Agricultural Digitization and Zhongyong Philosophy : Creating a Sustainable Circular Economy

This interdisciplinary book combines digital technology with Eastern philosophy to examine how the concept of Zhongyong in Confucianism can be used to coordinate digital technology with sustainable agriculture. Zhongyong comes from the connotation of moderate and sustainable in ancient Chinese culture. It is with this concept in mind that this book presents a novel collaboration between philosophy and computer technology to explain how Zhongyong can play an important part in realizing agricultural digitization within a circular economy in order to help solve the current food crisis. The book examines two popular, yet contradictory, digital technologies―blockchain and the green data center. It showcases how the use of traditional Chinese Zhongyong can promote the decentralization of blockchain and the centralization of the green data center and explains the advantages of using both technologies simultaneously. The book puts forward a digital circular agricultural framework that embeds both blockchain and the green data center through an actual case study. While this book specifically focuses on agriculture, it also provides readers with a new perspective for thinking further on how to break down the disciplinary barriers between the social sciences and natural sciences. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of agriculture, digital technologies, circular economy, sustainable development, and Eastern philosophy. This interdisciplinary book combines digital technology with Eastern philosophy to examine how the concept of Zhongyong in Confucianism can be used to coordinate digital technology with sustainable agriculture.Zhongyong comes from the connotation of moderate and sustainable in ancient Chinese culture. It is with this concept in mind that this book presents a novel collaboration between philosophy and computer technology to explain how Zhongyong can play an important part in realizing agricultural digitization within a circular economy in order to help solve the current food crisis. The book examines two popular, yet contradictory, digital technologies—blockchain and the green data center. It showcases how the use of traditional Chinese Zhongyong can promote the decentralization of blockchain and the centralization of the green data center and explains the advantages of using both technologies simultaneously. The book puts forward a digital circular agricultural framework that embeds both blockchain and the green data center through an actual case study. While this book specifically focuses on agriculture, it also provides readers with a new perspective for thinking further on how to break down the disciplinary barriers between the social sciences and natural sciences.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of agriculture, digital technologies, circular economy, sustainable development, and Eastern philosophy. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Information 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Abbreviations 7 1 Agricultural Digitalization and Its Advantages 10 References 13 2 The Concept, Connotation, and Logic of the Zhongyong 17 References 26 3 Green Data Center and Blockchain: A Systematic Overview 28 References 32 4 Technical Contradiction and Commonality: Centralization, Decentralization, and Pervasiveness 36 References 45 5 Confucian “Zhongyong” 49 “Zhongyong” and Eclecticism 49 “Zhongyong” and Egalitarianism 51 “Zhongyong” and Compromise 53 References 57 6 Digital Transformation Project of Beijing Liuminying Ecological Farm 59 References 85 Conclusion: Integration of Zhongyong and Digital Technology Has a Bright Prospect 87 References 91 Index 93 digitization;,agriculture;,Eastern;,sustainable;,zhongyong;,technology;,digital;,philosophy digitization,agriculture,Eastern,sustainable,zhongyong,technology,digital,philosophy