During its first decade and a half, the East Asian History of Science Library/Needham Research Institute served both as the centre of the Science and Civilisation in China project and as a meeting point for discussion...During its first decade and a half, the East Asian History of Science Library/Needham Research Institute served both as the centre of the Science and Civilisation in China project and as a meeting point for discussions involving a wide range of researchers. Some of these were working on the history of science, technology and medicine;some were members of Joseph Needham's and Lu Gwei-Djen's broader networks;and some came seeking the views, guidance or assistance of the institute's founders on diverse topics. In the institute's first 6 years in particular, a series of delegations from China visited as that country embarked on re-expanding academic relations abroad in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. This article recalls the institute's ambiance during those years, key individuals who were involved and some of the kinds of interactions that took place there.展开更多
The early twenty-first century witnessed the publication of the book series Zhongguo kexue jishu shi中国科学技术史(History of science and technology in pre-modern China),which was initiated and organized by the Instit...The early twenty-first century witnessed the publication of the book series Zhongguo kexue jishu shi中国科学技术史(History of science and technology in pre-modern China),which was initiated and organized by the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,and compiled by a multitude of Chinese scholars.In comparison with Science and Civilisation in China by Dr.Joseph Needham,Zhongguo kexue jishu shi is superior in the layout characteristics,literature collection,research and explication,field investigation,and simulation experiments.展开更多
Historian of science Joseph Needham argued in various papers and books that the philosophy of organic materialism that informed classical Chinese science not only nurtured Chinese discoveries in areas such as magnetic...Historian of science Joseph Needham argued in various papers and books that the philosophy of organic materialism that informed classical Chinese science not only nurtured Chinese discoveries in areas such as magnetic studies,but also obstructed the emergence of early modern mechanical science in China.Nevertheless,the emergence of field conceptions in late modern science led him to see that Chinese organic materialism could combine with mechanical conceptions to enrich late modern science.Although much attention has been paid to Needham's historical and sociological views of Chinese science,there has been hardly any systematic focus on understanding his conception of the philosophy of Chinese science.This article explains why Chinese organic materialism not only nurtured Chinese science in the past,and hindered the emergence of modern science in China,but can also be part of a synthesis of late modern science transcending early Western science.展开更多
There are diverse opinions about how to solve the Needham Puzzle. Such opinions or schools of thought can be roughly classified into three theories of a) geographical conditions, b) empirical trial and error, and c) p...There are diverse opinions about how to solve the Needham Puzzle. Such opinions or schools of thought can be roughly classified into three theories of a) geographical conditions, b) empirical trial and error, and c) private property rights. Although each school of thought makes sense, they all fail to fully uncover the main reason why, in modern history, China lagged behind western countries in the development of science and technology. In our opinion, the correct solution is to draw on historical experiences, integrate all schools of thought, proceed with an emphasis on the definition and protection of property rights, boost government investment in basic scientific research, strengthen government service functionality, actively develop NGOs, and open more widely to the outside world, with a view of pushing forward China's scientific and technological innovation and accelerating the pace of China's modernization.展开更多
Has Confucianism exerted a positive influence or a passive one on the development of ancient science and technology?This is a question that has been debated repeatedly in the field of scientific history and philosophy...Has Confucianism exerted a positive influence or a passive one on the development of ancient science and technology?This is a question that has been debated repeatedly in the field of scientific history and philosophy and has not been settled up to now.A large number of scientific historians hold the opinion that the influence that Confucianism exerted on the development of science and technology is basically passive and negative.One of the most prominent representatives of this view is the famous historian on Chinese science and technology history—British Dr.Joseph Needham.Dr.Joseph Needham declared in the second volume of Science and Civilization in China,namely History of Scientific Thought:“They(Confucians)were thus,throughout Chinese history,in opposition to those elements which groped for a scientific approach to Nature,and for a Scientific interpretation and extension of technology”(Needham,1956,p.9),“their contribution to science was almost wholly negative”(p.1).As Confucianism has been playing an important role in ancient Chinese society for a long time,it is necessary for us to discuss this issue in detail.展开更多
