Plotinian Methodology and Hermeneutics： Philosophy or History of Philosophy？

The present paper has a double aim： （1） it attempts to present an aspect of Plotinus＇ philosophical and hermeneutical methodology on the basis of relevant remarks in the treatise ＂On Eternity and Time＂; （2） it seeks to connect this attitude with contemporary methodological questions concerning the relation between philosophy and history of philosophy. After an introduction where it is emphasized that the term ＂Neo-Platonism＂ is of recent coinage, I exploit David Sedley＇s remarks regarding the function of ancient philosophical schools： the quest for the ＂correct＂ interpretation of the school＇s founder as a philosophical enterprise in itself is not an exclusively Neoplatonic characteristic. Nonetheless, the example of Plotinus＇ Enneads III.7, owing to the complexity of its theme, shows that Plotinus does not pay attention only to the Platonic teachings regarding eternity and time, but also to all the other philosophical schools＇ theories, including the Epicurean. The aim is the ascertainment of the truth inherent in them and its apt interpretation. Hence, I follow Steven K. Strange （1950-2009）, who relates the Plotinian methodology to Aristotle＇s endoxic method. After a presentation of similarities and differences between the two philosophers, I conclude that the problematic features posed by several philosophical theories are resolved via an innovative Plotinian reading of Plato. Thus, the non-Platonic theories play a role in the more adequate interpretation of Plato, which is identified with the successful answer to the philosophical problems. This fact makes us wonder as to the best characterization of Plotinus＇ enterprise： philosophy or history of philosophy？ Although the question is somehow anachronistic, Plotinus gives an explicit response in his aforementioned tractate： to the extent that he is interested in solving philosophical problems, rather than compiling a ＂catalogue＂ of past philosophical positions, his enterprise is not historical, but philosophical. Two final corollaries stem from this： （i） to a certain extent, the previous enunciation explains the Neoplatonic reading of Plato; （ii） it teaches us that the difference between philosophizing and a historical treatment of philosophy does not lie only on the content, but also on the manner according to which the interpreter approaches past or contemporary philosophers.

The Crisis of Historicism and the Correlation Between Nationalism and Neo-Kantian Philosophy of History in the Interwar Period

Recent historiographic studies of cultural exchanges between Germany and Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries have tended to neglect the mutual influence of the two countries＇ intellectuals; as a result, there is insufficient appreciation of the extent to which historiography and philosophy were appropriated by the politics of the Interwar period. This article focuses on attempts by neo-Kantian philosophers to overcome the crisis of historicism, and on the impact of this crisis on Greek intellectuals＇ perceptions of historicism. The study shows that at the time historicism invoked the past to solve the problems of the present. My purpose is to show that in a time of crisis, Germany＇s pursuit of its Greekness in conformity with the Bildung tradition, and Greece＇s cultural dependence on Germany in the meaning-making of its own Greekness, shared common ground in the ideological uses of philosophy and history in the service of politics and the politics of culture. In the aftermath of WWI, German scholars raised the issue of the crisis of historicism. Neo-Kantian philosophers such as Heinrich Rickert, whose theory had a major impact on Greek intellectuals, became involved in this debate, posing the question of historical objectivity. Yet Rickert＇s philosophy of history soon fell into an impasse, leading to the rise of an idealist philosophy of history in the 1930s that committed itself anew to the dominant politics. In the 1930s, under the guise of idealism, Greek neo-Kantian intellectuals were claiming an objective historical narrative of the traumatic experience from 1922 onwards, which fit into the structure of an idealized ahistorical and mythic past, and which, as a hegemonic discourse, excluded its political enemies and propagandized the political struggle towards the fulfillment of the nation＇s historical and spiritual mission.

