The Introduction Of Western Science Into China And The Practical Academic Trend In The Late Ming And Early Qing Dynasty

Since the1920s, scholars have published a variety of papers on the relationship between science and Confucianism; some are debatable, such as those supporting the theory that Confucianism impedes science, as are represented by Joseph Needham and Levinson in the earlier period and many other contemporary scholars holding the belief that traditional culture impedes the development of science. Another theory claims that Confucianism does not need science, such as Dr. Fung Yu-Lang, insisting that Confucianism, as a philosophy on mind, is not concerned about the nature and does not need science. But after reading a lot of relevant historical documents, the author of this dissertation found that science and Confucianism, more often than not, take on different relationship characteristics in different times, thus the analysis of their relationship shall be carried on from many a perspective, both diachronic and synchronic, before a more objective conclusion can be obtained. Therefore in this dissertation, the author selected the First Introduction of Western Sciences into China as the study object, targeting at the interaction of the eastward-spread sciences and the practical academic trend in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty to unveil the relationship between science and Confucianism in this period, because in this period there were relatively more interactions, including both the multiple effects and impacts on Confucianism by science, and the particular attitude and approaches adopted against science in Confucianism. So from the analysis of this direct encounter between science and Confucianism, we may find more about their relationship from multiple aspects.In this dissertation, Fang Yizhi’s pragmatism is taken as the clue to probe into the effect of eastward-spread sciences on his pragmatism as well as the multiple roles of his pragmatism stance in learning and absorbing the eastward-spread sciences. This paper starts from an introduction part, then gives a brief introduction of the cultural context in which Fang’s pragmatism was formed, i.e., in the time and space of great culture surge triggered by the eastward-spread sciences and the corresponding pragmatism in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty. In the influence of both the said factors, Fang formed a philosophy attaching importance to reading and knowledge to refute Wang Xue’s metaknowledge or even "anti-knowledge"; he advocated an approach to study physical objects with empirical methods to rectify Wang’s "Seeking Truth beyond Objects","Respect the Mind Only" and other impractical academic disciplines, thus forming a pragmatism featured by attaching importance to reading, knowledge and objective recognition. Then the dissertation elaborates the effect and role of eastward-spread sciences on the formation of Fang’s knowledge outlook, research methods and the philosophy of "studying the underlying principle to acquire knowledge". First of all, In the knowledge level, Fang Yizhi had a deep understanding to certainty, practicability and effectiveness of the western science and attached great importance to its because he had the opportunity to learn the western science from Xiong Mingyu when he was nine years old and read the Tanxue chuhan systematically after he grown up. Fang Yizhi not only refered to and absorbed the western knowledge which he was interested in, but also made the knowledge become an organic part of the traditional knowledge structure, combined the traditional science with the exotic new knowledge and regarded the western science as the basic theory of his research of nature in Tongya and The Note of Wuli. And with the seepage of knowledge, Fang Yizhi’view of knowledge changed too. On the one hand, he made the confucianism connotation of knowledge which focused on ethical and administering turn to the outside world, introduce the natural knowledge, practical technology as well as classic literature textual research to the scope of Confucian, namely reshaped the connotation of "knowledge". So Fang Yizhi opened up the path of practical learning which attached great importance to the physics objective knowledge and developed the new practical thought in Ming and Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, he made the status of knowledge be equal to virtue, changed the relationship between "Ren" and "Zhi "of traditional Confucian which Confucius made, he also put forward the proposition that "’Zhi dominances everthing’,’Ren is into erverything’and’the knowledge is the first of the Three Virtures’.At the same time, under the cantrast of western science, Fang Yi-zhi found that the defects of the method of Chinese traditional academic research, which both natural science and classics were all lacked empirical method. So he made the empirical method to the methodology conscious and made the observation, measurement, experiment and verification became methodology principle of his natural research. Different with previous, he also added analysis and argument. It was worth noting that, under the influence of western science, he also extended the empirical methodology to research field of classics in order to reform the traditional academic. So, between Ming and Qing dynasty, Fang Yizhi was the key figures who introduced the western science into Confucianism gradually.In addition, a very important point is that Fang Yizhi changes the understanding to the concept of Confucianism’"Gewu-zhizhi" a lot with the penetrating of knowledge and learning of the method. The object, the purpose, the method are all beyond the traditional Confucianism. He expands the object of study to the nature of the Confucian, regards the "wuli" and the "zhili" as the important purpose of Confucian scholars, and puts forward the "zhice" and the "tongji " as the methodology. Though Fang Yizhi’breakthrough to the traditional confucianism is incomplete, the content and nature of Confucianism "gewu-zhizhi" are all changed a lot. From the perspective of knowledge, the breakthrough can be considered the quest for objective cognition under the stimulation of western science.The case analysis of Fang shows that there are complex interactive relationships between the eastward-spread sciences and the practical academic trend in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, so in the course of historical development, it is an ever-changeful, complex, polynary and dynamic relationship between Confucianism and sciences; moreover, there were also periods in which Confucianism opened warmly to western sciences and embraced them in great intimacy, instead of the supposed mere rejection and impediment. It can also be known that the aforementioned theories that "Confucianism impedes science" and "Confucianism requires no science" are rather partial.In this subject, a case analysis on the relationship of science and Confucianism in the interaction of the "Eastward-spread Science and the Practical Academic Trend in the Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasty" is selected, and it is of both great theoretical value and important practical significance. In terms of theoretical value, a microscopic case study and well-knit text analysis will provide effective empirical analysis theory for the study of the relationship between science and Confucianism, show the manifold perspectives of the relationship between science and Confucianism, clarify their historical relationship, and embed into the core conceptual level over the effects of science on Confucianism; moreover, the approach and specific process how Confucianism takes in western sciences can be revealed, thus to further promote the study on the relationship between science and Confucianism. This is difficult to realize in the previous macro culture study. As to the practical significance, the relationship study of the eastward-spread sciences and the practical academic trend may as well unveil the rationality and disadvantages as are shown in the understanding and absorption of sciences by Confucianism, thus providing constructive plans and strategies for the future development of Confucianism. Therefore, when exploring how should Confucianism play its due value and function in nowadays, how should Confucianism absorb the essence of other civilizations, the western scientific culture in particular, to enrich and consummate itself, how to construct a proper dialogue and exchange mechanism for Confucianism and science to realize optimal coexistence and cooperation thereof, this study will be with positive value, because the revival of Confucianism and the development of science as well as its coexistence and co-prosperity are of vital significance in the development of China’s modernization nowadays.