林语堂论科学与人文

Lin Yutang's View on Science and Humanities

林语堂是中国现代文学史上一位罕见的对科学与人文问题作了系统阐述的作家。他全面剖析了当时西方人在科学文明的繁华世界中堕落了的现实,挖掘出了西方科学文化的扩展与人文精神失落的深层次原因,并探讨了科学与人文协调发展的必要性与可能性。科学与人文协调发展的两个方向,即科学思想自我完善的内在过程与科学思想得人文化这一外在力量,两者缺一不可。就后者而言,中国传统的人文主义精神意义重大。这些真知灼见,对于把握当今仍然困扰我们的科学与人文问题,具有重要的借鉴意义。

Lin Yutang is one of the few writers in the history of modem Chinese literature., who systematically elaborated science and humanities. He analyzed the reality of Western degenertation in the world of scientific civilization, dug out the deeprooted causes of the expansion of Western science culture and the loss of humanistic spirit, and explored the possibility of and the need for coordinated development of science and humanities. There are two directions on coordinated development of science and humanities： the intrinsic process of self-improvement of scientific thought and the scientific culture as an external force. Both are indispensable. In the latter case, it is very significant to absorb humanistic spirit of Chinese tradition. These insights are still of important reference to study the problems of science and humanities today.