Chinese logic and the absence of theoretical sciences in ancient china
Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy 8 (4) (2009)
| Abstract | In this essay, I examine the nature of Chinese logic and Chinese sciences in the history of China. I conclude that Chinese logic is essentially analogical, and that the Chinese did not have theoretical sciences. I then connect these together and explain why the Chinese failed to develop theoretical sciences, even though they enjoyed an advanced civilization and great scientific and technological innovations. This is because a deductive system of logic is necessary for the development of theoretical sciences, and analogical logic cannot provide the deductive connections between a theory and empirical observations required by a theoretical science. This also offers a more satisfactory answer to the long-standing Needham Problem. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,705 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesXu Yibao (2003). Bertrand Russell and the Introduction of Mathematical Logic in China. History and Philosophy of Logic 24 (3):181-196.
Chung-ying Cheng (1971). Chinese Philosophy: A Characterization. Inquiry 14 (1-4):113 – 137.
Shi Hu (uuuu/1963). The Development of the Logical Method in Ancient China. New York, Paragon Book Reprint Corp..
Zhenyu Zeng (2011). Semantic Criticism: The “Westernization” of the Concepts in Ancient Chinese Philosophy—A Discussion of Yan Fu's Theory of Qi. Frontiers of Philosophy in China 6 (1):100-113.
Chengji Liu (2008). The Body and its Image in Classical Chinese Aesthetics. Frontiers of Philosophy in China 3 (4):577-594.
Ping He (2007). On the Phenomenon of “Return to Marx” in China. Frontiers of Philosophy in China 2 (2):219-229.
Zailin Zhang (2009). Theories of Family in Ancient Chinese Philosophy. Frontiers of Philosophy in China 4 (3):343-359.
Zhongyuan Sun (2007). Meta-Research in Chinese Logic. Frontiers of Philosophy in China 2 (1):50-69.
Jana Rosker (2010). The Concept of Structure as a Basic Epistemological Paradigm of Traditional Chinese Thought. Asian Philosophy 20 (1):79-96.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-10-03Total downloads29 ( #42,452 of 549,144 )Recent downloads (6 months)2 ( #37,418 of 549,144 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