The History Continues： Reflections About the Theory of the End of History From Francis Fukuyama

Fukuyama＇s thesis about ＂the end of history＂ is controversial. History is not an ideology. History cannot be ended, if by history we mean the past, which we remember and interpret for the purpose of orientating ourselves in the present and the future. Fukuyama has a right to declare the victory of liberal democracy, but other political ideologies have not become extinct. If we look at the thesis of the ＂end of history＂ from a scientific point of view, then we can conclude that such a thing is impossible： for after the ＂end of history＂, history continues. Therefore, there is no real end to history. It is continuing a quarter of a century after the Fukyama＇s thesis was published. Even if we can accept the thesis of the end of history as an ideology, we still cannot accept the end of philosophy. Phenomenology, Critical Realism, Existentialist Philosophy Hermeneutics, Structuralism, etc. are just some of the evidence that contemporary philosophy continues to exist and evolve despite the rising and falling of various ideologies in the twentieth century and the early twenty-first century. This can also be said about art, culture, and history as a science

The Possibility of Returning to Experience:The Essence of Philosophical History in Chinese Philosophy and Its Reflection

The Chinese construction of the science of philosophy takes as its basic form the narrative of the history of philosophy.The introduction into Chinese philosophy of the normative character of philosophy and its problem framework via the narrative of the history of philosophy has to some extent enabled the practice of philosophy to remain separate from the norms and methods of traditional Chinese thought.Philosophical norms and problem frameworks from the West have changed the happenings of the historical world towards the eternal Dao of the classical world into intellectual texts,and have transformed the situationbased expressive strategy that develops the principles of things in the world of concrete experience into concepts and categories.As a consequence of these two positions,the ground of Chinese philosophy,based as it is on the history of philosophy,may not only be separated from the everlasting world of experience of the classics,but may also be divorced from the present experience of the modernization process.If we start from an analysis of the historicity of the Chinese intellectual tradition and its classical character,Chinese philosophy has obtained the possibility of returning to experience by means of parsing jishi yanli,a way of thinking that uses the investigation of things to fathom principles.The pathway of integrating philosophical thinking and experience will enhance and stimulate the contemporary value of the classics.More importantly,regarding the unique methods and strategies of expression in traditional Chinese thought as a general philosophical approach can facilitate the promotion of the construction of a world philosophy oriented toward currentexperience.

Walter Benjamin： A New Positive Concept of Destruction

The author＇s proposal is to show how an apparently marginal text by Walter Benjamin, ＂The Destructive Character＂, can be taken as a hermeneutic model for understanding the connection of Benjamin＇s with history and tradition and for characterizing his thought as philosophy of threshold. It is the author＇s intention to show how the destructive character, on the threshold between destruction and construction, succeeds in remaining in that transition area that announces a change, showing its creative and conservative features; thus it appears as a figure of coexistence between stillness and movement, passage and interruption, and past and future. What the author wants to point out is that, in the description of this figure, Benjamin is driven by a cognitive demand, which tends to focalize the process of destruction itself rather than the result of the destruction process. The space in which the destructive character is acting is the space of the possibility of change and emancipation, and the space where it is possible to keep together past and future, and memory and redemption. Starting from these reflections, an important question arises about the problem of the relation between history and tradition, and culture and its memory： Neither the destruction of memory by a culture nor its canonization is meaningful. The concept of destructive character then represents a preferential point of observation for analyzing the articulations of Benjamin＇s thought. From this perspective, a decisive point of Benjamin＇s reflection seems to emerge on one side, strengthened in the permeation of Hebraic ancestors between destruction and salvation; on the other side, some of the concepts and images of the Berliner philosopher seem to show up in a new light.

