佛教、基督宗教與科學 -- 斯特裏特(Burnett Hillman Streeter)與中西文化交流=Buddhism, Christianity and Science: Burnett Hillman Streeter and Cultural Exchange between China and the West
Religion and Science are two important as well as interesting aspects in the cultural exchange between China and the West. The present paper aims at offering an in-depth study of Burnett Hillman Streeter (1874-1937), who was not only a world-renowned Biblical scholar of his generation but also a pioneer of an underdeveloped field of studies-the dialogue or trilogue of Christianity, Science and Buddhism. This paper focuses on two related aspects of Streeter's work. One is whether and how his interest in the dialogue between theology and science shaped his approach to Buddhism. The other is whether and how his understanding of Buddhism, especially his encounter with the living Buddhists in China and Japan, contributed to the further development of his understanding of the relationship between Christian theology and science. All these make Streeter's interpretation of Buddhism, as this paper argues, significantly differ from the essentialism and textualism characterizing the Orientalism strongly criticized by Edward Said. Streeter's case indicates that Christianity can be compatible with science and it is not necessary for the Chinese to accept western science on the one hand and reject Christianity on the other. Furthermore, Christians in the Western world, when considering the relationship between religion and science, should not focus exclusively on Christianity and science, assuming that "oriental" culture is far less "rational" or "scientific" than the Western. They should be more open to the possibility of learning from "oriental" culture, including Buddhism, even in the area of religion and science. With regard to the cultural exchange between China and the West, Streeter's case may serve as a reminder that China is not merely on the receiving end of this exchange. Chinese culture is able to contribute to cultural development in the West, including possibly Christian theology in the Western world and the discussion concerning theology and science. Furthermore, Streeter's case may further indicate that the exchange between China and the "West", which itself is by no means monolithic, is actually within a wider context of global exchange among various cultural traditions. As Buddhism, Christianity and Science are to different extents "globalized", their encounters and exchanges are also "global" events. In the contemporary world of globalization, a binary or dualistic view of "China vis-à-vis the West" should be replaced by a more global vision of multilateral cultural exchanges among a huge variety of cultural traditions.
