论李约瑟的中西哲学比较研究

A Study of Dr. Joseph Needham's Comparison of Chinese Philosophy and Western Philosophy

从哲学对科学技术发展之影响的视角来比较中西哲学的异同,是李约瑟解决"中国为什么未能产生近代科学技术"问题的思路之一。他通过把道家、墨家和名家的哲学与西方哲学相比较,提出了中国科学史的最大悲剧是道家的自然洞见未能与墨家的逻辑相结合的观点;通过把儒家哲学与西方哲学作比较,提出了儒家只注重研究"事"而不注重研究"物",因而阻碍了科学发展的观点;通过把"中国科学哲学的三大基本理论"(五行说、阴阳说、《易经》思想体系)与西方哲学相比较,提出了《易经》思想体系对于科学发展"几乎从一开始就是一种灾难性的障碍"的观点。他既从中国融入世界历史进步潮流之需要的角度,指出了反思中世纪传统观念的必要性;又从科学发展的新趋势和解决当代全球性问题的思想高度,肯定了中国哲学的有机自然主义和伦理精神所具有的现代价值和世界意义。

Dr. Joseph Needham tries to answer the question 'why didn't scientific technology in early modern times emerge in China?' through a comparison of Chinese philosophy and Western philosophy based on an analysis of the influence of philosophy on the development of scientific technology. By a comparison between Western philosophy and Taoism,Mohism and Confucianism,he points out that the greatest tragedy in the history of Chinese science is that the Taoist natural philosophy fails to merge into the Mohist logic while Confucianism attaches importance to the study of 'things'rather than 'objects',which hinders scientific development. His comparison of Western philosophy with the three basic scientific theories( Five-elements theory,the YinYang theory,The Book of Changes) in China reveals that the ideas in The Book of Changes are a catastrophe to the scientific development of China. He also emphasizes the necessity of reflecting the traditional ideas of the Middle Ages if China wants to follow the trend of the world. Besides,he thinks highly of the modern value and world-wide significance of the organic naturalism and ethics with a consideration of the new scientific development and globalization.