The research of General History of Chinese Science and Technology(GHCST) has so far failed to transcend the"positivist history", a program of historiography initiated by Joseph Needham. The historians after ...The research of General History of Chinese Science and Technology(GHCST) has so far failed to transcend the"positivist history", a program of historiography initiated by Joseph Needham. The historians after Needham have made important explorations on the historiographical reform of GHCST. However, nearly all of these explorations are still the methodological reflections of the positivist history perspective, failing to reflect metaphysically on such historiographical presuppositions as views of science, technology and history, which means they have failed to break away from the positivist history perspective. To go beyond the limitations of positivist history calls for the introduction of the perspective of phenomenology of body and reflecting on and criticizing the historiographical presuppositions of positivist history on a metaphysical level. Such reflection will lead us to a new program of historiography in the post-Needham era, that is"phenomenal history"or the GHCST from the perspective of the phenomenology of body.展开更多
We all owe Joseph Needham an immense debt for discovering Chinese science and technology for Western scholars.But his famous question(Why did the Chinese,who had been so far in advance of Europe until the 17th century...We all owe Joseph Needham an immense debt for discovering Chinese science and technology for Western scholars.But his famous question(Why did the Chinese,who had been so far in advance of Europe until the 17th century,fail to produce modern science independently?)is simplistic.·Needham's discussion relied on categories(‘physics',‘engineering',even‘mathematics')that are largely anachronistic.·He was preoccupied by questions of priorities(who did what first).·We should recognise that the historical record brings to light many breakthroughs in the development of science,in Egypt,Mesopotamia,India,ancient Greece and ancient China,as well as in Europe in the 17th century and beyond;they all call for detailed analysis of the different social,political,economic,institutional and intellectual factors at work.·One topic of particular importance and current interest concerns the factors that enable innovation to flourish,where the differing experience of ancient societies can provide lessons that may still be relevant today.The new agenda for the history of science should have a global remit.展开更多
In the middle of World War II,my father,Kenneth Lo,accompanied Joseph Needham on a lecture tour to Colchester Co-operative Society dedicated to the support of China's war effort and to boycotting Japanese goods.Th...In the middle of World War II,my father,Kenneth Lo,accompanied Joseph Needham on a lecture tour to Colchester Co-operative Society dedicated to the support of China's war effort and to boycotting Japanese goods.They were comrades-in-arms,soft-left socialists,inspired by the Spanish Civil War,George Orwell and WH Auden alike to take up the pen and the campaign circuit.This article is a reflection on the politics and aesthetics of research,on decentring the Eurocentric narrative of the history of science,but also on the role of poetry in the quest for a better world.Grounded in socialist,Christian and 20th-century scientific utopian belief,All under Heaven was to be One Community.Post Needham,but in the Needham spirit,I ask what shared vision drives our research?展开更多
Based on historical materials in the United Kingdom and China,this article analyses Joseph Needham's 1946 report to the national government's then leader,Chiang Kai-shek,on the state and prospects of modern sc...Based on historical materials in the United Kingdom and China,this article analyses Joseph Needham's 1946 report to the national government's then leader,Chiang Kai-shek,on the state and prospects of modern science in China,and discusses its background,main content,characteristics,influences and significance.Needham completed the report at the end of 1945,and kept in mind the rich Eastern and Western contexts while writing it.The report revealed a series of institutional problems to do with science in China and provided a framework for scientific development.It also provided specific measures and essentially formed a plan for the scientific development of China at the institutional level.The report had an impact in China at the time,and the Ministry of Education engaged its content to formulate six specific measures for scientific development.Moreover,the Supreme Council for National Defence promoted China's first 10-year plan for applied science.Needham's report had universal significance for the development of science-not only in China at the time,but even globally today.The report also played an important role in the formation of Needham's monumental book series,Science and Civilisation in China.展开更多
Ancient Chinese civilization was agricultural. To grasp the essence of science and civilization in China, Dr Joseph Needham drew attention to its agricultural development. He maintained close academic relations with C...Ancient Chinese civilization was agricultural. To grasp the essence of science and civilization in China, Dr Joseph Needham drew attention to its agricultural development. He maintained close academic relations with Chinese historians of agriculture and obtained their help from time to time for the compilation of his Science and Civilisation in China. Needham also had a far-reaching influence on research on the agricultural history of China, both on its institutionalization and on transitions in the directions of research. The so-called 'Needham puzzle' was first proposed systematically in his address titled 'Science and agriculture in China and the West' at the annual conference of the China Agronomic Association in Chongqing in 1943. He believed that science is not isolated from society but is an indivisible part of civilization and that civilization has evolved as the result of the interactions of science, society and the environment.展开更多
