RaviBhoothalingam_2011May02

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Unravelling the Mind of China

RAVI BHOOTHALINGAM

2 May 2011

Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses



The view of China/India today Media hype pictures the relationship as:

Mostly : competitors, rivals, enemies

A few as : Partners, friends, collaborators

But do India & China really know and

understand each other?



Understanding each other vital for India &

China, indeed for the world

but the fact is..

Both awareness and study of China arerudimentary and neglected in India

Such neglect is high-risk : in opportunitiesmissed, mis-steps, misunderstandings



A Travelers‟ Questions

Is there a specific Chinese way of thinking (distinct from the Indian)?

What explains China‟s prowess in

infrastructure and manufacturing?

How does China grow so fast?

How can we communicate and negotiate?

What are China‟s strengths and weaknesses?



A Model to understand China

Most models draw on economic or political

rationales to explain China‟s ascent

Could science provide a better

explanation?



Science to the Rescue….

Explanation lies in human behaviour….

and language defines the human

Evolutionary biology, psycholinguistics

and

Neurosciences support a new model…



A new Model to understand China

Language influences Thought

Thought produces Behaviour

Collective Behaviour creates Culture

Culture develops Competences

Competences create Development



Influence of Language on Thinking

Deep early effects (perception)

Broad pervasive effects (gender, voices)

Big differences (concepts of time, space, writing, bilinguals)

Important consequences (naming, agency)

Language changes thinking!



The Chinese Language-1

Monosyllabic, tonal, ideographic, lingua

franca over 4000 years old unites China

Rules of grammar simple: no plurals, tense,

gender or case…. Concrete, specific, visual

„If God had taught man a language, thatlanguage would have been Chinese‟--

Leibnitz




Holistic nature of characters lays emphasis

on specificity, and on context for meaning

Neurology: pattern recognition..right brain

Characters specify sound and meaning

Unlike alphabets, no basis of general rules

Analogy and inductive logic, not abstract




Emphasis on written annals and historicalrecords (in India, oral tradition)

Chinese role models historical figures vs. Indian role models: mystic/mythological

Chinese language promotes integrated use

of the right and left brains‟ capabilities

From writing characters to manufacturing



Language & Heritage of India-1

Sanskrit grammar aids abstraction

Concepts, complexity, universality

Languages, diversity, creative thinking,

Parallel structure--different worlds




Monopoly of caste power creates an oral

culture

Complex grammar, rules for abstraction,

universality and ambiguity

Deductive logic of Sanskrit as a precursor

for software




Multiple languages, religions and races

English-speaking elite floats atop rural sea*

Learnt flexibility, adaptation but kept core

Complex verbal and thinking skills

Multiplicity of paths to human happiness



Influences of Language and Culture

Emphasis in China on historical records,annals--in India, oral tradition rules

Chinese role models historical figures vs.

Indian role models: mystic/mythological

Chinese language promotes use of whole

brain, and inductive, paradoxical logic

Indian languages develop verbal capacity

and deductive logic



Origins of the Indian and Chinese

civilizations

The Ethno-biology of the Yellow River

and the Indus



Ethno-biology of the Yellow River

Flooding and dykes on the Yellow River

Intensive River control needs Management

Authoritarian “Mandate of Heaven” and

the „automatic corruption meter‟

Steady southward expansion of the State

Linguistic, cultural and political unity



Ethno-biology of the Ganges

Abundant water and rich alluvial soil needs

light Management even for high population

Repeated conquests create diversity of

states with changing elite rulers and

stratified society

Natural barriers to expansion create

cultural but not political unity



“Ways Of Thinking” ie Competences

INDIA CHINA

Universal, Oral

Abstract,

Sequential,

Concrete, Pattern,

Particular, Visual

Holistic,

Diversity and

individuality

Mythology, legend

Unity across time

& space, collective

History, proverbs

Complexity

Flux & creativity

Practicality

Harmony, order

Deductive logic:

Left Brain

Inductive logic:

Left/Right Brain



“Ways Of Thinking”

INDIA CHINA

Linear, digital* Analogical, non-

linear

Influence throughParallel worlds

Influence throughConcentric circles

Melody Harmony

Reality is*:ambiguous, with

events in sequence

Reality is: specific,with events in a

flow



The Nature of Strategy-China

‘Opposite and complementary go together

(LT) Patterns integrate (ST) contradictions

Novel solutions by reformulating language:

‘Calling a thing by its right name’

Inductive, spiral and paradoxical thinking



Implications for Strategy-India

Diversify the field of engagement: expandeconomic ties, business, people-to-people ties

Devise complex and creative contexts:multilateral, multi-local, multi-functional

Operate parallel and multi-modal tracks of

engagement with no pre-determined agenda

Avoid being paralysed by the border issue



The Economic Implications for

India & China

Indian and Chinese skills complementary:

– So, collaborate based on India‟s strengths

– Not avoidance thro‟ fear of differences

– Unleash collaborative innovation engine

‘Maintain harmony though difference exists’



IT: software married to hardware

Manufacturing: design meets scale

Films: music with choreography

Medecine: healthcare and bioscience

Pharma: generics and bulk drugs

Management: Consulting and Infrastructure

Education: English & Pedagogy

Globalisation: Cultural fit & Finance Clout



And The Final Word On Learning….

(From Confucius)

• He who learns but does not think, is lost,

but……

• He who thinks but does not learn, is in

danger.



Thank you!

RaviBhoothalingam_2011May02

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