Analysis of interval constants in calendars affiliated with the Shoushili

We study interval constants that are related to motions of the Sun and Moon, i.e., the Qi, Intercalation, Revolution and Crossing interval, in calendars affiliated with the Shoushi calendar （Shoushili）, such as Datongli and Chiljeongsannaepyeon. It is known that these interval constants were newly introduced in the Shoushili calendar and revised afterward, except for the Qi interval constant, and the revised values were adopted in later calendars affiliated with the Shoushili. We first investigate the accu- racy of these interval constants and then the accuracy of calendars affiliated with the Shoushili in terms of these constants by comparing times for the new moon and the maximum solar eclipse calculated by each calendar with modem methods of calcula- tion. During our study, we found that the Qi and Intercalation interval constants used in the early Shoushili were well determined, whereas the Revolution and Crossing interval constants were relatively poorly measured. We also found that the interval constants used by the early Shoushili were better than those of the later one, and hence better than those of Datongli and Chiljeongsannaepyeon. On the other hand, we found that the early Shoushili is, in general, a worse calendar than Datongli for use in China but a better one than Chiljeongsannaepyeon for use in Korea in terms of times for the new moon and when a solar eclipse occurs, at least for the period 1281 - 1644. Finally, we verified that the times for sunrise and sunset in the Shoushili-Li-Cheng and Mingshi are those at Beijing and Nanjing, respectively.

Edmund Becher Wilson＇s Early Contributions to the Chromosome Theory of Heredity： A Case Study of Instrumentalism in Science

The chromosome theory of inheritance was established during the three first decades of the 20th century. During the early stage of its substantiating, there were lots of puzzles and little evidence that could validate it. The cytological processes were obscure and several scientists maintained serious doubts concerning the existence of a connection between Mendel＇s principles and the behaviour of chromosomes during cell division. It was vital to associate an external, observable characteristic of the organism to a specific chromosome, and this was achieved when sex was connected to special chromosomes. At that time, however, some important scholars refused to accept or delayed acceptance of the conception that the hereditary factors （later called genes） were physical entities located along the chromosomes. Such was the case of Thomas Morgan （1866-1945） and William Bateson （186 I- 1926）. Their attitudes could be explained by considering the doubtful ground of the hypothesis at that time. It is more difficult, however, to understand the attitude of Edmund Beecher Wilson （1856-1939）. Being an expert in cytology he was acquainted with all the difficulties concerning the chromosome hypothesis. Nonetheless, from 1905 onward, he attributed little weight to the problems and dedicated a notable effort to obtaining evidence that could have grounded it. This paper analyses Wilson＇s attitude focusing on his studies from 1900 to 1915 and the scientific context of this period. This study led to the conclusion that Wilson＇s attitude could be explained in methodological terms by the adoption of an instrumentalist attitude, while Bateson and Morgan adopted a realistic perspective.

Discussion on the Fundamental Role of Traditional Culture in the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine--Using Ophthalmology As An Example

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)was developed from and is rooted in traditional Chinese culture.Nowadays,the Chinese state attaches great importance to the development of TCM and has implemented a series of policies and measures.This paper first demonstrates the rationality of the view that"traditional culture plays a fundamental role in the development of TCM",and analyzes the influence of traditional culture on the development of TCM from the perspective of philosophy and religion,in order to have a deeper understanding of the formation and development process of TCM.Finally,taking ophthalmology of TCM as an example,this paper discusses the importance of the continual inheritance of traditional culture and development of TCM.

Promoting Public Understanding in the Science of Geology

Geology is perhaps the most fascinating of the natural sciences, due to its all-encompassing nature. Virtually all human activities that occur on planet Earth--including agriculture, energy and mineral resource exploration and extraction; environmental and public policy on natural resources management and protection; land use planning; infrastructure development; and ecological tourism--all depend on various aspects of geology and its sub-disciplines. Due to the importance of geology in the daily lives of human beings, it is imperative that all persons develop at least a basic understanding of the science. In this paper, the current efforts for promoting public understanding in geology will be examined, with offerings of alternatives and supplements to these efforts. Information from the science education sub-disciplines of HPS （history, philosophy and sociology） of science, and informal/free-choice learning will be woven into the framework of the geology-public understanding idea.

Three Versions on tian's Translations in Doctrine of the Mean

Since ancient times,"heaven"has been indispensable in the traditional books of the communist party of China.The English translation of traditional books has become the mainstream of The Times.Currently,the translation levels of the translated versions are uneven,and there are great differences in the translation of some keywords.This paper mainly discusses the different translations of"heaven"in section 1 of the English translation of theof the Mean by James Legge,Gu Hongming,Roger T.Ames and David Hall.

