论吴文俊院士的数学史遗产

On Academician Wu Wen-tsun's Legacy of History of Mathematics

吴文俊院士从20世纪70年代中期开始其影响深远的中国数学史研究,为我们留下了宝贵的数学史遗产。吴文俊在数学史方面的主要贡献在于:吴文俊数学机械化的创立是古为今用、自主创新的典范;作为首位明确提出与希腊演绎式数学相并行的另一条数学发展主流的学者,吴文俊开启了中国数学史研究的新阶段;吴文俊丝绸之路数学与天文基金是激励青年学者研究中外数学天文交流史、探明现代数学多元文化来源的卓有远见的科学文化举措。结尾部分以论辩的形式进一步阐明了吴文俊数学史观的历史功绩。

Academician Wu Wen-tsun initiated his impacting research on the history of Chinese mathematics in the mid-1970 s,leaving us with a valuable legacy of analyzes the relationship between these achievements and the tradition of ancient Chinese mathematics(especially the mathematics in the Song and the Yuan Dynasties),and further illustrates the constructive and algorithmic characteristics of Oriental mathematics through the procedural'art'in Wasan.This paper holds that the development of Wasan based on the mathematics of the Song and the Yuan Dynasties can fully and effectively interpret Wu's understanding of the traditional Chinese mathematics.As for whether the traditional Chinese mathematics has truly influenced the development of modern Western mathematics,it is another historical issue that requires empirical research.Compared with the 'Needham Puzzle',Wu's historical view of traditional Chinese mathematics is more instructive for studying the history of Chinese science.