逻各斯与努斯:西方科学文化的两个原点

西方科学文化有两个重要的根源:一是古希腊文化中蕴含的逻各斯;二是古罗马文化中蕴含的努斯。前者对科学文化的影响主要在形而上层面:它孕育了信奉自然世界理性秩序和规律的本体信念,肯定了人类凭借知识和智慧实现自我和超越自我的人生理想,为人类运用语言进行自由开放的思想交流做出了本体论的辩护,从而给科学文化以"仰望天空"的精神品格;后者对科学文化的影响主要在形而下层面:它肯定了知觉经验在人类心灵和精神生活中的地位,凸显了改造世界的实践理性,确立了理性合作的社会责任感和共同体意识,从而给科学文化以"脚踏实地"的精神品格。正是这两种精神品格的交融,在很大程度上塑造了西方科学文化。逻各斯与努斯是理解西方科学文化的两个原点。

Logos and Nous: Two Origins of Western Scientific Culture

Western scientific culture has two important origins: one is Logos embodied in ancient Greek culture,the other is Nous embodied in ancient Roman culture.The former mainly exerts influence on the metaphysical levels of scientific culture: it gives birth to the ontological commitment to the rational order in natural world,confirms the ideal of life that human could actualize the self-fulfillment and self-transcendence with the help of knowledge and wisdom,and provides the ontological argument for the possibility of the free and open communication in language,thus cultivating the metaphysical intellectual virtues of scientific culture.The latter mainly exerts influence on the physical levels of scientific culture: it confirms the role of perceptional experience in human mind and spirit life,highlights the practical reason to reconstruct the world,and establishes the sense of social responsibility and community consciousness to improve rational cooperation,thus cultivating the physical intellectual virtues of scientific culture.It is to a large extent the two intellectual virtues that shape western scientific culture.Logos and Nous are two origins to understand western scientific culture.