简论晚明“西洋哲学”之输入

On the Introduction of Western Philosophy in the Late Ming Dynasty

《记法》专门探讨"记忆"问题,是一部介绍西洋"认识论"或"知识论"的专著。《童幼教育》是教育学及伦理学专著,属哲学之一支,既是介绍"西洋法学"、"西洋医学"入中国之最早文献之一,亦是引介"西洋神学"及"西洋大学"之最早文献之一,可说"太西总学之大略"已赖此书输入中国。《西学凡》介绍了哲学学科四年之课程(第一年逻辑学,第二年物理学,第三年形而上学,第四年数学与伦理学),已经把当时"西洋哲学"之全部内容包含完了。《灵言蠡勺》分四篇,一论灵魂之体,二论灵魂之能,三论灵魂之尊,四论灵魂所向美好之情,是晚明一部专门介绍西洋"灵魂"学说之哲学典籍。这些书在中国之刻印,正值"西洋近代哲学"之发源期,它们没有把"西洋近代哲学"介绍到中国来,但却把"西洋近代哲学"之前的"西洋哲学"介绍到中国来了。近代以前"西洋哲学"之完整框架,已经在弗.培根活动的那时节,出现在晚明中国学术界。

A Treatise on Mnemonics is dedicated to exploring memory, an introduction of Western epistemology or theory of knowledge; Child Education, a monograph concerning pedagogy and ethics, introduced first Western medicine and law into China; an introduction to western learning introduced the four-year curriculum of philosophical disciplines; On the Soul is a philosophical masterpiece of discussing Western soul theory. When these books were published, it happened to form modern Western philosophy. Therefore, they introduced older Western philosophy than Western modern philosophy into China, that is, the complete framework of pre-modern Western philosophy was introduced into China academia in in the late Ming Dynasty when F. Bacon lived.