I remember that the first time I wrote a book review for Professor Zhou Hanguang's works was in 1993, when Professor Zhou Hanguang's "Research on Ancient Chinese Scientific Methods" was published by East China Normal University Press in 1992, which was a pamphlet of about 100,000 words, for which I wrote a book review: "After Reading the Study of Ancient Chinese Scientific Methods", published in Philosophical Studies, No. 4, 1993. Now, 25 years later, the Collected Works of Zhou Hanguang was recently grandly launched by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House, but this time it has become a four-volume, five-volume, foreign language with more than 1.5 million words. The book is beautifully bound and is no longer comparable to the pamphlet of that year. I naturally couldn't help but love and love such a beautiful book, of course, the content of it was even more interesting to me, so I was happy to write another book review for Professor Zhou Hanguang's new book. But I'm not going to limit myself to books, and some of the retrospectives may be just as meaningful.
Professor Zhou Hanguang
My acquaintance with Professor Zhou Hanguang dates back to the 1980s, when we were both concerned about the relationship between ancient Chinese philosophy and natural science. Professor Zhou Hanguang was originally a disciple of Mr. Yan Beiming of the Department of Philosophy of Fudan University, and at that time he had already worked at East China Normal University, and his concern was on the above issues. I entered East China Normal University as a graduate student in 1985, and my research direction is also the above problem. At this point, it is necessary to mention my doctoral supervisor, Mr. Feng Qi, because he has always been concerned with the influence of the natural sciences on philosophy. In his book "The Logical Development of Ancient Chinese Philosophy", Mr. Feng particularly emphasized: "There is a popular view: Chinese philosophers emphasize human beings, and Western philosophers emphasize knowledge. Because Chinese pay more attention to moral practice and cultivation and less to knowledge, epistemology does not occupy an important position in Chinese philosophy, or epistemology is not developed. In response to such an opinion, Mr. Feng Qi asked: "Is this statement correct?" It's worth studying. "There is no doubt that Mr. Feng Qi's insights and thought-provoking questions have had an important impact on both Professor Zhou Hanguang and my future work. In addition, there was Mr. Yuan Yunkai, who was the president of East China Normal University at the time. Mr. Yuan studies the history of physics and pays great attention to the ideas of physics in ancient China, and he has helped us a lot. In 1987 and 1990, under the organization of Professor Zhou Hanguang, East China Normal University held two national conferences, namely the seminar on "History of Chinese Scientific Thought" and the seminar on "Traditional Thought and Science and Technology", from which Professor Zhou Hanguang has emerged in the field of research on the history of Chinese scientific thought. In the 1990s, the study of the history of science and the history of scientific thought in Shanghai was very active and lively, and it was quite influential in the whole country, and it was during that time that I met more colleagues, including Professor Li Shen and Professor Jiang Xiaoyuan.
Today, although the relationship between science and philosophy still belongs to the "niche" or even "extremely niche" research problems, it is true that more and more scholars have noticed the importance of this relationship or problem, which is naturally inseparable from the excellent work of Professors Such as Zhou Hanguang and Li Shen. For Professor Zhou Hanguang, it has been a full 30 years since the first national conference on the history of scientific thought was organized in 1987, and perhaps only he knows the most about how much hardship he has paid during this period. As far as I know, he had had a heart attack and had heart bypass surgery because he was too tired. Looking back on the past, people have unlimited emotions! Therefore, the publication of this set of "Anthology", which embodies the great efforts of Professor Zhou Hanguang, is really gratifying and congratulatory! This is the best reward for his unremitting efforts in the field of the history of Chinese scientific thought, and once again reflects the perfect relationship between hard work and abundant harvest! And I would also like to say that this set of "Anthology" also perfectly reflects Professor Zhou Hanguang's consistent style of acting, that is, the thinking is meticulous, dripping water, and it can be said that everything is "just right"!
The Collected Works of Zhou Hanguang
Now, this four-volume, five-volume anthology is spread out in front of me. Volume I: "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Philosophy of Science Thought", a total of two volumes; Volume II: "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Mathematical Philosophy Thought"; Volume III: "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Management Philosophy Thought"; Volume IV: "Research on the History of Science and Ancient Books of Science and Technology". Looking at the names of these volumes, it is not difficult to see that the word "science" runs through the whole process. It is no wonder that as Professor Zhou Hanguang said in the preface, in the eyes of many academic friends, he is a science and technology historian, and he himself often regards himself as a science and technology historian. Of course, Professor Zhou Hanguang also pointed out that this is only his "identity" in one aspect, and he also has another "identity", that is, he is also a historian of philosophy. To this end, Professor Zhou Hanguang has a special "positioning" for himself, that is, he calls himself an "amphibian" who wanders between the two disciplines of the history of science and technology and the history of philosophy, or prefers to call himself a "bridge builder" who builds a bridge between the two fields of science and technology history and the history of philosophy. Professor Zhou Hanguang's explanation is very important, and with my understanding of Professor Zhou Hanguang's work over the years, I know very well that he is by no means engaged in pure research on the history of science, but in the study of the relationship between science and philosophy in history, or the study of the history of the relationship between science and philosophy.
