Astral Sciences in Early Imperial China - Observation, Sagehood and the Individual

Challenging monolithic modern narratives about 'Chinese science', Daniel Patrick Morgan examines the astral sciences in China c.221 BCE-750 CE as a study in the disunities of scientific cultures and the narratives by which ancients and moderns alike have fought to instil them with a sense of unity. The book focuses on four unifying 'legends' recounted by contemporary subjects: the first two, redolent of antiquity, are the 'observing of signs' and 'granting of seasons' by ancient sage kings; and the other two, redolent of modernity, involve the pursuit of 'accuracy' and historical 'accumulation' to this end. Juxtaposing legend with the messy realities of practice, Morgan reveals how such narratives were told, imagined, and re-imagined in response to evolving tensions. He argues that, whether or not 'empiricism' and 'progress' are real, we must consider the real effects of such narratives as believed in and acted upon in the history of astronomy in China.

Sommario

Introduction; Conventions; 1. The world below; 2. Observing the signs; 3. Granting the seasons; 4. Reverent accordance with prodigious heaven; 5. What the ancients had yet to learn; 6. Conclusion; Bibliography; Pre-1850 texts and epigraphic sources, by titles; Secondary sources; Index.

Info autore

Daniel Patrick Morgan is a researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, (CNRS) Laboratoire SPHERE (Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire), Université Paris Diderot, having previously graduated from the University of Chicago. From 2013 to 2016, he was a member of the European Research Council project, Mathematical Sciences in the Ancient World (SAW). Trained as a sinologist, his research focusses on manuscript culture and the history of science in Ancient China.

Riassunto

Responding to monolithic modern narratives about 'Chinese science', Morgan examines the astral sciences in early China as a study in the disunities of Chinese scientific cultures and the narratives by which ancients and moderns alike have fought to instil them with a sense of unity.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Daniel Morgan, Daniel (Centre National De La Recherche Sc Morgan, Daniel (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Morgan, Daniel Patrick Morgan, Daniel Patrick (Centre National De La Rech Morgan, Daniel Patrick (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Morgan
• Editore: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pubblicazione: 31.08.2017
• EAN: 9781107139022
• ISBN: 978-1-107-13902-2
• Pagine: 268
• Categorie: Scienze naturali, medicina, informatica, tecnica > Tecnica > Altro; China, TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / History, History of Science, History of engineering and technology, c 500 to c 1000 CE, History of engineering & technology, Astronomy, space & time, BCE to c 500 CE, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, BCE period – Protohistory, Theoretical and mathematical astronomy