在“李约瑟问题”之外 重观作为科学家的李约瑟

Beyond the Needham Question Rethinking of Joseph Needham as a scientist

李约瑟是一位对中国科学史和世界文明史研究影响至深的人物。但他在跨入科学文明史研究之前,首先是剑桥大学的生物化学家,曾在胚胎生物化学研究领域做出过开创性的工作并被遴选为皇家学会会员。中国读者对他前半生的科研经历和科学创见知之甚少。分析李约瑟童少年时代接受的科学教育,在剑桥大学的科研岁月,以及他与理论生物学小组的交往。期望通过他的经历一窥20世纪前半期生物学思想发展的一个侧影,并由此丰富对李约瑟的认识。

Joseph Needham is an influential figure in the history of Chinese science and the history of world civilization.While before he began his research on these,he was an biochemist of the University of Cambridge who has done pioneering work in the field of embryonic biochemistry and was selected as a fellow of the Royal Society.The Chinese are familiar with his side as a historian of science,but seldom know about his side as a scientist.This article makes a preliminary analysis of Joseph’s science education of his early years,his subsequent research life in the University of Cambridge and his association with the theoretical biology group,trying to research the development of biological thought in the first half of the 20 th century and enrich the understanding of him.