Liu Jianjun: the false faith in social sciences

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Liu Jianjun: the false faith in social sciences<br>Disillusioned polisci professor at Fudan believes what he studies and teaches to be a "self-indulgent fantasy" that may be superfluous to human knowledge.

Sihan ZHAO and Yuxuan JIA<br>Jun 14, 2025

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刘建军 Liu Jianjun, Professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University and President of the Shanghai Yilian Centre for Social Governance, moans the “self-indulgent fantasy” of social sciences after more than 30 years navigating its tangle of paradigms, variables, and intellectual vanity. Most of it, he says, is useless and a performative means to survive.<br>In a blistering, almost confessional essay, Liu launches a broadside against the excesses of social science, especially political science, not just questioning its relevance to understanding and reality, but also rebuking the discipline for the “sin of knowledge”—disorienting human perceptions with a deluge of burdensome, redundant textual clutter. Drawing on everyone from Han Feizi to Henry Kissinger, Liu urges a downsizing of the field and suggests a return to practical wisdom and even literature.

This is a highly controversial view, one with which I personally disagree. In the age of artificial intelligence, the relative decline of the humanities and social sciences has sparked international debate, and it is a topic of growing concern in China as well. With the tough employment landscape, fields like the liberal arts, already challenging in terms of job prospects, are increasingly being shunned or regarded with disdain. This article may be part of that broader conversation.<br>We are sure criticism and denunciation will follow in response to this article. That is precisely why we have chosen to publish it.<br>—Yuxuan Jia<br>The article was originally published in January 2025 on the official WeChat blog of the Shanghai Yilian Centre for Social Governance, a self-described non-governmental organisation dedicated to supporting community development and social governance through research, policy consulting, institutional development, and project design. It’s led by Liu, the author.

文科不会消亡，但需要缩水

The Humanities Won’t Die Out, But They Must Downsize

I’m writing this short piece for one reason alone: after nearly half a century of reading, my mind feels utterly exhausted. The sheer weight of so many ideas and so much knowledge has left me battered and overwhelmed. Years ago, I came across an English book titled The Sin of Knowledge. This is a rather extreme assertion, yet today’s information explosion lends it a certain validity.<br>This got me thinking: My intellectual world is in dire need of pruning. I must extricate myself from this oppressive realm of knowledge. Let me be clear—these reflections and judgments concern only me. Neither are they commentary on others, nor on political science or the social sciences at large. So, no need to read yourself into them. I’m simply pondering how to wring the excess from my own knowledge and travel light.<br>Let me state my central thesis upfront: I’ve come to believe that the vast majority of research in the social sciences—especially political science—contributes little of real value and may even be superfluous to human knowledge. If so, then neither nations nor societies need so many people devoted to studying these fields.<br>Ironically, it’s often those outside the social sciences who see this most clearly. They recognise that many so-called “findings” in these fields are not about uncovering truth or enlightening life, but about burdening humanity with unnecessary constructs, wishful thinking, and intellectual self-indulgence. There’s no harm in studying social sciences out of sheer interest. But to presume one’s writing can uncover truths or dictate the course of history? That’s pure delusion.<br>The more I read political science books, the stronger my scepticism, aversion, and despair toward the discipline grow. After more than 30 years of studying in this field, my overall impression is this: the more I read, the more confused I am, the more hollow I feel, the more ignorant I become, and the less interesting it all appears.<br>I once told my mentor, Professor Cao Peilin of Fudan University, that the biggest regret of my life was studying political science under him. The esteemed professor then took the time to write me a letter by hand, and its core message boiled down to two words: regret not. I now keep that letter in a treasured spot in my study, taking it out to read from time to time. To be honest, regret is pointless now! There’s no turning back in life.<br>So what’s to be done? My current research on the politics of capital cities is an attempt to ground political science in a tangible space, making it more concrete and engaging. In 2024, I taught a graduate course at Fudan University’s School of International Relations and Public Affairs titled...