中西“实学”之辨——明清间来华耶稣会士对中国文化的影响

On "Solid Learning" in China and That in the West: Jesuits' Influence Upon Chinese Culture during Ming & Qing Dynasties

明清之际 ,以利玛窦为代表的耶稣会士为了达到传播基督福音之目的 ,翻译介绍了大量的西方科学书籍 ,希望中国人能由科学真理走向启示真理。他们所传入的科学 ,对当时的部分中国士大夫产生了较大的影响。他们的贡献不仅在于传入了一些新科学或学科 ,还在于他们把西方的科学理念带到了中国。中国的学术在以孔子为代表的儒家思想的影响下 ,强调的是人的道德层面 ,重身心 ,轻实用 ,并认为修身之类才是“实学” ;而把具体的科技斥之为“器末” ,是不“入流”。这是中国为什么有科技成就而没有系统的科学的原因。相比较而言 ,西方哲学从亚里士多德时代起在重视人的道德层面的同时 ,一开始就强调对事物对自然的究诘 ;这与西方科学文明的形成是密不可分的。这样 ,西方所强调的“实学”更是一种能带来物质文明的“实学”。跟西方的“实学”相比 ,中国古代所强调的“实学” ,倒更像是空疏之学。所以 ,本文通过对双方“实学”的比较研究 ,试图从这个角度看中西文化在这个方面的差异 。

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Matheo Ricci and other Jesuits came to China to preach Christian doctrines. In order to attract intellectuals and to achieve a better effect, they translated and spread a wealth of Western science literature, which was mostly alien to China. Influenced by Confucianism, traditional Chinese learning exerted the greatest impact on morality of man to the neglect of science and technology, and such learning, which paid much attention to 'Shenxin' (body and mind), was regarded as 'shixue' (solid learning) in traditional China. While European philosophy from Greek stresses not only the morality of man but also the pursuits of nature as well and the Scientific Civilization, which, called 'truly solid learning' by Matteo Ricci, is closely associated with Greek philosophy. Comparatively speaking, the Western 'solid learning' is more like the 'solid learning' than that in traditional China. The paper is intended to make it clear that the Jesuits did influence traditional China very much and marked the turning point from which China began to turn to the whole world.