Joseph Needham's Science and Civilisation in China is a monumental piece of scholarship which breaks new ground in presenting to the Western reader a detailed and coherent account of the development of science, technology and medicine in China from the earliest times until the advent of the Jesuits and the beginnings of modern science in the late seventeenth century. It is a vast work, necessarily more suited to the scholar and research worker than the general reader. This paperback version, abridged and re-written by Colin Ronan, makes this extremely important study accessible to a wider public. The present book covers the material treated in volumes I and II of Dr Needham's original work. The reader is introduced to the country of China, its history, geography and language, and an account is given of how scientific knowledge travelled between China and Europe. The major part of the book is then devoted to the history of scientific thought in China itself. Beginning with ancient times, it describes the milieu in which arose the schools of the Confucians, Taoists, Mohists, Logicians and Legalists. We are thus brought on to the fundamental ideas which dominated scientific thinking in the Chinese Middle Ages, to the doctrines of the Two Forces (Yin and Yang) and the Five Elements (wu hsing), to the impact of the sceptical tradition and Buddhist and Neo-Confucian thought.
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Don't miss this
10 July 2012
By Godfree Roberts
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the abridgement of Joseph Needham's 22-volume study of Chinese technology. For lovers of the history of science it is an unparallelled feast.
For all of the nonsense we read in the Western media about China's approach to intellectual property, this is the perfect antidote: it turns out that China invented almost everything we use today.
As a thoroughly enjoyable warm-up to this book, I recommend the biography of Joseph Needham: "The Man WHo Loved Chna" by Simon Winchester.
For all of the nonsense we read in the Western media about China's approach to intellectual property, this is the perfect antidote: it turns out that China invented almost everything we use today.
As a thoroughly enjoyable warm-up to this book, I recommend the biography of Joseph Needham: "The Man WHo Loved Chna" by Simon Winchester.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Reading for Short History of Chinese Civilization
23 Nov 2012
By jeldoi
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A good concise history of China's civilization and achievements. Good reading for people who are into history and inventions. Recommended for history buffs.
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