7. Science and Religion in Traditional China

Abstract

The relationship between science and religion in traditional China was quite different from that in the West. Yet too much attention to this point of difference has sometimes given rise to problems that hinder a proper understanding of the unique nature of the science-religion relationship in China. This chapter discusses these problems and suggests some ways to look at the relationship more fruitfully. The relationship between science and religion is profoundly culture-dependent. Understanding this relationship in China cannot be achieved by simply checking for the presence or absence of those religious concepts, practices, groups, and connections that were relevant in Western scientific development. One subject that cannot be ignored in this context is Confucianism, which the chapter offers as a query and not as any kind of solution. When it comes to Buddhism, no one questions whether it can be called a 'religion', though one quite different from Western religions.Keywords: Buddhism; Confucianism; culture; religion; science; traditional China; Western scientific development