Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 2, History of Scientific Thought

Description

The second volume of Dr Joseph Needham's great work Science and Civilisation in China is devoted to the history of scientific thought. Beginning with ancient times, it describes the Confucian milieu in which arose the organic naturalism of the great Taoist school, the scientific philosophy of the Mohists and Logicians, and the quantitative materialism of the Legalists. Thus we are brought on to the fundamental ideas which dominated scientific thinking in the Chinese middle ages. The author opens his discussion by considering the remote and pictographic origins of words fundamental in scientific discourse, and then sets forth the influential doctrines of the Two Forces and the Five Elements. Subsequently he writes of the important sceptical tradition, the effects of Buddhist thought, and the Neo-Confucian climax of Chinese naturalism. Last comes a discussion of the conception of Laws of Nature in China and the West. Title Page......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Contents......Page 9 List of Illustrations......Page 17 List of Tables......Page 19 List of Abbreviations......Page 21 Acknowledgments......Page 23 Author's Note......Page 25 8. Introduction......Page 27 9. The Ju Chia (Confucians) and Confucianism......Page 29 10. The Tao Chia (Taoists) and Taoism......Page 60 11. The Mo Chia (Mohists) and the Ming Chia (Logicians)......Page 192 12. The Fa Chia (Legalists)......Page 231 13. The Fundamental Ideas of Chinese Science......Page 243 14. The Pseudo-Sciences and the Sceptical Tradition......Page 374 15. Buddhist Thought......Page 426 16. Chin and Thang Taoists, and Sung Neo-Confucians......Page 463 17. Sung and Ming Idealists, and the Last Great Figures of Indigenous Naturalism......Page 538 18. Human Law and the Laws of Nature in China and the West......Page 550 Bibliographies......Page 617 Abbreviations......Page 618 A. Chinese books before +1800......Page 622 B. Chinese and Japanese books and journal articles since +1800......Page 641 C. Books and journal articles in western languages......Page 648 General Index......Page 687 Table of Chinese Dynasties......Page 730