The launch of the Collected Works of Zhou Hanguang and the Seminar on Exploring the Sources of Scientific and Philosophical Thought
Of course, this is not to say that all of Professor Zhou Hanguang's work has an equal status in my mind. If I had to choose the focus, I would rather recommend the first volume of his "Anthology", "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Philosophical Thought in Science" and the second volume" "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Mathematical Philosophy Thought".
Exploring the Sources of Chinese Philosophical Thought on Science consists of two volumes. Among them, the first part of "Research on Ancient Chinese Scientific Methods" can be said to be the founding work of Professor Zhou Hanguang himself, and it is also a pioneering work in this field. As mentioned earlier, I wrote a book review for it 25 years ago. Among them, it lists thirty-six ancient Chinese scientific methods, accurate grasp, highly generalized, a glance at the mountains and small, and it is still more than a surprise to read, and I can also recall the heroism of Professor Zhou Hanguang in those years. Others that interested me were the third part, "Confucianism and the Development of Ancient Science and Technology," the fourth part, "Taoism, Taoism, and the Development of Ancient Science and Technology," and the fifth part, "The Development of Chinese Buddhism and Ancient Technology." This is not only because Professor Han Guang was able to think about some issues that had not been thought of by previous people and had not been thought of before, but also because of the overall "arrangement" of the relationship between Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism and knowledge.
The "Exploration of the Sources of Chinese Mathematical Philosophy Thought" is the focus of the key points, including the eighth part of "Pre-Qin Mathematics and zhuzi Philosophy", the ninth part of "Liu Hui's Commentary", the tenth part of "Li Ye's Commentary", etc. are all masterpieces of Professor Zhou Hanguang. This is because the history of mathematics is Professor Zhou Hanguang's specialty, and mathematical philosophy has always been the focus of research on the history of Chinese science, the history of Chinese scientific thought, and the relationship between ancient Chinese science and philosophy. In addition to the book "Pre-Qin Mathematics and Philosophy of the Sons" and was translated into Korean after twenty years of publication in China, which highlights its international academic value, we can also see the summary of Six aspects of Liu Hui's scientific thought such as "limit", "retest" and "reasoning" in the "Biography of Liu Hui", and the summary of Li Ye's scientific thought in "Mathematical Knowable", "Unity of Taoist Techniques", and "Bo and Later Refinement" in the "Biography of Li Ye". All of this reflects Professor Zhou Hanguang's thorough grasp of ancient Chinese mathematical thought and its relationship with philosophy. As far as I know, no one else in the history of Chinese philosophy has done such specialized work.
Professor Zhou Hanguang of East China Normal University at the seminar
In fact, if the reader pays attention, it is in these two volumes that Professor Zhou Hanguang shows us his connection with those famous masters and masters, including Joseph Needham, Qian Xuesen, Feng Qi, Hu Daojing, Xi Wen, Zhang Dainian, Wu Wenjun, Xi Zezong, etc., some of which are so shining!
The past is like smoke, and those who come have a period. Professor Zhou Hanguang specifically said when "positioning" his work: "This "Anthology" is actually a bridge I built between the two worlds of ancient Chinese philosophy and natural science, which contains my attempts and efforts to connect the two worlds, to connect the two worlds, and even to transcend the two worlds. "I think this embodies the lofty ideals of a scholar who pursues truth. In fact, this is also the ideal of older generation scholars such as my mentor Mr. Feng Qi. The significance of Professor Zhou Hanguang's work is to let us see a step-by-step solid footprint towards this ideal or goal. I believe that through the unremitting efforts of generations of scholars to pass on the torch, more and more scholars will realize the close relationship between ancient Chinese philosophy and science or knowledge! And that day will certainly be a day when Chinese philosophy itself will make a qualitative leap in understanding and reflection! Let's look forward to this day coming soon!
Author: Wu Jingdong
Source: China Reading Daily
appendix:
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" > the Introduction of Zhou Hanguang's Collected Works</h1>
The Collected Works of Zhou Hanguang is a collection of all the articles written by Professor Zhou Hanguang of BGI Since the 1980s, popular science works, academic papers, lecture materials, lecture lectures and other poems. The book consists of 1.58 million words and is divided into four volumes and five volumes. The first volume is "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Philosophy of Science Thought" (the first two volumes), the second volume is "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Mathematical Philosophy Thought", the third volume is "Exploring the Sources of Chinese Management Philosophy Thought", and the fourth volume is "Research on the History of Science and Ancient Books of Science and Technology". In the "Preface" to the book, the author describes himself as "an amphibian who wanders between the two disciplines of the history of science and technology and the history of philosophy", and that this collection of essays "is a bridge I have built between the two worlds of ancient Chinese philosophy and natural science, and contains my attempts and efforts to connect the two worlds, to connect the two worlds, and even to transcend the two worlds." ”
The first volume of the book is the "Preface I" written by Guo Shuchun, former chairman of the National Society for the History of Mathematics and researcher of the Institute of natural Science History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which states that Mr. Zhou Hanguang is a "dark horse" in the field of research on the history of Chinese scientific thought and the history of mathematical thought, and has "studied hard, worked tirelessly, and achieved remarkable results" in the past 40 years.
