Evolutionary theory has some significant meanings in modern China. First of all, it made people believe history's progress. History's progress was hope of Chinese intellectuals. So, the theory of evolution was given enthusiastic welcomes from the intellectuals. Another function of evolutionary theory was Imperialism's herald. It spreaded "the law of the jungle" and "the survival of the fittest." The invasion of the west powers depended its theoretical background on evolutionary theory. Science has no idea of morality. Moralistic criticism against the Western Imperialism was fundamentally impossible. Most of modern Chinese intellectuals accepted evolutionary theory without any critical thinking. However there were some remarkable Chinese scholars against evolutionary theory. Through mediating Buddhism, Zang Taiyan and Taixu criticized evolutionary theory. Evolutionary theory promotes self-consciousness. It enlarges and strengthens the self-consciousness of the individual through competition. Eventually, the connection between the individuals would be ruptured. Therefore, for protecting the fact that the human being is "pratityasamutpā," Buddhists fought against evolutionary theory.
目次
I. 머리말 3 II. 진화관년의 유입과 사유의 동유 6 III. 章太炎의 이중진화론과 문명론 17 IV. 불교의 평등관념과 진화론의 상충 25 V. 맺음말 36
