Book cover.”What is Science (Second Edition)”, the January edition of the Commercial Press in January 2023, Wu Guosheng.1. Two basic usage
“Science” is a word familiar to women and children today, but its meaning is quite vague.In different contexts, it refers to a very different meaning.
Generally speaking, in the daily usage of modern Chinese, it has two basic aspects.
One usage refers to a certain social cause,Calculating a crowd and the work they are engaged in, this crowd is a scientist or scientific and technological worker, and this career is “science”.China currently implements the national strategy of “science and education to promote the country”. The word “science” here is also used in this sense, which means that it is necessary to rely on scientific and technical experts and their scientific and technological undertakings to revitalize the country.
Another usage refers to a certain value judgment.“Science” often refers to the right, correct, true, reasonable, reasonable, good, and advanced.For example, we say that “you are not scientific”, that is, it is wrong, incorrect, and not.For example, we say that “scientific decision -making” means that decision -making must be rationalized and cannot be subjective; for example, when we talk about the “scientific development concept”, it refers to a reasonable and balanced development concept.Regardless of the development of consequences, leading to the development of polarization, and so on.
In short, the first usage of “what is science” answers: “Science is what scientists do.” The second usage replied: “Science is a good thing.”
Why is “what scientists do” are “good things”?Why do you refer to the function of a certain cause at the same time have the function of a certain positive value judgment?This is because this cause has left a deep positive impression on the Chinese people.To clarify this matter, you need to return to the background of modern Chinese modern history.
Second, science: the longevity of Yi
A modern history of modern China is the dual history of “saving” and “enlightenment” (Li Zehou).
The so -called “salvation” means that since the Opium War in 1840, China has repeatedly been bullied by Western powers, and the Chinese are facing the crisis of death of the country at any time. Therefore, striving for national independence and national prosperity has become a major theme of modern Chinese history.
The so -called “enlightenment” means that China’s modern history is a history of bidding farewell to traditional society and moving towards modern society. In the process, the concepts of freedom, equality, human rights and other concepts need to be introduced.Human modernization is the core content of “Enlightenment”.
As far as “saving” is concerned, people soon find the “science” in the West.
When the Opium War broke out in 1840, China was still the world’s leading country.According to the study of the famous British economic historians and economic statisticians Angus Madison, in 1820, China ’s GDP accounted for 32.9%of the world’ s worldwide, and this advantage did not exceed the United States until 1895.There are some controversy in Madison’s data calculations, but even if we consider these disputes, we can also say that China has always been an economic power in the first half century that the West and China.
However, why is such a large economic country always defeated by the power of the powers?The reason is that China’s military is not good, and the country is rich and the soldiers are not strong.There are also two reasons for soldiers, one is the backward military system, and the other is military technology backward.After the first Opium War, the advanced Chinese immediately realized the latter and realized that the Western “strong ship and profit cannon” was the magic weapon for their victory, and behind the “strong ship and profit cannon” was a powerful industry and modernization.Science and technology system.Therefore, since 1861, the enlightened forces in the Qing government have set off a social improvement campaign of “the long skills of Shi Yi” in the country.
In a letter in 1842, Lin Zexu talked about the reason why the West defeated was the advanced weapon: “The cannon is far away and ten miles away.. Bai Zhi was like a railing in the Mainland, and continuously. After I put a shot, I had to put another shot when I was shifted, which was not familiar.: “Why is it the book? Said:: It works to attack with Yi Yi, and make a cricket for Shi Yi.”It officially proposed the slogan of “the master of the teacher”, and stipulated the longing of the longevity as the “shipbuilding artillery” and the management of the army’s construction management.
The conviction of the longevity of Yiyi runs through all the modern history.This is also the truth summarized by the Chinese people from the lesson of blood: “Being behind will be beaten.”The so -called backwardness is military technical backwardness.The admiration for military technology is still dominated by the Chinese people’s dreams and subconscious.The desire for aircraft carriers and spacecraft is still almost today’s national consensus.Over the past and a half century, the Chinese people have been bullied and humiliated, and have admired Western military technology and the modern technology system behind them.This is a background that the Chinese “scientific” concept cannot be ignored.
