机械技艺含义在中世纪欧洲的演变

Evolution of Artes Mechanicae in Medieval Europe

中世纪早期的欧洲思想家承继了古典世界对机械技艺的知识怀疑,仅将其作为手工技艺的一种,直到十二世纪圣维克多的于格将机械技艺具体规定为七种,并赋予其在哲学、宗教和伦理道德等方面的内涵,使其获得知识和宗教上的认可。基尔沃比总结了欧洲中世纪机械技艺思想的发展状况,并在于格的机械技艺思想基础上用亚里士多德、阿拉伯自然哲学和数学上的概念取代了对其宗教上的认可。机械技艺含义在中世纪欧洲的演变不仅反映出当时思想家关于知识的本质和内容等观念的转变,而且有助于理解技术融入西方世界观的过程。

Early medieval European thinkers inherited the classical world＇s knowledge skepticism of artes mechanicae, and regarded it only as a kind of craftsmanship. In the twelfth century Hugh of St. Victor specified as many as seven kinds of artes mechanicae, and gave them philosophical, religious and ethical connotations. As a result, they got epistemological and religious recognition. Robert Kilwardby summarized the development of medieval ideas of artes mechanicae in Europe, and replaced religious recognition with Aristotelian and Arabian natural philosophy and mathematical concepts on the basis of the ideas of Hugh of St.Victor. The evolution of artes mechanicae in the Middle Ages not only reflects the changes of thinkers＇ conceptions about the essence and content of knowledge, but also helps to understand the process of integrating technology into the Western world view.