Doctor Joseph Needham and Rewi Alley first met in Alley’s cave dwelling in Shuangshipu town,Feng county,Shaanxi province,on Sept 18,1943.Alley soon occupied a special status among Needham’s close friends.Even many y...Doctor Joseph Needham and Rewi Alley first met in Alley’s cave dwelling in Shuangshipu town,Feng county,Shaanxi province,on Sept 18,1943.Alley soon occupied a special status among Needham’s close friends.Even many years later,when speaking of Alley,Needham remarked:"There cannot be a dearer friend and a more trusted colleague."展开更多
文摘During its first decade and a half, the East Asian History of Science Library/Needham Research Institute served both as the centre of the Science and Civilisation in China project and as a meeting point for discussions involving a wide range of researchers. Some of these were working on the history of science, technology and medicine;some were members of Joseph Needham's and Lu Gwei-Djen's broader networks;and some came seeking the views, guidance or assistance of the institute's founders on diverse topics. In the institute's first 6 years in particular, a series of delegations from China visited as that country embarked on re-expanding academic relations abroad in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. This article recalls the institute's ambiance during those years, key individuals who were involved and some of the kinds of interactions that took place there.
文摘The early twenty-first century witnessed the publication of the book series Zhongguo kexue jishu shi中国科学技术史(History of science and technology in pre-modern China),which was initiated and organized by the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,and compiled by a multitude of Chinese scholars.In comparison with Science and Civilisation in China by Dr.Joseph Needham,Zhongguo kexue jishu shi is superior in the layout characteristics,literature collection,research and explication,field investigation,and simulation experiments.
文摘Historian of science Joseph Needham argued in various papers and books that the philosophy of organic materialism that informed classical Chinese science not only nurtured Chinese discoveries in areas such as magnetic studies,but also obstructed the emergence of early modern mechanical science in China.Nevertheless,the emergence of field conceptions in late modern science led him to see that Chinese organic materialism could combine with mechanical conceptions to enrich late modern science.Although much attention has been paid to Needham's historical and sociological views of Chinese science,there has been hardly any systematic focus on understanding his conception of the philosophy of Chinese science.This article explains why Chinese organic materialism not only nurtured Chinese science in the past,and hindered the emergence of modern science in China,but can also be part of a synthesis of late modern science transcending early Western science.
文摘There are diverse opinions about how to solve the Needham Puzzle. Such opinions or schools of thought can be roughly classified into three theories of a) geographical conditions, b) empirical trial and error, and c) private property rights. Although each school of thought makes sense, they all fail to fully uncover the main reason why, in modern history, China lagged behind western countries in the development of science and technology. In our opinion, the correct solution is to draw on historical experiences, integrate all schools of thought, proceed with an emphasis on the definition and protection of property rights, boost government investment in basic scientific research, strengthen government service functionality, actively develop NGOs, and open more widely to the outside world, with a view of pushing forward China's scientific and technological innovation and accelerating the pace of China's modernization.
文摘Has Confucianism exerted a positive influence or a passive one on the development of ancient science and technology?This is a question that has been debated repeatedly in the field of scientific history and philosophy and has not been settled up to now.A large number of scientific historians hold the opinion that the influence that Confucianism exerted on the development of science and technology is basically passive and negative.One of the most prominent representatives of this view is the famous historian on Chinese science and technology history—British Dr.Joseph Needham.Dr.Joseph Needham declared in the second volume of Science and Civilization in China,namely History of Scientific Thought:“They(Confucians)were thus,throughout Chinese history,in opposition to those elements which groped for a scientific approach to Nature,and for a Scientific interpretation and extension of technology”(Needham,1956,p.9),“their contribution to science was almost wholly negative”(p.1).As Confucianism has been playing an important role in ancient Chinese society for a long time,it is necessary for us to discuss this issue in detail.
