The Reinterpretation Of The Scientific Revolution——Chinese Scientific Revolution In The 17th And 18th Century

~,~)5 Abstract From the end of Ming dynasty to the beginning of Qing dynasty, it is the special period of the development of Chinese history of science and technology. During this period, because the western scientific knowledge was introduced and Chinese scientists made a lot of important progress, Chinese science took up a new and heterogeneous look. The study about the scientific revolution is quite important in the history of science and technology. People always focus on the European scientific revolution in modern times since a considerably long period. It is valuable as to the demarcation of Chinese history of modern science and technology that we reinterpret the scientific revolution from a new angle. The present paper sums up the fruits about the scientific revolution in the field of international history of science and technology and points to the divergences and disputes in them. Meanwhile, the paper examines the change of academic direction of the study of international history of science and technology and points to the necessity which new thinking and method are introduced into the field of Chinese history of science and technology. What抯 more, the paper sets forth the malpractice which exists in the study of Chinese history of modern science and technology. At last, According to the non-moral principle and anti-whig trend, the paper holds a reinterpretation about the scientific revolution and provides a viewpoint of Chinese scientific revolution in the 17th and 18th century. In the second part, the paper enumerates the evidences which show that the scientific revolution took place in China in the 17th and 18th century definitely from four aspects: the revolution in geography, the revolution in astronomy, the III -> # MASTER扴 THESIS revolution in mathematics and the revolution in the method of scientific research. In the third part, the paper elaborates the features of Chinese scientific revolution ??the tradition emphasizing the pragmatism and the revolution restoring ancient ways. With the influence of Chinese scientific revolution, the embryonic form of modem science system was established initially and the early Enlightenment springed up. In a word, if we deny the existence of Chinese scientific revolution, it equals to repudiating Chinese traditional science thoroughly. However, Chinese traditional scientific thoughts are more and more valuable in the present study of science and technology. The future science and technology will be the aggregation of eastern and western civilization.