Science and Bureaucracy in Traditional China

Abstract

Bureaucracy had a profound effect on nearly all aspects of the society and culture in traditional China. Science was no exception, and although bureau cracy should rank at the top of the list of subjects to be studied in the context of Chinese science, yet, the relation between science and bureaucracy in China has not been studied properly so far. What is abundant is impressionistic state ments concerning the stimulating or hindering effects of bureaucracy on the development ofscience in China. In this essay, by indicating what I consider to be problems and possibilities in the study of the subject, I try to present a more nuanced approach needed for an adequate understanding of this very complex and multifaceted relation. Looking at previous discussions about the relations between the two, this essay then notes some common problems in them, after which the nature of this relation is examined more generally. In doing so I draw upon my reflections about the relation between science and another cultural element, religion, in traditional China. I then suggest some new perspectives that can be brought into the study of the relation between science and bureaucracy in China, and conclude by mentioning some topics that can be studied fruitfully in a new light.