This article introduces and translates “The Basic Problematic of Science” (Kexue zhi genben wenti 科學之根本問題), a short essay published in 1926 by the scientist and lay Buddhist Wang Xiaoxu 王小徐(1875-1948). Although he did not use the term, the target of Wang’s essay was scientism, an extreme form of logical positivism which claims that natural science is the sole authority for answering questions of both fact and value. This materialist position became popular in China from the late 1910s, and it posed a serious challenge to a wide variety of ontological and epistemological claims, including those made within Buddhist circles. While he did not oppose science in general, Wang believed the spread of scientism would lead to an increasingly violent and materialistic society. As a result, he critiqued the authority of its absolutist view by emphasizing the epistemic limits of the scientific method, and by rejecting its Cartesian dualism in favor of the MahƘ\Ƙna Buddhist position that “the myriad dharmas are consciousness-only” (wanfa weishi 萬法唯識).
目次
PART I: Introductory Comments 37 Context 38 Wang Xiaoxu and this Text 41 Wang’s Argument 43 PART II: Translation of the Text 46 PART III: Original Text51
