New Comment On Liang Qichao's Idea Of Scientific Culture & The Experience In China

To explore harmonious relationship between science and humanity is as long as its separation. For a long time, if humanity disposition of scientists has been concerned and revealed more or less, poor scientific disposition of humanity intellectuals is still a paradoxical problem with which the present academic circles have to confront. Research on Liang Qichao's conception and practice in scientific culture is intended to supply an example for communicating humanity intellectuals with scientific culture.Focusing on scientific culture, indifferent to most scholars, this dissertation approaches to Liang Qichao's encyclopedia idea as hot focuses. We narrate Liang's experiences on scientific culture, probe it's sources and transmission, expound his conception and value of scientific culture, draw the conclusion that Liang as a public intellectual of transitional times in the early 20^th century, furthermore reflect on the difficult context of Liang and his scientific culture practice in China so as to take lessons for Chinese on-going modernization process.The first chapter reveals Liang's global scope, creative potentiality, modern scientific methods and logic thinking tendency gradually possessed in Chinese traditional academy study and new academy construction, which made necessary preparations in knowledge and psychology for absorbing scientific culture. At the same time, the extreme disparity in science development between China and the Western, the blank of occupational-scientist in China whereas his role temporarily replaced by humanity scholars, both above facts should not be neglected when we learn Liang's scientific culture idea and practices.The second chapter probes Liang's conception in nature and his philosophy related to science. From his attitude to "science invading philosophy" tide, from analyses of two selected cases both the Theory of Evolution and the Theory of Relativity in Liang's humanity scope, we conclude that Liang's scientific culture idea resource directly from the mainstream of science and philosophy in the early 20th century. From the Theory of Evolution, Liang reconstructed new conception in time and space connecting the past, the present and the future as a systematic union. His idea in evolution also experienced the turn from dynamic-centered competition to human-centered and un-linear development. From the Theory of Relativity, Liang comprehended relativity, limitless and false-unavoidable features of knowledge. Thus open attitude to different kinds of culture characteristic of "anti-sole" formed. Furthermore some ideas such as law of causality, linear evolution and synthetical method in his typical works Research Methods of Chinese History were revised.Based on Liang's recognition of "science" in theory, the third chapter expounds his scientific culture idea including scientific spirit, scientific method, scientific recognition and evaluation of science. He interpreted scientific spirit from the western into Chinese sense, which was convenient for spreading of idea liberation and free criticism. He advocated scientific and rational methods, however, which were not enough; emotional methods such as inspiration, free will and aesthetic judgment were also necessary in scientific process. And it's unique significance is stressed specifically in this dissertation. Beyond limited functions of science, Liang paid much attention to religious belief in spirit realm and Confucianism in moral realm. He dialectically evaluated the value of science with wisdom whereas being misunderstood for almost one century, we try to interpret Liang's image in science sympathetically.The fourth chapter interprets Liang's scientific culture idea in practical sense. He founded academic scheme in composing history of science and technology, expounded complicated relationship between science and other disciplines. Liang's scientific culture idea plays an important role in cultural transmission. He set up public organizations such as academic societies, newspaper houses and libraries, translated foreign ideas, books into Chinese so as to improve scientific culture a public fashion in China. On the other hand, Liang instructed children with scientific culture idea and founded theunique family in Chinese modern history including three academicians respectively in architecture, archeology and aerospace technology. Liang family's quality and wisdom influence cultural and spirit areas of China until now. Liang Qichao's interest in architecture enlightened Liang Sicheng's professional choice in ancient architecture, by this case we intend to reveal Liang Qichao's original sense in his scientific culture family.Based on above four chapters, the fifth chapter draws the conclusion that Liang as a public intellectual of transitional times to approach his spiritual world contributing to scientific culture enterprise. The intellectual spirit make Liang's public disposition lie in his concerned area, practice space, word attitude and convey means, meanwhile keep reflective and criticize attitude to present politics and society. He had an insight into the separating trend between scientific culture and Chinese traditional humanity culture and tried to explore possible scheme in building harmonious relationship between two different kinds of culture. Liang's guiding cultural mission for Chinese scholars, guiding public concentrations for Chinese youth, his life devotion for Chinese public learning science and western medicine, consist of important contends of Chinese scientific culture process. From the angle of scientific culture, this dissertation tries to learn Liang sympathetically and revise misunderstanding of Liang from one-side political angle. Moreover, this dissertation analyses the limitation of Liang's scientific culture idea whatever on his knowledge background or Chinese specific context of science. Fortunately, he had precious self-consciousness of his limitation in comprehending scientific culture.The closed words stress practical significance of Liang's scientific culture idea to contemporary China. It is in the sense of scientific culture transmission, improving the public to learn science, cultivating scientific disposition of modern Chinese that we learn Liang's idea and practice in scientific culture more precisely and thoroughly. It is necessary for contemporary Chinese to reflect the historical context of scientific culture from Liang's paradoxical experience. This dissertation does not analyze the...