标签：science

When Reading Joseph Needham, Do Not “Buy the Casket and Return the Pearl” — A Review of *The Titration of Civilization*

History of Science & Scholarship2017.03.26
When Reading Joseph Needham, Do Not “Buy the Casket and Return the Pearl” — A Review of *The Titration of Civilization*
Titrating Civilization: Science and Society in East and West This book review was written last November. It was commissioned, but after I submitted it there was no response. I only asked about it recently and learned that it had not been used, so I’m posting it here first and then I’ll look for somewhere else to submit it~ Before Brother Bo Tianshi translated The Grand Titration, I had long heard of this book and read some introductions to it, but I never quite understood what the titration business was all about. Only after reading it myself did I begin to make some sense of it, and I feel it…
book reading China science history of science
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2017年3月26日
Is It Worth Building a Super-Large Particle Collider?

Culture & Public Commentary2016.09.07
Is It Worth Building a Super-Large Particle Collider?
Recently, Mr. Yang Zhenning published an article opposing China’s construction of a super-large collider, turning the matter into a hot topic. The director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Wang Yifang, has already rebutted Mr. Yang’s arguments point by point, so I’ll just make a few offhand comments on what the two of them have said. Mr. Yang Zhenning is a clear-headed man, and has always tended to think from the standpoint of ordinary people at the bottom. I remember that when he gave a lecture at Peking University and spoke about the comparison between Chinese education and American education, he thought that the usual saying that American education…
China science commentary value
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2016年9月7日
Is It Worth Building a Super-Large Collider?

Culture & Public Commentary2016.09.07
Is It Worth Building a Super-Large Collider?
Recently, Mr. Yang Zhenning published an article opposing China’s construction of an ultra-large collider, turning the matter into a hot topic. The director of the High Energy Physics Institute, Wang Yifang, has already refuted Mr. Yang’s arguments point by point, so I’ll just offer a few casual comments on what the two of them have said. Mr. Yang Zhenning is a clear-headed man, and he has always tended to think about problems from the standpoint of ordinary people at the bottom. I remember that when he gave a lecture at Peking University and spoke about the comparison between Chinese education and American education, he said that what people commonly call…
China science commentary value
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2016年9月7日
Results Obscure Process—”Science Literacy Benchmarks” and Melamine

Culture & Public Commentary2016.04.29
Results Obscure Process—”Science Literacy Benchmarks” and Melamine
Recently I took part in the commentary on the “Basic Standards for the Scientific Literacy of Chinese Citizens.” I was invited to write a piece for China Science Daily, and it was published together with interviews of many teachers; see here. Because of the word limit, I accidentally wrote too much, and when the article was published it was edited and cut. In fact, the cuts were quite well done: the key points were all retained, and the tone was made less aggressive. Still, I’ll post the unedited original here for reference~ The newly released “Basic Standards for the Scientific Literacy of Chinese Citizens” has stirred up a great…
China science history of science philosophy of science
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2016年4月29日
When Results Obscure Process — “Scientific Literacy Standards” and Melamine

Culture & Public Commentary2016.04.29
When Results Obscure Process — “Scientific Literacy Standards” and Melamine
Recently I participated in the commentary on the , and was invited to write a piece for *China Science Daily*, which was published together with interviews with many teachers; see here. Because of the word limit, I accidentally wrote too much. When the article was published, the editors cut and revised it; actually the revisions were quite good—they kept all the key points and reduced the aggressiveness. Still, I’ll post the unedited original here for reference~ The newly released has stirred up a great deal of controversy. Beyond simply laughing at it or picking holes in it, there has gradually also been some serious discussion by scientists and scholars…
China science history of science philosophy of science
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2016年4月29日
I, Too, Will Take a Shot at the “Chinese Citizens’ Scientific Literacy Benchmark”

Culture & Public Commentary2016.04.24
I, Too, Will Take a Shot at the “Chinese Citizens’ Scientific Literacy Benchmark”
Recently the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Central Propaganda Department released the latest Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy among Chinese Citizens, which drew a great deal of mockery. Out of curiosity, I looked it up too, and after reading it I could not help wanting to mock it as well, so I sat down and wrote this (I’ve been trying to stimulate my own will to act lately). At first I only intended to pick a few items that had not been mocked much online and talk about them, but after writing I discovered there were far more targets for ridicule than I had imagined. Before I knew it,…
China science history of science philosophy of science
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2016年4月24日
Obsolete Wisdom (Preface to Fifteen Lectures on the General History of Science)

Culture & Public Commentary2016.03.04
Obsolete Wisdom (Preface to Fifteen Lectures on the General History of Science)
I am about to edit and publish my lecture notes on the history of science. The original title was to be *Fifteen Lectures on the History of Science*, but the editor suggested changing it to a more eye-catching main title. After wracking my brains, I came up with this phrase: “Outdated Wisdom.” What follows is my explanation of this title, or perhaps it can serve as the first section of the preface or introduction. Of course, this title has not been finalized; suggestions and naming proposals from teachers and friends are always welcome~ Studying Outdated Things with a Clear Conscience When we say that something “has become history,” we…
science history of science philosophy of science history
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2016年3月4日
Natural History or Natural Records?

History of Science & Scholarship2015.09.23
Natural History or Natural Records?
Last Friday, Professor Wu gave a lecture titled “What Is Natural History?” As for the Chinese translation of natural history, Professor Wu and I had been debating it long ago. I argued that it should be translated as “ziran shi” (“natural history”). This dispute over terminology later opened out into more layers of meaning, especially our understanding of the origins of modern science. In this lecture, Professor Wu formally expressed a willingness to yield: he no longer insisted that “bowuxue” was the only correct translation, acknowledged that my view had merit, and ultimately supported using “ziran zhi” in academic contexts, while continuing to use “bowuxue” in popular contexts. Of course,…
China science history of science nature
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2015年9月23日
Lectures on the General History of Science 5: Roman and Arabic Science

History of Science & Technology2015.04.03
Lectures on the General History of Science 5: Roman and Arabic Science
Last class we talked about Hellenistic science, represented by Ptolemaic astronomy; Western classical science reached its peak in the Hellenistic period. The next peak would have to wait until the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, from Copernicus to Newton. The period in between is relatively less exciting, but our general history course cannot very well skip over it, and this period is also one we are comparatively unfamiliar with. Before the Scientific Revolution, we must at least discuss three strands: first, the Arabs; second, China; third, Christian Europe. The Arabs took up the torch of Greek science and also made distinctive contributions, laying the groundwork for Europe’s…
science history of science course Aristotle
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2015年4月3日
Lectures on the General History of Science 4: Hellenistic Science

History of Science & Technology2015.03.27
Lectures on the General History of Science 4: Hellenistic Science
Last class we talked about ancient Greece as the birthplace of science. The key word of Greek learning is “freedom,” and this freedom has several layers of meaning. As for things, free things are natural things, as distinct from artificial things; natural things provide their own causes, so the discipline that seeks causes within things themselves is natural philosophy. As for human beings, freedom stands opposed to utility, and free persons stand opposed to slaves; one should pursue excellence rather than chase immediate material gain. As for learning, free learning stands opposed to imitation and authority; mathematics is the paradigm of free learning, because knowledge displays itself, without relying on…
philosophy science course Aristotle
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2015年3月27日