Bulletin Number Two 1987

(From left) Professor Hsu Baysung, Dr. the Hon. P.C. Woo, Professor G.H. Choa, Dr. W.C.L. Brown, Professor Samuel C.C, Ting, Sir David Akers-Jones, Dr. Leung Kau Kui, Dr. L ü Shu-xiang, Dr. the Hon. Q.W. Lee, Dr. Ma L in The experimental process does not lie in wild conjectures. It requires a concrete, carefully-worked out plan. Of particular importance is the formulation of a suitable objective, which will serve to guide the whole research process. The choice of an objective depends on the judgement and inspiration of the experimenter. An acute sense of discernment, courage and perseverance are all important factors in asuccess­ ful experiment. From what has been said, we may understand why breakthroughs in basic knowledge are events of rare occurrence, and why the development of learning in human history depends very much on pivotal dis­ coveries made by a small number of people. Today, the same cultural heritage which once guided Wang Yang-ming's thoughts still makes its effects felt, and continues to obsess the traditional Chinese scholar in his way of thinking. This explains why most Chinese students are given to theories and abstract thinking, while experiments and practical work are set at naught. Chinese students can usually do well at school and get full marks in examinations, but are at a loss to know what to do when confronted with research work that requires initiative and original thinking. In this regard, I may quote as evidence my per­ sonal experience. Brought up as I was in the tradi­ tional education system of China, I imagined, when I left for the United States to pursue my higher educa­ tion, that I would be able to do well as long as I studied hard and followed my teachers' instructions in everything. Nothing could be further from the truth. I discovered right from the beginning of my studies that it would not do to depend solely on teachers, and that one must take initiatives, ask questions and have ideas of one's own. As I had not been mentally prepared for this, I had to quickly develop a new strategy to proceed. What proved most dismaying at that time was that the only recourse I had, turning to books for help, turned out to be totally useless. It is my opinion that, in academic research as well as in handling all other affairs in the world today, a genuine interest in Investigating things for the ex­ tension of knowledge' is indispensable. We need to foster an experimental spirit in our general education. This means that whether we are engaged in scientific research, humanistic studies or personal affairs, we should always be alert to falsehood and be prepared to seek for the truth of things by taking positive actions. At a time when the world and our social environment are changing with ever-gathering speed, and when cultural exchanges are becoming increasingly frequent, we must not accept blindly all that was held as 'truths' in the past, nor should we wait for the guidance of some 'academic authorities'. We must depend on our own sense of judgement, which can only be developed through practice. In conclusion, today, with drastic changes going on everywhere around us, it will not be amiss to uphold, in its actual sense, the principle of 'investi gating things for the extension of knowledge', as set out in the classics several thousand years ago. One can find in this principle a twofold significance: first, objective investigations provide the only reliable way to the attainment of truth; second, the investigatory process involves imaginative, well-planned research rather than passive, detached observation. I hope our generation will arrive at a new under standing of an old principle and, by putting it into practice, make the experimental spirit a genuine part of Chinese culture. NEWS 9