基金major project funded by National Social Sciences Foundation(14ZDB017)western project funded by National Social Sciences Foundation(15XZX004)
文摘The research of General History of Chinese Science and Technology(GHCST) has so far failed to transcend the"positivist history", a program of historiography initiated by Joseph Needham. The historians after Needham have made important explorations on the historiographical reform of GHCST. However, nearly all of these explorations are still the methodological reflections of the positivist history perspective, failing to reflect metaphysically on such historiographical presuppositions as views of science, technology and history, which means they have failed to break away from the positivist history perspective. To go beyond the limitations of positivist history calls for the introduction of the perspective of phenomenology of body and reflecting on and criticizing the historiographical presuppositions of positivist history on a metaphysical level. Such reflection will lead us to a new program of historiography in the post-Needham era, that is"phenomenal history"or the GHCST from the perspective of the phenomenology of body.
文摘We all owe Joseph Needham an immense debt for discovering Chinese science and technology for Western scholars.But his famous question(Why did the Chinese,who had been so far in advance of Europe until the 17th century,fail to produce modern science independently?)is simplistic.·Needham's discussion relied on categories(‘physics',‘engineering',even‘mathematics')that are largely anachronistic.·He was preoccupied by questions of priorities(who did what first).·We should recognise that the historical record brings to light many breakthroughs in the development of science,in Egypt,Mesopotamia,India,ancient Greece and ancient China,as well as in Europe in the 17th century and beyond;they all call for detailed analysis of the different social,political,economic,institutional and intellectual factors at work.·One topic of particular importance and current interest concerns the factors that enable innovation to flourish,where the differing experience of ancient societies can provide lessons that may still be relevant today.The new agenda for the history of science should have a global remit.
文摘In the middle of World War II,my father,Kenneth Lo,accompanied Joseph Needham on a lecture tour to Colchester Co-operative Society dedicated to the support of China's war effort and to boycotting Japanese goods.They were comrades-in-arms,soft-left socialists,inspired by the Spanish Civil War,George Orwell and WH Auden alike to take up the pen and the campaign circuit.This article is a reflection on the politics and aesthetics of research,on decentring the Eurocentric narrative of the history of science,but also on the role of poetry in the quest for a better world.Grounded in socialist,Christian and 20th-century scientific utopian belief,All under Heaven was to be One Community.Post Needham,but in the Needham spirit,I ask what shared vision drives our research?
文摘Based on historical materials in the United Kingdom and China,this article analyses Joseph Needham's 1946 report to the national government's then leader,Chiang Kai-shek,on the state and prospects of modern science in China,and discusses its background,main content,characteristics,influences and significance.Needham completed the report at the end of 1945,and kept in mind the rich Eastern and Western contexts while writing it.The report revealed a series of institutional problems to do with science in China and provided a framework for scientific development.It also provided specific measures and essentially formed a plan for the scientific development of China at the institutional level.The report had an impact in China at the time,and the Ministry of Education engaged its content to formulate six specific measures for scientific development.Moreover,the Supreme Council for National Defence promoted China's first 10-year plan for applied science.Needham's report had universal significance for the development of science-not only in China at the time,but even globally today.The report also played an important role in the formation of Needham's monumental book series,Science and Civilisation in China.
文摘Ancient Chinese civilization was agricultural. To grasp the essence of science and civilization in China, Dr Joseph Needham drew attention to its agricultural development. He maintained close academic relations with Chinese historians of agriculture and obtained their help from time to time for the compilation of his Science and Civilisation in China. Needham also had a far-reaching influence on research on the agricultural history of China, both on its institutionalization and on transitions in the directions of research. The so-called 'Needham puzzle' was first proposed systematically in his address titled 'Science and agriculture in China and the West' at the annual conference of the China Agronomic Association in Chongqing in 1943. He believed that science is not isolated from society but is an indivisible part of civilization and that civilization has evolved as the result of the interactions of science, society and the environment.
文摘Doctor Joseph Needham and Rewi Alley first met in Alley’s cave dwelling in Shuangshipu town,Feng county,Shaanxi province,on Sept 18,1943.Alley soon occupied a special status among Needham’s close friends.Even many years later,when speaking of Alley,Needham remarked:"There cannot be a dearer friend and a more trusted colleague."
