Contemporary Western Emerging Disciplines Dictionary

Author: Zhang Guangzhao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-02-01
Features: To summarize, this book has the following characteristics based on comprehensive understanding: First, it is new. Our book, published today, has certain advantages due to its late emergence, utilizing as much as possible the latest scientific research results from the West. Until the book was finalized, we continuously collected and compiled new materials, striving to present the most cutting-edge knowledge to readers. On the other hand, we are not solely focused on "new" and have our own understanding and standards for it. First, we believe that only relatively mature, well-established, and influential emerging disciplines can enter our scope. Second, "new" is not just a temporal concept; it depends not only on the subject but also on the object. For us Chinese, as long as a discipline is relatively unfamiliar yet highly needed, it is considered "new." Therefore, some disciplines, though created long ago, still possess strong vitality, and due to our unfamiliarity with them, they have also entered our field of vision. Second, it is comprehensive. Various Western doctrines and theories are emerging like bamboo shoots after rain, and we strive to reflect as much as possible the current state and achievements of Western academic research, avoiding any limitations in our own perspectives from hindering readers' understanding and study of the world. For some views and theories we are not fully familiar with or even disagree with, as long as they are well-founded and reasonable, we respect science and innovation and include them, presenting to readers a relatively rich and complete picture of contemporary Western emerging disciplines. Specific to each entry, we also strive to clearly explain its sources, development, key figures, main viewpoints, their significance, value, shortcomings, and more within limited space, enabling readers to gain a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the discipline. Third, it is practical. Our editorial team is large, with diverse professional backgrounds and different sources of information. The differences among disciplines themselves are even greater. We have unified our understanding through multiple discussions, striving for a relatively consistent style and as complete content as possible. To this end, we have had to simplify overly detailed entries, enrich overly sparse ones with references, revise those with special formats repeatedly, and supplement those lacking distinctive features, all to introduce the most important, most useful, and most rich information to readers within limited space. We believe that readers who use this book seriously will surely gain insights and understanding. This dictionary includes: philosophy, ethics, logic, political science, economics, law, psychology, history, archaeology, aesthetics, sociology, cultural studies, literature, linguistics, demography, anthropology, theology, geography, meteorology, biology, ecology, medicine, cognitive science, and other emerging disciplines that do not fit into other categories, with a total of over 814 entries.