Chapter 305 - 235: Quantitative Social Science

Chapter 305: Chapter 235: Quantitative Social Science

THUD!

Chen Lin felt his heart contract violently.

Controllable nuclear fusion!

An Artificial Sun!

The holy grail of the energy sector!

As a veteran keyboard warrior who had spent years on various forums, Chen Lin had always thought of it as a concept confined to science fiction novels and the perpetual "just fifty years away" joke.

"Sir," Chen Lin’s voice was a bit hoarse with excitement, "are you saying... we’re close to a breakthrough in this area?"

If they could really pull this off, then the AI power gap, the energy crisis—all of it would be nothing but smoke!

Human civilization itself would ascend to a new level!

"The general direction is correct, and the engineering plans are under discussion."

The old man nodded and stated the facts. "However, the current plan has some issues with its mathematical model. The academicians and professors from the Science Academy and Huaqing Yanbei have been tackling it for a long time with no results."

"I’ve had meetings with them before. The project carries a certain degree of risk, so the plan must be absolutely perfect."

"The people from the Ministry of Science and Technology suggested we have you give it a try. If you’re up for it, stay in the Imperial Capital for a few extra days after the conference and discuss it with the comrades from the ministry who are in charge of the project."

Chen Lin felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

"I’m willing to give it a try!" Chen Lin answered without hesitation, a fire of excitement burning in his eyes.

Seeing Chen Lin’s eager expression, completely devoid of fear or hesitation, the smile in the old man’s eyes deepened.

He glanced at Chen Lin’s thin suit and asked, half-jokingly:

"Chen, once this project goes into closed-door development, it could take quite some time."

"Did you bring enough clothes with you to the Imperial Capital? If you end up staying for a long time, will you need someone to go to your home and get some for you?"

This was meant as a thoughtful gesture from the old man, a way to lighten the mood after the serious topic.

However, Chen Lin was slightly taken aback by the question.

Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

"Sir, there’s no need to get my clothes."

Chen Lin lightly adjusted the collar of his suit, his tone tinged with a faint confidence:

"It really depends on the difficulty of the math problem."

"If it’s just an issue at the mathematical model level..."

Chen Lin met the old man’s gaze and flashed a brilliant smile.

"I think if I put my mind to it, I can probably solve it the same day."

Silence.

A brief silence fell over the room.

Standing to the side, Qin Feng’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

’One day?’

’Solve a mathematical problem that has stumped all the academicians and professors in Huaxia for years?’

’Isn’t this young man a little too arrogant?’

However, the old man sitting opposite him, after a moment of stunned surprise, found his eyes suddenly lighting up.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The old man burst into hearty laughter, a sound filled with magnanimity and delight.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The old man said "Good!" three times in a row, reaching out to clap Chen Lin heavily on the shoulder.

"I like this spirit of yours!"

"The young should be daring, both in thought and in action! They must have the sharp audacity to poke a hole in the sky!"

After discussing the two main issues, the old man didn’t rush to see his guest out. Instead, he enthusiastically pulled Chen Lin into some casual conversation.

Of course, at this level, "casual conversation" wasn’t about mundane, everyday matters. Their discussion ranged from the popularization of basic mathematics education to reforms in the scientific research system, and even touched upon the future impact of artificial intelligence on social ethics.

For the most part, Chen Lin acted as a quiet listener.

Although he was now at the "pinnacle" of the mathematics world, in these fields of macro-strategy and social sciences, he knew very well that he was still a fledgling student.

The old man possessed decades of experience and a bird’s-eye view of the world. A single casual remark from him often felt like clouds parting to reveal the sun to Chen Lin.

This kind of learning opportunity was far more precious than any system reward.

Before he knew it, an hour had passed on the wall clock.

The old man glanced at the time, seemingly not yet ready to end the conversation. But he had other work scheduled, so he smiled and picked up his teacup.

"Alright, I’ve kept you talking for so long without realizing. When you get old, you tend to get a bit long-winded."

Chen Lin quickly stood up. "Sir, I’ve learned a great deal today."

The old man smiled and waved his hand, then, as if remembering something, his expression turned a bit more serious.

"Before you go, there are two more things I’d like to tell you."

Chen Lin immediately stood at attention. "Please, go ahead."

"The first is a personal matter." A hint of warmth flashed in the old man’s eyes. "Academician Xiang’s health isn’t very good right now, but he’s always talking about you. If it weren’t for his strong recommendation, your spot as an outstanding talent in the Ten Thousand Talents Program wouldn’t have been approved so easily. If you have the time, remember to visit him in Yuxi again."

"Don’t worry, Sir." Chen Lin nodded solemnly. "That was already part of my plan. I intend to visit him again before the end of the year."

"Good. That’s very thoughtful of you."

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then raised a second finger.

"This second matter is just my personal opinion."

"I know you studied Chinese Language and Literature for the first two years of your undergraduate degree. You were a liberal arts student."

Chen Lin scratched his head, embarrassed. "Yes. I didn’t think too much about it when I chose my major back then. I just thought it would be great not to have to take math. Who knew that later on..."

The old man chuckled. "Who knew you’d become a mathematician? What does that tell you? It tells you that the boundaries between disciplines are man-made. They shouldn’t become boxes that constrain talent."

After laughing, the old man’s expression became serious again.

"There’s a fierce debate in academia lately, a so-called ’uselessness of humanities’ theory. The argument is that in this era of rapid technological development, humanities research can neither build rockets nor create computer chips, so it’s a waste of resources."

Chen Lin’s heart skipped a beat.

To be honest, as a sophomore in the Chinese Language and Literature department, before he obtained the system, he too had spent countless nights feeling lost.

Watching his STEM peers busy with experiments, publishing papers, and receiving high-paying job offers while he worried about being unemployed after graduation, he had, deep down, agreed with that viewpoint to some extent.

"That’s actually not the case."

The old man shook his head, his gaze profound.

"The humanities are not only useful, but tremendously so. However—"

The old man’s tone shifted.

"Our research methods in the humanities have indeed reached a point where they need to evolve with the times."

"In the past, social sciences relied on qualitative analysis, fieldwork, and empirical summaries. But in the age of big data and artificial intelligence, that is far from enough."

"Interdisciplinary research is the future."

"Basic statistical models are already widely used in economics and sociology. But the kind of thing you’re good at—the deep application of complex mathematical models, or even large AI models, in the humanities—that’s still a blue ocean, and a difficult one at that."

The old man looked at Chen Lin and said earnestly:

"Chen, you have a foundation in the humanities, a top-tier mathematical mind, and now you’ve also mastered the most advanced AI tools."

"If you have the spare energy, you might want to pay more attention to this direction."

"There’s no rush. This isn’t an assignment, just something for you to keep in mind."

Chen Lin was lost in thought.

’Quantifying the social sciences with mathematics? Analyzing human history with AI?’

’That sounds... rather interesting.’

"Sir, I’ll remember this." Chen Lin nodded solemnly. "I’ll look into research in this area when I get back."

"Good. Off you go, then."

The old man stood up and once again firmly shook Chen Lin’s hand.

"Go on, young man. Be bold."