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| 文章编号：1672-3104(2025)02-0160-10 |
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李约瑟问题的政治学回答 |
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顾超，李健 |
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（北京大学政府管理学院，北京，100871） |
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| 摘 要： 现代科学为什么没有在中国发展出来？这是李约瑟问题的核心。中国之所以没有发展出现代科学，关键不在于科学技术的发达程度，而在于科学的结构特征。中国古代科学具有历史理性的思维方式、博物学的科学体系、“大一统”型的技术体系、较高的体制化程度等四个主要的结构特征。它使得中国古代科学持续发展且高度发达，但是不利于科学革命的发生。历史理性的思维方式使得理论—形式理性消亡，博物学的科学体系和“大一统”型的技术体系使得中国古代科学无法向培根科学的受控实验方法转化，较高体制化的程度使得中国无法产生科学共同体，无法产生科学家的社会角色和为科学发展辩护的意识形态。中国古代科学的结构特征产生的根本原因是儒法国家的权力结构：帝制儒学的国家意识形态塑造了历史理性的思维方式和博物学的科学体系，政治权力和意识形态权力一体化塑造了“大一统”型的技术体系，权力关系稳定的结晶塑造了较高的体制化程度。 |
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| 关键词： 李约瑟问题；结构特征；科学革命；权力结构；儒法国家 |
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An answer to Needham’s Grand Question based on political science |
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GU Chao, LI Jian |
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（School of Government, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China） |
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| Abstract: Why didn’t modern science develop in China? This is the core of Needham’s Grand Question. The key to this question lies not in the level of scientific and technological development, but in the structural characteristics of science. Ancient Chinese science had four main structural characteristics: a historically rational way of thinking, a scientific system of natural history, a unification-style technological system, and a high degree of institutionalization. These structural characteristics contributed to the continuous development and flourishment of ancient Chinese science, but was not conducive to scientific revolutions. The historically rational way of thinking led to the demise of theory, and particularly demise of formal rationality. And the scientific system of natural history and the unification style technical system prevented ancient Chinese science from transforming into the controlled experimental approach of Baconian science. The high degree of institutionalization prevented China from generating a scientific community, as well as eliminating the social role of scientists and the ideology to justify the devotion to science. The fundamental reason for the structural characteristics of ancient Chinese science was the power structure of the Confucian-Legalist state: the state ideology of imperial Confucianism shaped the historically rational way of thinking and the scientific system of natural history, the integration of political and ideological power reinforced the unification style technical system, and the crystallization of stable power relations shaped a high degree of institutionalization. |
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Key words: Needham’s Grand Question; structural characteristics; scientific revolution; power structure; Confucian- Legalist state |
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