Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996. XVII,250p. Paperback. Upper part front and back cover near spine a bit bumped. Series: Ideas in Context. 'Are contemporary differences in arts and sciences between East Asia and the West founded in the civilizations of ancient Greece and china? L.'s investigation into the methodology of science in the two cultures from the beginnings in the fifth century B.C.E. to the third century C.E. provides ammunition for both sides in the debate. (...) Unlike his predecessors (...)who were more concerned with the question of why modern discoveries did not originate in China, L. gives a brief examination of the common features of Greek and Chinese sciences but focuses on the philosophic, social, and cultural aspects which made science as a whole, and astronomy, mathematics, and medicine in particular, develop differently in ancient Greece and China. Being well aware of the danger of generalizations within a single culture and of general views crossing cultures, L. tentatively compares the Greek and Chinese attitudes towards a number of issues and attempts to solve some commonly recognized problems. (...) One of the lessons learnt from 'Adversaries and Authorities' is that investigation of the underlying reasons for similariies and differences is more important than simply annotating divergence and oncvergence, and that is why there have been serious weaknesses in earlier contrasts between Greek and Chinese perceptions of ...

Paperback. Very Good. ISBN 0521556953 9780521556958 [GB]