Abstract
It is widely recognized that the faults brought about by the scientific/technological civilization of the 20th century almost cancel its merits. Controlling the scientific civilization is therefore the most important task left for the next generations. Historical considerations reveal two pairs of opposing outlooks: growth vs. homeostasis and reductionism vs. holism, as the principal protagonists in the evolution of thoughts on science and technology. The 21st century civilization is predicted to emphasize homeostasis and holism, rather than pursuing growth of promoting reductionism. Control of the scientific civilization means striking balance between the four views. The idea of the system, which gave rise to the soft technology, was derived from homeostatic/holistic thinking. Civilization as a man-science/technology system should be the central idea in developing ways of controlling civilization.
