China’s Historical Stagnation: the Scientific Aspect

Abstract

The belief in the power of science stands at the center of the ideology called modernity. The vision that useful knowledge could steadily accumulate in human society and that the application of scientific knowledge to nature and society could advance human civilization encouraged European philosophers like Fontenelle, Condorcet and Turgot to formulate the idea of progress. The belief in science and its capability in bettering man’s living conditions also induced Enlightenment philosophers and other Western thinkers such as Saint-Simon to propose modern projects. Why had no such philosophy been formulated and no indigenous modern science been created in traditional China? This is an important question in understanding China’s failure to achieve modernity in the past.