A prominent manifestation is that the Chinese people’s minds are not distinguished, technological, and technological.Ordinary Chinese people are involuntarily used the term “technology”, but once they talk about “technology”, they actually refer to “technology”.The same is true of the government.In fact, the Chinese government does not have the “Ministry of Science”, only the “Ministry of Science and Technology”, while the Ministry of Science and Technology is mainly the Ministry of Technology or the Ministry of Technology and Economic.If a cognitive survey is done, we can find that the most standard scientist recognized by contemporary Chinese should be Qian Xuesen because he represents a strong military ability.People like to spread such a statement, and one Qian Xuesen has worthy of five divisions.
3. Science: Western vocabulary from Japan
“Science” is not a term inherent in Chinese. In ancient literature, it may be possible to climb the words “science” that occasionally appeared, but it must be “imperial examinations”, and it is extremely rare.The word “science” widely used in modern Chinese is actually from Japan and from the Japanese translation of the word science in Western language.
A large number of Chinese characters are used in Japanese text, but the pronunciation is different from Chinese, and the meaning is different.Chinese modern learning from the West does not directly learn from the West, but through Japan’s “two -handed hand”.There are three reasons.
firstChina lacks translation talents in Western languages, and a large number of Western works cannot be directly translated into Chinese publishing and distribution immediately.Traditional China is too particular about the text. Although there are missionaries in the west, their Chinese writing level is not enough to play the translation work alone.It has greatly limited the scale and progress of the Chinese translation of Western writings.
Second reasonYes, Japan has introduced Western studies earlier, and Chinese has strong ability to absorb foreign language. Western schooling work is both rapid and large. In addition, Japan is close to China. There are many international students.
The third reasonIt may also be the most important reason. It is very easy for Chinese people to read Japanese literature. Even people who do not understand Japanese at all, can understand the probability of reading Japanese books.
After the failure of the Reform of 1898, Liang Qichao read Japan, who read a Japanese novel on the ship and found that he was full of paper Chinese characters, and he knew it was almost the same. Therefore, he began to translate Japanese novels under the basis of basically not in Japanese.Say it is translation, but in fact, it is just to copy the Chinese characters adopted by the Japanese.In this way, since the end of the 19th century, a wave of learning Western learning from Japan has been set off in China.Indeed, learning Western learning through Japan is easy to learn, and it is fast.
The consequences of a large number of learning from Japan are that modern Chinese is greatly influenced by Japanese language. A large number of western academic terms have turned from Japan.Some people even think that 70%of the term of humanities and social sciences in modern Chinese come from Japan.A large number of these terms are filled with our daily language, and it must profoundly affect the way of thinking of the Han nation.The Japanese nation has its limitation in terms of cultural heritage and depth of thinking. The cultural construction of modern China is based on such a large scale and intensity based on Japanese culture.
Many people have proposed the defects of the existence of some disciplines from multiple angles.For example, Philosophia translated in western text with “philosophy” did not translate the meaning of Western “Philo” “Sophia”; on the contrary, “philosophy” is “smart”, and “philosophy” is actually “smart learning”.”This reduces the height of Western Philosophia.If you choose a more suitable word, maybe “university” is closer to the height and realm of Philosophia.The beginning of “University” said: “The way of university is in Mingming, in the people’s affordable, and at the end of goodness.”
At that time, Yan Fu made severe criticism on a large number of Japanese translation vocabulary. These criticisms all focused on the original meaning of Japanese words.He opposed the translation of Economics into “economy” and advocated to translate it into “science”, because “economy” was originally the meaning of “use in the world” and “governing the country and the world.”It is; oppose translation of “social” into “society” and advocate to be “group”, and oppose translation of “sociology” into “sociology” to advocate into “group studies”, because “society” was originally a “rural community sacrifice gathering rally”The meaning of Society should be more extensive and more abstract; oppose translation of” Philosophy “into” philosophy “to advocate” science “, oppose translation of” metaphysics “into” metaphysics “advocates” metaphysics “, oppose the handle”Evolution” is translated into “evolution” and advocates translation into “Sky Show”.But unfortunately, these more exquisite and authentic strict term are finally abandoned.
