摘要
徐家汇观象台是由来华耶稣会士于1873年在上海建立的,其在华科学工作是当时西人海外科学活动的一部分。对于这一机构,法国《自然》杂志在报道时,特别强调正是通过像徐台这样的海外科学机构的工作,科学带来的福利被散播到世界各处,即海外科学活动的开展是用科学造福于当地民众及其国家之举,同时这些工作也彰显了法国荣誉。这一态度在当时的西人媒体中是具有代表性的,也反映了彼时对于科学的认识。基于对科学的相同认识,当时的中国研究者对徐台表现出一种矛盾的态度,既赞赏徐台所做工作在科学研究上的价值,但又对于此类工作由外国人在中国境内完成感到遗憾。
The Zi-Ka-Wei Observatory was founded by French Jesuits in Shanghai in 1873, and was one of the important scientific institutions established overseas by westerners at that time. The popular French science magazine La Nature published some articles introducing this observatory and the research being carried out there. These articles emphasized how the benefits of science were being spread all over the world by their work and that of similar institutions, that the work was intended to benefit local people and their country as well as bring honor to France. This attitude was typical among western journals at the time and also reflected the current understanding of science. Based on the same understanding of science, the attitude towards the Zi-Ka-Wei Observatory among Chinese scientific researchers was ambivalent. They really admired the scientific work being carried out by the Jesuits there, however, considering the importance of the work, its confidential nature and the dignity of their own country, they thought it should be being done by Chinese scientists, not foreigners.
作者
吴燕
WU Yan(Institute for History of Science and Technology,Inner Mongolia Normal University,Hohhot 010022,China)
出处
《自然科学史研究》
CSSCI
CSCD
北大核心
2019年第2期230-247,共18页
Studies in The History of Natural Sciences
基金
国家社科基金西部项目“法国《自然》杂志中的西人在华科学考察研究(1873-1949)”(项目编号:18XZS021)