In addition, the "Preface II" written by Professor Chen Weiping of the Chinese Society for the History of Philosophy, vice president of the Shanghai Philosophical Society and Professor Chen Weiping of East China Normal University, believes that "concern for the relationship between ancient Chinese philosophy and science is an important feature of Feng (Qi)men's research on the history of Chinese philosophy", and Mr. Zhou Hanguang "is an important member of the academic community who highlights this feature".
The preface also mentions that the author's book "Pre-Qin Mathematics and The Philosophy of the Sons" from more than 20 years ago was recently translated and published by the Korean academic community, which means that Mr. Zhou Hanguang "wrote a wonderful academic life for himself." ”
The appendix includes letters from some scholars of the older generation in the fields of philosophy, science and history of science--Zhang Dainian, Yan Beiming, Feng Qi and Joseph Needham (Britain), Qian Xuesen, Qian Linzhao, Xi Zezong, Hu Daojing, etc., as well as the prefaces and comments written by some of them for the author's early works, which are of high historical value.
The book was published by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House in June 2017, with Mr. Miao Hongcai, former president and editor-in-chief of the publishing house, as the responsible editor.
Liu Huiyan, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China in Yunnan Province, secretary general of the provincial party committee and alumnus of East China Normal University, called the author, Mr. Zhou Hanguang, "an inspirational role model worthy of admiration."
Professor Pan Fuen, 85, an 85-year-old veteran of the Shanghai philosophical circle and former director of the Academic Committee of the Department of Philosophy at Fudan University, wrote to the author, calling the work "a landmark and major achievement in the study of ancient Chinese philosophical thought on science."
Yang Guorong, president of the International Society of Metaphysics, president of the Shanghai Association for the Comparative Study of Chinese and Western Philosophy and Culture, dean of the School of Humanities at East China Normal University, and tenured professor, said that the Zhou Hanguang Anthology is "unique in the study of the history of science in China", that it is "rich in content and insightful", and "has a positive role in promoting the study of the history of Chinese science and the history of Chinese philosophy." ”
Professor Guo Jinbin of the Department of Philosophy of Xiamen University praised the book as "a first-class book, first-class editing and publishing, first-class scholars, first-class research, and first-class results." ”
Professor Hu Huakai, vice chairman of the Society for the History of Science and Technology of China and vice dean of the School of Humanities at the University of Science and Technology of China, believes that this "anthology" has "not only new fields that pioneered the atmosphere, but also new insights that have not been developed before, and has made positive contributions to the promotion of traditional Chinese thought and culture, which is admirable." ”
Guan Zengjian, vice chairman of the Chinese Society for the History of Science and Technology and distinguished professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, believes that in order to study ancient Chinese science and technology in depth, we must not fail to consider various factors such as ancient philosophical thought, and "the publication of the Emperor's great work "Zhou Hanguang's Collected Works" shows us an example of how to dig deep in such a cross-cutting field." ”
Professor Liu Zhongyu of the Department of Philosophy of East China Normal University said, "The anthology is a perfect combination of the history of philosophy and the history of science and technology. This combination is not a hard twist on the outside, but an inner unity. ”
Professor Wang Qingjian of Liaoning Normal University believes that the "nine original achievements" in the Anthology have set up benchmarks in the academic community and become a model for professional research and a model for later scholars. ”
Professor Wu Jingdong of Shanghai Normal University praised the author of this book for "being able to think of what no one before thought, and what no one has ever thought of before" and "embodying the lofty ideals of a scholar who pursues truth."
Scholars believe that chinese history is not only rich in scientific and philosophical thought, but also profound philosophical thoughts on science, such as ideas on scientific methods and scientific logic, natural philosophical ideas on "Taoist nature", and mathematical philosophical ideas on "taking image luck and luck". These scientific ideas, philosophical ideas, and scientific philosophical ideas are all important assets for us to enhance the self-confidence of national culture.
Yan Shuxiang, vice president of the Guangdong Society of Social Work and chairman of Shenzhen Der Spiegel Group, believes that "this four-volume "Zhou Hanguang Anthology" is worthy of being an excellent research masterpiece for China's excellent traditional culture, and it provides contemporary citizens with new capital full of confidence in Chinese culture from the three major fields of ancient Chinese scientific philosophy, ancient Chinese mathematical philosophy and ancient Chinese management philosophy, which is worth recommending to all sectors of society and worthy of careful reading. ”