced production technology. Through mass production, the industrial cost of drugs can indeed be made very low, leading to a significant reduction in drug prices as industrial products, which is beyond doubt. However, it should be noted that the cost of drugs is not only the industrial production cost; it also includes more complex dimensions—quality systems and service systems costs. Correspondingly, drug quality is not just the physical quality of the drug; it also includes system quality, service quality, etc. System quality refers to the quality management of drugs throughout the entire process from research and development, production to circulation, including testing, certification, and regulation. Maintaining the sustainable operation of the above systems is a basic management requirement for drug production. To meet these management requirements and maintain consistent operation, the drug production quality management system requires long-term, stable, and rigid investment. Therefore, judging whether the cost coverage of a drug is reasonable based solely on a single batch price is unscientific. When assessing drug value, it cannot be evaluated solely from a single dimension. Maintaining the sustainable operation of system quality and system costs is often very expensive. China News Weekly: Will excessively low winning drug prices affect drug quality? Currently, what areas of the domestic drug quality system still need improvement? Chen Hao: It is important to note that there is currently no clear evidence indicating that low-priced drugs have quality or safety issues. For generic drug companies, passing consistency evaluations only represents meeting the basic regulatory requirements; it is not a perfect score but merely reaches a score of 60. The competitive bidding and subsequent phases of procurement essentially involve price competition, and the result of bottom-price competition inevitably leads to product quality being maintained just slightly above the minimum compliance threshold, with supply hovering on the edge of guarantee and shortage. This outcome is clearly a concern for drug supply assurance. The impact of low-priced winning bids on the medium- and long-term supply assurance of medications and medication safety needs to be continuously monitored. Drug quality is not produced or inspected, nor is it determined by bidding. Drug quality needs to be achieved through strict regulation by regulatory authorities and high self-discipline from production enterprises. From this perspective, the healthy development of the generic drug industry still has a long way to go. ... The objective effects of national drug procurement are threefold: first, to quickly eliminate substandard drugs by replacing them with selected drugs that have passed consistency evaluations; second, to swiftly remove original research drugs that have gone off patent and have market competitors but whose prices have not yet dropped below the "patent cliff"; third, to quickly bring the medical insurance payment standards for selected drugs back to a reasonable level and achieve payment by generic name. ... China News Weekly: Currently, "soul bargaining" is no longer the only goal. In your view, what optimization spaces still exist for future national procurement? Chen Hao: National procurement has a huge market size, involving substantial expenditures. Given such a procurement scale, appropriate administrative costs and technical investments are necessary. I personally believe that the future of procurement should move towards a more "flexible" and "refined" direction, that is, a "one product, one policy" model. On one hand, for special drugs and special patient groups (such as pediatric medications, rare disease drugs, etc.), flexible policies should be adopted, while for most common drugs, refined management should be implemented to ensure precise and lean policy formulation. Within this framework, the management strategy for each drug should be tailored, maximizing the benefits of procurement. There are also valuable experiences to learn from internationally. For example, Japan's medical insurance has a systematic price adjustment mechanism, re-evaluating the reimbursement prices of some or all drugs every two years (changed to annually after 2021). Except for some exempted varieties, drugs with a reimbursement standard deviation greater than 4.375% need to have their prices readjusted. On the other hand, I believe the boundaries between government and market need to be clearer. The functions of government and market are different; the government should have a clear intervention scope, while the market also has its freedom. Sometimes, our policies may overstep or misalign. The quality and efficacy of drugs should be assessed by regulatory authorities and real-world usage and feedback from clinical departments. However, in reality, the medical insurance bureau has taken on too much responsibility in this process, which is clearly a misalignment and loss of government functions that needs to be corrected. The current core issue does not lie with the payment department; rather, it should reflect on the entire pharmaceutical industry and regulatory departments. Drug quality is determined by both regulatory authorities and the industry. We cannot simply blame the health department for "using medicine to support healthcare" or condoning enterprises. Most medical institutions and healthcare professionals have good intentions; they genuinely care about using appropriate drugs to cure diseases. The payment department also faces significant pressure; their goal is to accomplish tasks efficiently with minimal expenditure. However, why is the supply side so inefficient? That is the real question we need to ask. It should be noted that the situation of low-priced drugs is essentially the result of competition among enterprises. As enterprises and industries, seeking profits within a legal framework is understandable, but exploiting loopholes in rules and the inadequacy of regulation to seek inappropriate benefits needs to be constrained and reflected upon.