“Neo-Confucian(ism)”概念的翻译、流传与阐发——以冯友兰的学术生涯为中心

冯友兰在美国留学期间(1920-1923)使用并阐发了西方创造的“Neo-Confucian(ism)”概念,回国后(1924-1926)首次将其翻译为中文“新儒家(学)”概念。其后由于建构宋明儒学史的需要,加上“新儒学”概念意义的不确定性,1932年底以后,冯友兰在其中论著中转而使用包括程朱理学与陆王心学在内的传统“道学”概念来指称宋明新儒学。但李石岑(1926)、谢扶雅(1928)、陈寅恪(1934)等人都在冯友兰的影响下使用了这一概念。20世纪40年代以后,“新儒家(学)”概念又被用来指称现当代等其他时代的新儒家(学),标志着这一概念在当时国内学术界通行起来。20世纪50年代前后,卜德翻译冯友兰的《中国哲学简史》《中国哲学史》等论著的流行,又促进了“Neo-Confucian(ism)”概念的普及。在“Neo-Confucian(ism)”概念的传播及阐发过程中,继承宋明新儒学并倡导返本开新的海内外现代新儒家(以冯友兰、狄百瑞为代表)起到了关键作用。

STS教育中的医学科学史教育

STS教育的主题不仅仅是科学技术教育,它还包括明确社会责任感、增强公民服务意识和树立正确的世界观、人生观、道德观和价值观等方面教育。医学科学史教育的各种育人功能都充分体现和证实了STS教育的新的教育思想。

Gnomon shadow lengths recorded in the Zhoubi Suanjing:the earliest meridian observations in China?

The Zhoubi Suanjing, one of the most important ancient Chinese books on mathematical astronomy, was compiled about 100 BC in the Western Han dynasty （BC 206 - AD 23）. We study the gnomon shadow lengths for the 24 solar terms as recorded in the book. Special attention is paid to the so-called law of ‘cun qian li’, which says the shadow length of a gnomon of 8 chi （about 1.96 m） high will increase （or decrease） 1 cun （1/10chi） for every 10001i （roughly 400kin） the gnomon moves northward （or south- ward）. From these data, one can derive the time and location of the observations. The resuits, however, do not fit historical facts. We suggest that compilers of the Zhoubi Suanjing must have modified the original data according to the law of ‘cun qian li’. Through reversing the situation, we recovered the original data, our analysis of which reveals the best possible observation time as 564 BC and the location of observation as 35.78° N latitude. We conclude that this must be the earliest records of solar meridian observations in China. In the meantime, we give the errors of solar altitudes for the 24 solar terms. The average deviation is 5.22°, and the mean absolute deviation is 5.52°, signifying the accuracy of astronomical calculations from that time.

The Study of Western Postmodern Philosophy of History in China in the Four Decades of Reform and Opening Up

In the 1960s and 1970s-as strncturalism, post-structuralism, and literary criticism seeped into history--the ＂linguistic turn＂ or ＂narrative turn,＂ leading to what is known as postmodem philosophy of history, took place in Western philosophy of history. In the past forty years of reform and opening up to the outside world, and especially in the most recent two or three decades, Chinese research on Western postmodem philosophy of history has proceeded from overall review to in-depth research, and then on to reflection, criticism, and even transcendence. Neither the rethinking of historical objectivity and rationality nor the reconstruction of convictions about historical reason can work without the profound insights or theoretical tensions of postmodern philosophy of history.

An earlier explosion date for the Crab Nebula supernova

The Chinese first reported the Crab Nebula supernova on 1054 July 5. Ecclesiastical documents from the near east reported it in April and May of 1054. More than 33 petroglyphs made by Native Americans in the US and Mexico are consistent with sightings both before and after conjunction with the Sun on 1054 May 27. We found a petroglyph showing the new star close to Venus and the Moon, which occurred on 1054 April 12 and April 13, respectively. Collins et al., using the four historical dates, derived a light curve that is like that of a Type Ia supernova. The only remaining problem with this identification is that this supernova was near maximum light for 85 d, which is unlike the behavior of any known supernova.