Let’s go back to “science”.Since the missionaries brought Western learning in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Chinese have been translating natural knowledge from the West, such as Natural Philosophy and PHYSICS into “Gezhi” and “Gezhi Xue”, or to distinguish it, translate it into “Western Xuegezhi”.EssenceXu Guangqi used terms such as “the learning of the poor and the poor”, the “grid”, “grid”, “grid learning”, “the science”, “Gezhi Zhi Zhi” to call the natural knowledge system from the West.For those who do it, they know that they are also the first scholars’ homework in the “University”.Later generations used Zhu Xi’s interpretation, and believed that it refers to “to obtain knowledge through the principle of researching things.”Translating Western vocabulary with the more familiar vocabulary of Chinese literati is inevitable that it is too deep in China, and it is also easy to confuse.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there were three ways to translate Western academics. One was the translation proposed by the Chinese themselves, represented by Yan Fu, and the second was the Japanese translation of the Japanese, and the third was transliteration.Mr. De and Mr. Sai, circulating during the “May 4th” period, are transliteration. Among them, Mr. De refers to the translation “Democracy” of Democracy.EssenceAs a result of the final elimination, the Japanese translation noun won a lot.Today’s science, democracy, freedom, philosophy, metaphysics, school, technology, nature and other words have adopted Japanese translation.
In 1897, Kang Youwei listed the two books “Science” and “Principles of Science” in “Japanese Books”.EssenceLiang Qichao, Wang Guowei, Du Yaquan and others began to use the term “science” frequently, and the demonstration effect was very large.Especially Du Yaquan, in 1900, he founded and edited the scientific magazine “Yazhuang Magazine”, which had a very great influence at the time.In addition, Yan Fu also started using “science” to translate Science after 1900, which naturally was very significant.
In the first ten years of the 20th century, “science” coexisted with “grid”, but the former gradually replaced the latter.In 1912, Cai Yuanpei, then the Chief Education Chief of the Republic of China, ordered the country to cancel the “Ge Zhike”.In 1915, Ren Hongyu, a Chinese student at the University of Cornell University, founded the far -reaching magazine “Science”.Since this year, “Gezhi” has withdrawn from the stage of history, and “science” has become a fixed translation of Science.
In 1959, the Chinese Sciences Society was forced to dissolve, and the magazine of the “Science” magazine was suspended the following year.The 1985 “Science” magazine was repeatedly published by Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House today.
The translation of Science into “science” obviously does not have the original meaning of the word. On the contrary, it is more appropriate to use “Gezhi”.Science had no meaning of division, representing “division of subjects” is another word Discipline.However, the Japanese have seized a characteristic characteristics of the era of western science, that is, since the 19th century, science has entered the era of specialization, professionalization, and professionalization.It has begun to embark on the road of independent development.On the other hand, the knowledge of Chinese that Japanese people is more familiar with are all talents and talents of talents, and the academic science of talents, and the academic learning of people.Science shows the savvy side of the Japanese.
The word “science” in the Japanese translation basically follows the usage and meaning of English Science since the 19th century. It defaults to “Natural Science”.Our “Chinese Academy of Sciences” is not called “Chinese Academy of Natural Sciences”. On the contrary, other sciences must add limited words, such as the “Academy of Social Sciences”, “Academy of Agricultural Sciences”, and “Academy of Medical Sciences”.This is also the truth that western science and humanities have broken up since the 19th century, and they have become more and more advanced to the “two cultures.”
In this way, modern Chinese people have accepted the Western scientific concept of the English world since the 19th century through the Japanese two -handed hand: first, it is divided; second, it first refers to natural science.If the aforementioned “技 如果 如果” is added, the scientific concept of modern Chinese can also be added. Third, it will definitely be transformed into technical power and first enhance military capabilities.