Notes#
Drug procurement is another typical case of government intervention and market competition, filled with competitive behaviors.
#13【Xi'an Deploys 15 DJI Drones, "Aerial Police" Operate 24 Hours】#
(surveillance, public security, police) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1YhqQYPE9M
Notes#
A double-edged sword. It coordinates surveillance of illegal activities, while strikes, petitions, and other public rights protection activities can also be labeled as "illegal activities."
#14【How the "Gambling" Platform Polymarket Beats Global Players】#
(information asymmetry, game theory) https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1askGYYET3/
Notes#
Another channel to obtain "consensus": gambling.
#16【Behind the Resignation Storm of Zhejiang University Professor Zhao Dingxin】#
(Zhao Dingxin, academia, discipline construction) https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/uaDkmJTe9MQnGVd95glP2A
Excerpt#
Creating a sociology department that can engage in dialogue with the mainstream social science discourse system in the West was Zhao Dingxin's ideal when he came to Zhejiang University and also an experiment in the reform of liberal arts in Chinese universities. In 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of the sociology department at Tsinghua University, Zhao Dingxin wrote an article. He pointed out that the Chinese academic community is not only an academic community but also a relational network community closely related to various connections and resources. Zhang Xiao participated in the fifth round of discipline evaluation application work in his sociology department. He revealed that when reporting discipline construction achievements, the department needs to fill out forms, which mainly include papers, projects, monographs, teaching, awards, etc. A maximum of 40 papers can be reported, and at least half of the papers must be from Chinese journals. National-level research projects, including the National Social Science Fund, are mandatory, with as many as possible reported, and a maximum of 10 monographs can be reported. Several experts pointed out that this reality has led to an excessive emphasis on quantitative research in Chinese sociology. The aforementioned young sociologist said that quantitative research is efficient, produces results quickly, and holds a higher "discourse status" within the discipline, but if quantitative analysis becomes formulaic and superficial, it turns into "quantitative orthodoxy": starting with several hypotheses or models, then inserting a segment of data, and finally overturning or proving the hypotheses or models, merely expressing a common-sense phenomenon in a seemingly "professional" or "scientific" manner, while qualitative research, which requires extensive effort to investigate, remains relatively marginal. However, researching "big issues" means longer research cycles, which contradicts the existing evaluation system, and this is a common dilemma faced by all humanities and social sciences. Quantity and indicator-based management apply a scientific and engineering mindset to manage the humanities, and the evaluation system suitable for the development of the humanities should be more flexible. In social sciences, different people can study similar issues, but due to different understandings of human existence, they adopt diverse perspectives, analytical methods, and narrative styles. Zhao Dingxin stated that his reform in the sociology department at Zhejiang University aims to provide another possibility within the existing academic system in China, making people aware that "in China, sociology can also be done this way." "Diversity is the most important; just like stamp collecting, I hope to collect more types of stamps." What is the "American framework"? Several sociologists teaching in the U.S. explained to China News Weekly that the "formula" expected by top American sociology journals for studying Chinese issues is that there is a causal mechanism behind the phenomenon being studied, which can be applied not only to China but also to the U.S. Zhao Dingxin believes that the "formula" conceals the ontological background of American pragmatic philosophy. However, a social phenomenon may have multiple explanatory mechanisms, and scholars with a certain logical ability can find "favorable evidence" to construct self-consistent arguments, revealing their values, utilitarianism, and narrow-mindedness. Zhao Dingxin stated that the deep macro social structures behind these mechanisms cannot be ignored. What he wants to do is "mechanism analysis under the background of large structures," which means better integrating micro and macro analysis at the methodological level. He believes this is an innovation at the epistemological level.