晚清士人对《天演论》自然知识的理解——以吴汝纶与孙宝瑄为例

The Understanding of Nature Knowledge Among Scholars in Late Imperial of China——A Case Study for Wu Rulun and Sun Baoxuan

《天演论》介绍的进化思想,以及其后的各种学说,在晚清士子中的接受程度颇为不同。透过对吴汝纶和孙宝瑄的研究,发现《天演论》并非使他们产生一个崭新的进化世界观,而在他们身上形成一种与传统自然知识相当奇妙的融合,他们似乎皆有以传统自然知识,尤其是理气论、气化论和易学思想为基础理解《天演论》的倾向。《天演论》所介绍的进化思想、原子机械论思想和对种种事物变化的叙述,则基本上被两人视为对宇宙秩序及其现象的更深刻描述。然而,《天演论》不能完全使晚清士人认同进化论;相反地,它所介绍的进化论同时遭到部分晚清士人的强烈质疑。之所以会造成这种两极化的理解,原因之一是《天演论》中已然蕴藏了大量的传统自然知识,在这个基础上导致了吴汝纶与孙宝瑄对进化论的误解。

I have been wondering whether the scholars in late imperial China understood Evolution & Ethic of Yan Fu.By analyzing Wu Rulun and Sun Baoxuan,I find it is not Evolution & Ethic that brings scholars a new view about world,but both of the scholars combine new theoretical systems with traditional thoughts.In a further way,they intended to adopt theories of Liqi(理气),Qihua(气化) and Yi(易学) for catching the thoughts in Evolution & Ethic.Moreover,the thoughts about evolution,atomic mechanism and all kinds of transformation basically became the explanations to universal orders.However,the scholars in late imperial China could not understand Evolution & Ethic totally at all.But alternatively,the two scholars argued about some traditional knowledge of nature on evolution process expressed inside the book and finally misunderstood the true essence of the Theory of Evolution.