Science and Technology Constitute the Primary Productive Force

Deng Xiaoping’s generalization and summary on the rapid development of science and technology in today's world and its tremendous role in promoting social and economic development. As early as a hundred years ago, Marx said, “Labor productivity is constantly developed with the continuous progress in science and technology”; “The development of fixed capital shows to what extent general social knowledge has become direct productive forces, and to what extent the conditions of the social life process are controlled by general intelligence and transformed according to this intelligence”. Throughout human history, progress and development in science and technology will inevitably lead to economic leaps.

In 1975, when Deng Xiaoping was presiding over the daily work of the central government and embarking on a comprehensive rectification, in response to remarks reversing the right and wrong of the “Gang of Four”, he pointed out that “science and technology are productive forces, and scientific and technical personnel are laborers”, thus an important theoretical basis for guiding the rectification of scientific and technological and economic work at that time. In March 1978, Deng Xiaoping made a speech at the opening ceremony of the National Science Conference, reiterating and systematically expounding the viewpoint that “science and technology are productive forces”. He pointed out that: “Contemporary natural science is being applied to production on an unprecedented scale and speed, renewing all areas of social material production. The development of electronic computers, cybernetics and automation technology is, in particular, rapidly increasing the degree of production automation. The same amount of labor can produce dozens of times and hundreds of times more products within the same working hours. What gives impetus to such huge development of social productivity and such a large increase in labor productivity? The answer is the power of science and technology.” In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Deng Xiaoping put forward several new arguments that “science and technology are the primary productive forces”. In September 1988, Deng Xiaoping said in a conversation with foreign guests: “Marx said that science and technology are productive forces. Facts have proved that this statement is right”, “but now it seems that this statement may not be accurate”, “in my opinion, science and technology are the primary productive forces”. In the 1992, Southern Talks, Deng Xiaoping once again emphasized: “Faster economic development relies on science and technology and education. I said science and technology are the primary productive forces. How fast has the world's science and technology developed in the past decade or two! A breakthrough in the high-tech field has driven the development of a number of industries. In the past few years, can we grow so fast without science and technology? We must promote science, for that is where our hope lies.”

The argument that “science and technology are the primary productive forces” not only reflects the new situation and new trend of contemporary scientific and technological development, but also reflects our Party's new understanding and new requirements for modernization and Reform and Opening-up, with very rich and profound connotations. First, the contemporary new scientific and technological revolution has caused great changes in the industrial structure and labor structure, and determined the direction of production development; secondly, the contemporary new scientific and technological revolution has promoted the automation of labor tools and the intelligentization of human labor, causing qualitative change in the development of productive forces, and has increasingly become the primary factor for the growth of the national economy; thirdly, the contemporary new scientific and technological revolution has promoted the arrival of the era of knowledge economy. Under the historical conditions where peace and development have become the theme of the times, competition in overall national strength has increasingly become the main form of international competition, and its essence is competition in science and technology. Making full use of the productive functions of science and technology, promoting economic development, enhancing overall national strength, and narrowing the gap with developed countries, are key issues faced by all developing countries in the world today.

Since then, the Communist Party of China put forward important arguments that science and technology “are the concentrated expression and main symbol of advanced productive forces”, science and technology “are the revolutionary forces that promote the progress of human civilization”, and “when science and technology prosper, the nation prospers, and science and technology will lead to a strong country”, further emphasizing the extreme importance of vigorously developing science and technology.