林恩·怀特的中世纪技术史研究及其当代意义

Lynn White’s Studies on the History of Medieval Technology and Their Contemporary Significances

林恩·怀特的中世纪技术史研究涉及广泛、影响重大。通过对能源、机械、农业等方面的论述,他表明西方中世纪取得了重大的技术成就。他进而认为中世纪以来西方的技术动力根本上来自拉丁基督教的思想。他的三个论题:马镫与封建制、农业革命、技术进步的基督教根源得到了正反双方的大量讨论,而他关于中世纪技术成就本身的研究得到了普遍的认可。

Lynn White’s studies on the history of medieval technology were extensive and influential.Through the discussions of energy,machinery,agriculture and other aspects,he showed that the Western Middle Ages achieved significant technical achievements.He further argued that the momentum of technology of the West since the Middle Ages was fundamentally based on Latin Christian ideas.His three theses:the stirrup and feudalism,the agricultural revolution,and the Christian roots of technological progress,were much debated on both sides,while the medieval achievements of technology themselves were generally accepted.