A Final Solution to the Mind-Body Problem by Quantum Language

Recently we proposed “quantum language”, which was not only characterized as the metaphysical and linguistic turn of quantum mechanics but also the linguistic turn of Descartes = Kant epistemology. And further we believe that quantum language is the only scientifically successful theory in dualistic idealism. If this turn is regarded as progress in the history of western philosophy (i.e., if “philosophical progress” is defined by “approaching to quantum language”), we should study the linguistic mind-body problem more than the epistemological mind-body problem. In this paper, we show that to solve the mind-body problem and to propose “measurement axiom” in quantum language are equivalent. Since our approach is always within dualistic idealism, we believe that our linguistic answer is the only true solution to the mind-body problem.

Edward H. Hume's Contributions to Introducing Chinese Medicine to the West

Known as the founder of Xiangya School of Medicine and Xiangya Hospital,Edward H.Hume is frequently praised for his pioneering work in bringing Western medicine to China.Some researchers have investigated his efforts in introducing Chinese medicine to the West;less known is the role that he later played as a lecturer on medical history at Johns Hopkins University.This paper presents an exhaustive review of Hume’s English writings on Chinese medicine,thus revealing what Hume did to introduce Chinese medicine to Western academia,and how he pioneered research into Chinese medicine from cultural and philosophical perspectives.

从HPS到STS60年学术生涯回顾

我于20世纪60年代末学习科学史和科学哲学。内在论的科学史和价值中立的科学哲学受到兴起的科学社会史的挑战。我放弃了单纯的科学主义,开始批判地看待科学。对科学和技术的批判成为70年代出现的科学技术元研究的重要内容。从1970年以来,我在韩国许多大学开设了STS以及科学史、科学哲学方面的新课程,积极参与了环保相关的民间运动。目前主要集中于国际层面的科技伦理研究。

超越范式之争——文史哲法学的前提、立场与展望

文史哲是中国文化鲜明的标志性特征。笔者尝试提出的文史哲法学,既是立足于中国传统与实践,又是面向世界的具有普遍性样态的法学范式,理应成为建构中国自主知识体系和话语体系的法学目标。有别于教义法学和社科法学的研究旨趣,文史哲法学是一种全新视角的法学研究范式,它倡导厚植于中国的文史哲传统。其中,文学是法学素材的来源,史学是法学精神的见证,哲学则是法学价值的终极追求。文史哲法学旨在沟通中国历史传统与当下实践,侧重将文史哲作为工具和视角来研究人文与法学的互动关系,将人文价值和生活实践统一于法学研究场域之内,在保持统一性的前提下追求普遍性与实践性向度。中华法治文明在保持其独立个性、赋能文化自信的同时,也能为纾解人类的法律工具主义困境提供中国方案,促使法学脱离封闭的教条式思维模式与理论的窠臼,进而更好地为中国法学的本土化发展奠定坚实基础。

系统的情报观到系统的安全观:兵家情报思想探赜

[研究目的]中国传统情报思想已经受到广泛关注,但传统的情报思想究竟折射出何种情报观,并且其背后蕴含何种国家安全意蕴,还需要系统梳理。全景把握古代情报思想,能够为推进新时代国家安全建设提供启示。[研究方法]以中国古代兵家为研究对象,选取《孙子兵法》《六韬》《吴子》三个代表性的兵家著作为具体分析文本,系统提炼兵家的情报观,并从“情报—反情报”“情报—决策—安全”两个维度剖析古代情报观及其背后蕴含的安全观。[研究结论]兵家的情报思想体现出一种从宏观到微观的情报工作体系,包含了“情报工作周期”的各个要素,并构建了情报与安全之间相关关系。总体来看,中国古代情报史仍具有良好的现代价值,在提升国家安全工作效能方面具有重要借鉴作用。