科学家的人文关怀--读80年前德日进第一次来华时的书信

文章通过读德日进1923～1924年第一次来华工作期间的书信,介绍了德日进思想中的几个重要侧面：其宗教思想中的“上帝”及“现世”;学术研究应跨学科综合进行;精神生活的首要地位以及如何看待东西方文化的异同。

THE HUMANITARIAN THOUGHT OF THE SCIENTIST:RE-READING P.TEILHARD DE CHARDIN'''' S LETTERS WHEN HE FIRST VISITED CHINA

As a French geologist and paleontologist of the first half century of 20th,P. Teilhard de Chardin has been internationally recognized for his achievements and his scientific researches in the relative fields,including that on China. There are about a thousand letters in Teilhard's Collection of Letters ,which are classified into twelve groups. By reading his provoking,natural philosophical thoughts from the objective viewpoint of a western philosopher,we could gradually discover several major aspects of Teilhard's thoughts. First,in his letters written while traveling in China,Teilhard gives an impressive description of the beauty of natural scenes,which is almost never mentioned in his scientific papers. Secondly,religious belief remains a complicated and important core issue in Teilhard's thoughts. He is a person with real belief which transcends superficiality and formality. Thirdly,Teilhard has his own understanding as for the academic research: it is necessary for different disciplines to be interlaced and integrated. Fourthly,by re reading these letters,we surprisingly find that Teilhard gradually lost his interest in geological and paleontological research and study,to which he had devoted his whole life. Why is it? The answer lies in his viewpoint of evolution. Lastly,another issue mentioned in Teilhard's works is how to understand the similarities and differences between the eastern and western cultures. I think there are two points that worth our attention. First,Teilhard's disappointment on China is not because of the poverty or the unstability of Chinese society of that time,but the lack of spirit in Chinese people. Second,Teilhard was not being parochial or narrow minded as most of the vain nationalists when he drew such a conclusion that the east was fading away and the west will flourish.