Ancient Worlds, Modern Reflections : Philosophical Perspectives on Greek and Chinese Science and Culture

Geoffrey Lloyd engages in a wide-ranging exploration of what we can learn from the study of ancient civilisations that is relevant to fundamental problems, both intellectual and moral, that we still face today. How far is it possible to arrive at an understanding of alien systems of belief? Is it possible to talk meaningfully of'science'and of its various constituent disciplines,'astronomy','geography','anatomy', and so on, in the ancient world? Are logic and its laws universal? Is there one ontology - a single world - to which all attempts at understanding must be considered to be directed? When we encounter apparently very different views of reality, how far can that be put down to a difference in conceptions of what needs explaining, or of what counts as an explanation, or to different preferred modes of reasoning or styles of inquiry? Do the notions of truth and belief represent reliable cross-cultural universals? In another area, what can ancient history teach us about today's social and political problems? Are the discourses of human nature and of human rights universally applicable? What political institutions do we need to help secure equity and justice within nation states and between them? Lloyd sets out to answer all these questions, and to convince us that the science and culture of ancient Greece and China provide precious resources to advance modern debates. Publisher description: Geoffrey Lloyd engages in a wide-ranging exploration of what we can learn from the study of ancient civilizations that is relevant to fundamental problems, both intellectual and moral, that we still face today. These include, in philosophy of science, the question of the incommensurability of paradigms, the debate between realism and relativism or constructivism, and between correspondence and coherence conceptions of truth. How far is it possible to arrive at an understanding of alien systems of belief? Is it possible to talk meaningfully of 'science' and of its various constituent disciplines, 'astronomy' 'geography' 'anatomy' and so on, in the ancient world? Are logic and its laws universal? Is there one ontology - a single world - to which all attempts at understanding must be considered to be directed? When we encounter apparently very different views of reality, how far can that be put down to a difference in conceptions of what needs explaining, or of what counts as an explanation, or to different preferred modes of reasoning or styles of inquiry? Do the notions of truth and belief represent reliable cross-cultural universals? In another area, what can ancient history teach us about today's social and political problems? Are the discourses of human nature and of human rights universally applicable? What political institutions do we need to help secure equity and justice within nation states and between them? Lloyd sets out to answer all these questions, and to argue that the study of the science and culture of ancient Greece and China provided a precious resource in order to advance a wealth of modern debates Contents 6 Preface 8 1. Understanding Ancient Societies 14 2. Science in Ancient Civilizations? 25 3. Carving out Territories 37 4. A Common Logic? 52 5. Searching for Truth 65 6. The Questionability of Belief 77 7. Styles of Enquiry and the Question of a Common Ontology 89 8. The Use and Abuse of Classification 106 9. For Example and Against 131 10. Universities: Their Histories and Responsibilities 155 11. Human Nature and Human Rights 168 12. A Critique of Democracy 182 Conclusion 201 Glossary of Chinese and Greek Terms 6 Chinese 206 B 206 C 206 D 206 F 206 G 206 H 206 J 207 K 207 L 207 M 207 N 207 P 207 Q 207 R 207 S 207 T 208 W 208 X 208 Y 208 Z 209 Greek 209 A 209 C 209 E 209 G 209 H 210 I 210 L 210 M 210 N 210 O 210 P 210 S 210 T 210 Notes on Editions 211 References 213 Index 226 A 226 B 226 C 227 D 228 E 228 F 229 G 229 H 229 I 229 J 230 K 230 L 230 M 231 N 231 O 231 P 232 Q 232 R 232 S 233 T 234 U 234 V 234 W 234 X 234 Y 234 Z 235 0199288704,9780199288700 Oxford University Press, USA 2006 Glossary of Chinese and Greek Terms......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 1. Understanding Ancient Societies......Page 14 2. Science in Ancient Civilizations?......Page 25 3. Carving out Territories......Page 37 4. A Common Logic?......Page 52 5. Searching for Truth......Page 65 6. The Questionability of Belief......Page 77 7. Styles of Enquiry and the Question of a Common Ontology......Page 89 8. The Use and Abuse of Classification......Page 106 9. For Example and Against......Page 131 10. Universities: Their Histories and Responsibilities......Page 155 11. Human Nature and Human Rights......Page 168 12. A Critique of Democracy......Page 182 Conclusion......Page 201 H......Page 206 S......Page 207 Y......Page 208 G......Page 209 T......Page 210 Notes on Editions......Page 211 References......Page 213 B......Page 226 C......Page 227 E......Page 228 I......Page 229 L......Page 230 O......Page 231 R......Page 232 S......Page 233 Y......Page 234 Z......Page 235

geoffrey Lloyd's Pioneering Book Uses A Study Of Ancient Greek And Chinese Science And Culture To Throw Light On Fundamental Problems, Both Intellectual And Moral, That We Still Face Today. The Issues Range From The Debate About Realism And Relativism In Philosophy Of Science To Doubts Concerning The Universal Applicability Of The Discourse Of Human Rights. Lloyd Provides Compelling Evidence That Ancient Civilizations Have Much To Offer Contemporary Debates In Many Fields Of Study.