There is no doubt that such a “scientific” concept is just the “end” of the “scientific” tradition with a long history of the West, not the “book”.It takes a lot of effort to go back to the “book” of Western science to go back to the “book” of Western science.The remaining chapters of this book must do this job.
Fourth, science: alternative ideology
As mentioned earlier, a modern history of China is a dual history of rescue and enlightenment.In the salvation campaign, science was introduced and respected as the “long skills of Yi”.In the Enlightenment, science has further risen into alternative ideology.Only by recognizing that as an ideological science, we can understand the problems we raised in the beginning of this article: why the cause (science) that a crowd (scientist) can directly be used as a term that can be judged directly as a positive value (“good”)Essence
A modern Western Student East History is also a history of transformation from science from “technical” to “Tao” and “use” to “body”.
Even during the period of urgent rescue, it is necessary to introduce the “long skills” of science on a large scale, because science is the essence of foreign culture, which is incompatible with local culture.
The traditional Chinese culture respects the tunnel, and often derogates new technologies as “Qi Qiao Qiao”.Therefore, the Westernization School put forward the idea of “middle school is the body, and Western learning is used”, thinking that the theoretical basis of the introduction of Western science and technology on a large scale.The so -called “middle school is the body, the western school is used” means that maintaining the traditional ethical and ethical, ethics, and social systems of Chinese traditions, but the introduction of western science and technology to develop economy, rich and strong soldiers, and solve people’s livelihood problems.In other words, spiritual civilization takes Chinese traditions, and material civilizations take Western modernity.In other words, middle school owners and Western scholars; middle school govern the physical and mental, and the Western school should be in the world.
However, while learning and introducing Western military technology, people realize that it is not enough to learn military technology alone, and they do not learn well. They must first learn Western scientific theories including mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, etc.If you want to learn the scientific theory of Western, you must master the scientific and scientific thinking methods of the West; and the western scientific methods and ways of thinking will inevitably challenge the traditional Chinese thinking and cultural traditions.
In the past 40 years, the above -mentioned logic has fully played a role.When the Battle of the Sino -Japanese War in 1895 was defeated and the Western Movement announced bankruptcy, people finally realized that China’s backwardness is not just “skills are not as good as people”, but comprehensive backwardness, including political systems, people’s quality, and ideological traditions. They all need to come.A revolutionary transformation.
During this period, the hatred of traditional culture became the consensus of people with aspiration.Cultural nihilism has gradually shrouded in China’s ideological world.At this time, the idea of “west body and west” began to occupy the upper hand, and it was necessary to replace the former “middle body west”.In this “western body and west”, science is always in the core position.The “Western use” here refers to Western technology based on modern science; “western body” refers to the scientific world view and scientific methodology.
On the one hand, the enlightenment thinkers have violently attacked the disadvantages of Chinese traditional culture, and on the other hand, they have begun to build their own theoretical system based on science.From strict, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao to Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi, these enlightenment thinkers are not professional scientists. Their goals are to create a new humanistic and social ideological system that is different from traditional Chinese, but they are not familiar with them.”Science” is the foundation of their argument.Why?
After the Chinese traditional cultural value system went bankrupt, a huge value vacuum was generated, which objectively required a new value system to replace.The most admirable and relatively easy part of the Chinese people in the Western studies is from “use” to “body” and “device” as “Tao”.Of course, there are also Chinese traditional “use” ideas, because science seems to solve the problem most compared with other things in Western studies.
Hu Shi said: “The first feature of the spirit of Western modern civilization is science.” “We may not easily believe in God, but our method of belief in science is universal.”(See the article “Our attitude towards Western modern civilization”.) Scientifically escaped the specific research cause and rose to a belief. From then on, as a scientificism that affects the strong ideology of the Chinese society in the 20th century,History stage.In 1923, Hu Shi said in the preface to the “Science and Life”:
In the past three years, a term has almost achieved the status of supreme dignity in China; no matter whether you understand or do not understand, no matter the old and the renewal, he dare not openly expressed his lighting or insulting attitude towards him.That term is “science”.In this way, the consistent trust of the country is worthless, which is another problem.At least we can say that since China talks about Favori, no one who has ordered the new character dares to blatantly slander “science”.
