Items related to Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 7, The Social...
Science and Civilisation in China: Volume 7, The Social Background; Part 1, Language and Logic in Traditional China - Hardcover
Book 7 of 7: Science and Civilisation in China
Synopsis
Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 7 Part 1 is the first book in the final volume of this unique resource. The Chinese culture is the only culture in the world that has developed systematic logical definitions and reflections on its own and on the basis of a non-Indo-European language. Christoph Harbsmeier discusses the basic features of the classical Chinese language that made it a suitable medium for science in ancient China, discussing in detail a wide range of abstract concepts that are crucial for the development of scientific discourse. There is special emphasis on the conceptual history of logical terminology in ancient China, and on traditional Chinese views on their own language. Finally the book provides an overview of the development of logical reflection in ancient China, first in terms of the forms of arguments that were deployed in ancient Chinese texts, and then in terms of ancient Chinese theoretical concerns with logical matters.
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Book Description
Volume VII, Part 1 of Science and Civilisation in China discusses the basic features of the classical Chinese language which made it a suitable medium for science in ancient China. This survey of the conceptual history of logical terminology in ancient China forms a unique resource for scholars of language, logic and the development of science in China.
Review
"Joseph Needham's masterpiece, chronicling the scientific and technical achievements of the world's oldest continuous civilization, has by now illuminated almost every aspect of the intellectual history of East Asia." David Wright, Isis
"This latest volume in the monumental series Science and Civilisation in China is singular. Unlike its companion volumes, it treats not the history of science but the comparitive history of the foundations of science in language and logic." China Review International
"[An] astonishing and enduring study...[Needham brings] depth of emotion and technical finesse to his task."
Jonathan Spence, New York Review of Books
"Perhaps the greatest single act of historical synthesis and intercultural communication ever attempted by one man."
Laurence Picken, Cambridge University
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