Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Scientific Thought
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9215667 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wing-Tsit Chan (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1957 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 309 |
| Publication date | 1957-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Philosophy East and West (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0031-8221 • E-ISSN: 1529-1898 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1397477 |
| OpenAlex | W2321313333 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
THE QUESTION OF the status of science in relation to Chinese thought, the question of the reason China has not developed natural science, the question as to whether Neo-Confucianism, especially, is consonant with modern scientific thinking, and similar questions, have troubled students of Chinese philosophy for a long time. The publication of Joseph Needham's History of Chinese Scientific Thought' provides new impetus to the study of these problems. In this article it is proposed to examine these questions with special reference to Needham's challenging theses. Professor Needham's book is truly monumental, although many of his interpretations of Chinese thought are open to serious question. In terms of scholarship and original thought on the subject, it probably will not be surpassed for years to come. Thousands of footnotes contain solid information and stimulating suggestions as well as specific references. The bibliography of Chinese and Japanese works includes some 600 items and that of Western works some 1,400. For information on comparative studies in Eastern and Western thought this work is almost exhaustive, containing as it does a tremendous number of references and ideas on Chinese parallels with, influence on, and anticipations of, Western thought.2 Needham has uncovered an amazing amount of evidence on Chinese achievements in science, showing that they are in many cases far ahead of the West. No doubt, his future volumes on Chinese sciences' will correct
China · Chinese philosophy · Epistemology · Neo-Confucianism · Political science · Chinese history and philosophy · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.38 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Highly cited | No |