乔治·萨顿新人文主义思想的历史哲学理解

A Study of George Sarton's New Humanism from the Perspective of Philosophy of History

乔治·萨顿总是试图在更大的坐标系中来阐发科学史的意义与价值。这个坐标系是西方启蒙时代以来许多思想者一直致力构建的东西,主要形式是进步史观。进步史观在萨顿生活的时代遇到强烈危机,悲观主义渐次登上舞台。历史观中的乐观主义或悲观主义通常或立足于对科学的美好想象与期待,或立足于对科学的片面否定和拒斥。如何理解科学进展与历史进程的关系始终是一个没有得到系统回答的问题。萨顿提倡的新人文主义意在弥合科学与人文之间的分歧,也为一种新历史观奠定良好的基础。当萨顿提出科学史是人类历史中唯一清晰可辨的、明确无误的一种进步的论断时,他与乐观主义和悲观主义同样保持了距离。一方面,他毫不怀疑科学本身的进步,将科学史看作文明史的主要部分;另一方面,他提醒科学进步在人类历史中的“唯一性”,在科学求真之外,人类历史尚有求善与求美的内容,历史演进存在多重脉络。我们可以将萨顿历史观中的求真、求善、求美思想,进一步拓宽理解为人与自然关系、人与他人的关系、人与自己的关系。新人文主义的真正融合,不是体现在特定学科或者具体研究者身上,而是体现在新的历史观念中。

George Sarton always tries to explain the significance and value of the history of science in a larger system.This system is what many thinkers have been trying to construct since the age of Enlightenment,mainly in the form of progressive idea.The progressive idea encountered a strong crisis in Sarton's time,and pessimism gradually came to the stage.The optimism or pessimism in the view of history is usually based on the beautiful imagination and expectation of science,or on the one-sided denial and rejection of science.How to understand the relationship between scientific progress and historical process has always been a question that has not been systematically answered.The new humanism advocated by Sarton aims to bridge the gap between science and humanities,and also lays a good foundation for a new view of history.When Sarton makes the claim that the history of science is the only discernable and unmistakable progress in human history,he distances himself from both optimism and pessimism.On the one hand,he has no doubt about the progress of science itself,and regards the history of science as a major part of the history of civilization.On the other hand,he reminds that scientific progress is"unique"in human history,and in addition to science's pursuit of truth,human history also has the content of seeking goodness and beauty,and there are multiple threads in historical development.We can further broaden our understanding of the relationship between man and nature,between man and others,and between man and himself by applying Sarton's thoughts of seeking truth,seeking goodness and seeking beauty in his view of history.The true integration of the new humanism is not reflected in specific disciplines or specific researchers,but in the new understanding of history.