From: jimruttshow8596
Eric Smith, a researcher at the Earth Life Science Institute in Tokyo, the Biology Department of Georgia Tech, and external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute (SFI), shares his insights on China, drawing from his considerable time spent there and a recent trip to refresh his knowledge [01:40:02].
General Observations on China
The most striking aspect of China, according to Smith, is the rapid pace of change [01:57:42]. This rapid change is observed by both its citizens and outsiders [01:59:02]. Key observations include:
- Economic Landscape: A significant concentration of wealth is visible in the business sector, which correlates with increased confidence [02:14:48].
- Global Aspirations: China aims to reclaim what it perceives as its “natural place” as the central country in the world [02:20:25].
- Cultural Continuity: Despite rapid changes, certain aspects of Chinese culture, particularly among academics, remain consistent. These include a “cheerfulness, sincerity, and sense of goodwill” in addressing deep questions, as well as a “joy in community and collaboration” [02:37:05].
Nature of the Chinese Governance System
The Chinese system of governance is described as distinct from anything seen before [02:57:12].
- Benevolent Dictatorship: China’s traditional view of good governance has historically been one of benevolent dictatorship [03:09:47]. This deeply influences their perception of what can work and what doesn’t need to be attempted [03:14:52].
- Distrust of Civil Society: Chinese leadership observes global innovations in opinion manipulation and expresses a distrust of civil society as a mechanism for control [03:22:42]. They believe that control can and should be centrally managed [03:31:06]. This approach is seen as a large-scale “engineering project” to achieve this centralized control [03:34:02].
- Historical Pattern: Historically, China has exhibited a pattern of “punctuated equilibrium,” where highly centralized command-and-control systems function effectively until they suddenly and rapidly break down [03:39:13]. The current centralized control, aided by modern tools, is seen as an “interesting experiment” to test if it can achieve at least a metastable state [03:57:04]. Experts suggest that combinations of centralized control and innovation, once thought impossible, might be context-dependent [04:12:12].
Economic Model and Innovation
China’s rapid economic rise has benefited from what is termed the “benefiting from syndrome,” where it absorbs technology and expertise from the West rather than having to invent it themselves [04:32:02]. They have done this more effectively and quickly than other nations, like Japan [04:45:18].
However, China is also at or near the state-of-the-art in certain areas, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI) [04:50:35]. The country is poised to become the world’s largest repository of integrated data, which is crucial for deep learning models [05:31:13]. The question remains whether this increase in scale will lead to new conceptual breakthroughs unforeseen previously [05:37:44]. The Chinese leadership understands the criticality of data in AI development [05:46:13].
Societal Control and the “Mezzo Scale”
The discussion on societal organization and governance highlights the challenge of balancing centralized control with local understanding and coordination [01:15:38]. The need for hierarchical or emergent entities that cohere in real time, despite operating on multiple scales simultaneously, is crucial [01:18:41].
Jim Rut introduces the concept of the “mezzo scale” – groups of hundreds to a few thousand people – which historically provided structure to daily life through family and local communities, but has largely been ceded to governments or markets [01:52:03]. Revitalizing this mezzo scale, potentially with more structure than unstructured civil society, is suggested as a path forward [01:22:07].
Eric Smith suggests consulting China scholars on this topic, as Chinese governance seems to operate with a distrust of the controllability of this mezzo scale [01:22:50]. They actively attempt to weaken and replace it with centralized control [01:22:57]. Understanding why they distrust it, what they believe can replace it, and the merits of their approach in solving problems at various scales is a critical area for further inquiry [01:23:03].