Hogwarts Gymnastics Professor

Chapter 144 The Needham Problem in the Magic World, Starting from Liang Qichao
Lockhart is about to give up the idea of ​​directly using the transformation technique to conjure a controllable nuclear fusion. From the current point of view, his one-step transformation technique seems to be difficult to realize.

But in any case, Lockhart still has something to gain in Transfiguration, at least he knows another exception besides the five exceptions to Gamp's basic law of Transfiguration——

Polymorph cannot transform into a Controlled Fusion Power Station.

If Lockhart wanted to, as long as the relevant staff of the Ministry of Magic responsible for registering newly discovered patents could understand what Lockhart was talking about, he could publish this "important" theoretical discovery, just like Dumbledore mastered the dragon. Like the twelve uses of blood, he can get some honor.

If in the future, chocolate frog cards are already popular in the magic world of this world, then Lockhart's card will probably add a sentence "I found another exception besides the five exceptions to Gamp's basic law of transformation-transfiguration cannot transform A controllable fusion power station.”

However, Lockhart believes that Transfiguration cannot transform into a controllable nuclear fusion power station.

Lockhart had a hunch that if he could dig out the internal logic and reasons of various exceptions in Transfiguration instead of just summarizing the phenomena that Transfiguration could not achieve, there would be huge gains.

It's a pity that there seems to be no tradition in the magic world that likes to pursue the essence and principles. Even the academic achievements of a great wizard like Dumbledore are nothing more than cooperating with Nicole Flamel and summing up twelve uses of dragon blood.

These are all stuck in the discovery and summary of phenomena, and no one has explored the internal principles. This kind of thinking is a bit like the craftsmen in ancient China.

Many scientific and technological developments in ancient times were at the forefront of the world for a long time, but there were several important shortcomings, which prevented many people from admitting that there was real science in ancient China.

Joseph Needham, a British scholar who has studied Chinese history for a long time in history and the creator of the concept of the "Silk Road", formally raised this issue in his 15-volume "History of Science and Technology in China". The theme is:

"Although ancient China made many important contributions to the development of human science and technology, why didn't the scientific and industrial revolution happen in modern China?

This problem came to be known as the Needham problem.

"Needham's Question" is one of the core topics in the field of Chinese studies.

Although this question was raised by Needham after World War II, since the first time in [-] when foreigners' artillery broke through the gates of the Qing Dynasty, some people in China began to study this question.

Representatives include Liang Qichao, Ren Hongjun, Qian Xuesen, etc. Among them, Qian Xuesen developed this question into Qian Xuesen's question-"Why are we lagging behind in modern times?"

There is no standard answer to this question so far, and everyone has their own views.

Among them, Liang Qichao believed that the difference in geographical environment between China and the West led to the difference in national spirit.

The sea is also the one that can arouse people's enterprising ambitions... Those sailors seek self-interest. All risks are at stake.Therefore, those who have been at sea for a long time can make their spirits become braver and nobler day by day. This is why the people living on the seaside in ancient times have more vitality and aggressiveness than those who live on land. Although they are of the same race, they can suddenly become independent. National also.

It means that the people of the oceanic countries are more brave and enterprising because they often go out to sea for adventure and risk their lives for a future.

For this point, Lockhart believes that there is still some truth. After all, the real weakness in Chinese history originated from the closed-door policy of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

And this is also related to the current situation of the Ministry of Magic. Since the Ministry of Magic promulgated and strictly enforced the "International Confederation of Wizards Secrecy Act" in order to protect most wizards from Muggles since the seventeenth century, the evolution of the magic world can be considered is stopped.

What is the difference between the environment faced by the Ministry of Magic and the Qing Dynasty in its later years?
There are extremist rebels inside, and there are threats of great technological development outside, but the rulers of the Ministry of Magic don't take it seriously and insist on closing the country.

People in the Qing Dynasty looked down on foreigners and called them barbarians, and people in the magic world looked down on people who could not use magic and called them Muggles.

Lockhart had a hunch that even if he didn't show up, sooner or later, the wizarding world would be exposed to the sky, and by that time, Muggle technology might have developed much higher than it is now. At that time, it will be a disaster for the magic world.

Moreover, the Hogwarts education is also deliberately imprisoning the minds of all wizards. Maybe this is not the intention, but this is the result.

The education at Hogwarts almost regarded magic education as the whole, and the Qing Dynasty almost regarded the Confucian stereotype education as the whole.

Hogwarts education likes to give conclusions directly, and doesn’t like to talk about methods, and doesn’t like to let students think for themselves. The same is true in Qing Dynasty. Stereotyped education is limited to four books and five classics. It doesn’t need to think too much.

Did Professor McGonagall cover the basics of Transfiguration in his Transfiguration class?Have you ever talked about why matches can become silver needles?Had Snape explained to the Potions class the meaning of each step in the potion making process?
They're just scripted in class and say, "Come on, do this, then that, and then this, and the magic (potion) is done."

The teaching method only talks about how, not what and why.

Hogwarts also has a "History of Magic" and a "Muggle Studies", which seem to be somewhat open, but you will know if you have actually taken them.

The textbooks are updated slowly, and "Muggle Studies" is still based on the content of the Middle Ages, so that most wizards don't know what a gun is.

The teachers have a lax attitude in class, and most people use courses like "History of Magic" to catch up on sleep.

Sometimes, Lockhart felt that this was a deliberate arrangement, to make all wizards invisible, inaudible, and completely lose their understanding of the outside world.

Think about Hermione, this elementary school bully from the Muggle world, she herself knows the rapid progress of the Muggle world, but after receiving seven years (six and a half) years of education at Hogwarts, she has become A wholeheartedly devoted to the wizarding world, completely forgetting the rapid development of technology in the Muggle world.

From the Ministry of Magic above the head to the most basic Hogwarts, the wizarding world is rotten.

From this point of view, the Ministry of Magic was the former Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty is the current Ministry of Magic. Lockhart had one more reason to rebel.

(End of this chapter)