“Science and Life” is a collection of papers, collecting articles published in the famous science and life concept argument (also known in history in history).The end of the argument ended with a scientific faction, and it also announced the firm establishment of scientific ideological status.In fact, this scientific ideological form is very clear and prominent in the new cultural movement during the May 4th period.”Science” has become the banner of the former.
Chen Duxiu was so enthusiastic about sang science and criticized Chinese traditional culture in “New Youth”:
The scholars did not know science, so they attacked the five elements of the yin and yang family…. farmers do not know science, so there is no choice for seedlings.I do n’t know science, so I ’m lending to the ground.The need for fighting to do things is given to foreign countries one by one.The business does not know science, so I only know about the near -profit…. Do not know science, neither understand the structure of the human body, and the analysis of the medicinal properties.The infection of bacteria poison is even more unknown…. Everyone who has no common sense, has no reason, is rooted in the roots, and is scientific.
Hu Shi, another ideological leader of the New Culture Movement, also holds the great banner of science, although he holds a very different political view as Chen Duxiu held a big political point of view: “We observe our requirements in this era, we must not recognize the biggest responsibility and biggest needs of human beings today.Scientific methods are applied to life issues.
In 1934, Chiang Kai -shek launched the “New Life” campaign, asking the Kuomintang party members to read ancient Chinese books.He said: “I also think that this book” University “is not only a Chinese orthodox philosophy, but also a pioneer of scientific thought. It is the precedent of Chinese science!It is the most complete teaching book with a syndrome of philosophy and science, and the combination of mind and things, so I call it “scientific science”.
Mao Zedong said in 1940’s “New Democraticism”: “The culture of new democraticism is scientific. It is opposed to all feudal thoughts and superstitions, advocating truth -seeking, advocating objective truths, and consistent theory and practice.In this regard, the scientific thoughts of Chinese proletariat can be able to establish a united front of anti -imperial anti -feudal and anti -superstitions with the progressive bourgeoisie of the bourgeoisie in China.Unity front … “
We see that no matter what the political position is, no matter how many modern western scientific knowledge they actually master, the historical figures that affect the historical process of China’s 20th century have defaulting to the “good” thing of science.This is the historical origin of the second use of the term “science” in contemporary Chinese.
Five, Summary
The word “science” familiar with the Chinese today is actually a translation of English science from Japanese scholars.This translation reflects an important distinction between modern western academics and traditional Chinese academics, but does not have the basic meaning of Science and its western ideological traditions (further analysis, see the second chapter of this book “Western science traceability: Greece: GreeceReasonable science).If you understand this word according to the reading habits of “Wangwen Shengyi” in Chinese, you will definitely be off -the concept of “division” may be emphasized too much.
Today, there are two outstanding characteristics in the scientific concept of Chinese people:
First featureYes, “science” is the criterion for judging positive value in any field (whether it is political or daily life), which is the result of the long -term scientific ideology of scientific ideas in the 20th century;
Second featureYes, tend to understand “science” from a practical and application perspective, tend to mix “science” with “technology”, “technology” with “technology”, and lacks understanding of “science” itself.It is related to accepting the historical experience of Western culture and is also related to the cultural tradition of Chinese pragmatism.
To truly understand “science”, we need to enter the context of the West, because “science” is originally a kind of thing that is unique to Westerners from the West.
(Author Wu Guosheng, a professor at the Department of Science and History of Tsinghua University, Director of the Department of Science, was a professor at the Department of Philosophy of Peking University, director of the Science History and Science and Philosophy Research Center of Peking University, researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Professor Wu Guosheng graduated from undergraduate graduation.At the Department of Earth Physics and Physics of the Department of Earth Physics at Peking University, a master’s degree graduated from the master’s degree in the history of science and science philosophy at the Department of Philosophy of Peking University.”Concept” is selected from the book “What is Science (Second Edition)”, published in January 2023
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