试论儒学与科学的相容性

A Discussion on the Compatibility of Confucianism and Science

相当一部分人对儒学与科学的相容关系持有根深蒂固的误解。这些误解不消除,儒学的复兴将会阻力重重。儒学与科学的相容性既是一个理论问题,也是一个事实问题。从事实上看,中国古代,科学在相当程度上依附于儒学;近代,不仅西方科学在中国的传播自始至终在格物穷理的名义下进行,而且儒学的每一次转型,都既有其西方科学的动因,也深刻影响了西方科学的传播和发展;在现代,科学是儒学现代化的坐标,儒学则是消弭科技负面后果的重要思想资源。从理论上看,儒学与科学之所以具有相容性,说到底是因为二者在精神气质上具有相通之处。在一定意义上,二者的关系表现为"善"与"真"的关系。求善把"真"作为前提性环节,求真也离不开"善"的导向和规范,从而决定了二者必然具有相容性。

There are many people holding entrenched misunderstandings of the compatibility between Confucianism and science.If the misunderstanding is not eliminated,the revival of Confucianism will be faced with tough resistance.The compatibility of Confucianism and science is not only aquestion of theory,but also a question of practice.In ancient China,the development of science relied heavily on Confucianism;in recent history,not only has the spread of Western science in China been proceeding in the name of'obtaining knowledge of things'(a Confucian concept),but every transformation of Confucianism also both had the agent of Western science,and deeply influenced the spread and development of Western science.In modern era,science acts as the coordinate of modernization of Confucianism,and Confucianism was an important resource of thoughts to dispel the negative consequences of science and technology.Theoretically,the compatibility of Confucianism and science ultimately lies in the essential similarities of the two.In a sense,the relation between them is the relation between the good and the true.Pursuit of the good should take the true as a prerequisite,and pursuit of the true also needs the guidance and criterion of the good,thus the compatibility of Confucianism and science is inevitable.