The Wisdom of Science (Its Connection with Culture and Religion)

Author: (German) Hanbury Brown, translated by Li Qingmin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1998-03-01
Features: The "New Century Universal Library" is a key book launched by Liaoning Education Press. The entire series focuses on the popularization and dissemination of culture, adhering to the principles of being essential, practical, durable, and easily stored. Under the guidance of experts from various disciplines at home and abroad, the library selects and includes rare and excellent editions of Chinese and foreign classics. From 1996 to 2005, a plan was set to publish 100 books annually, accumulating to 1,000 volumes over ten years, aiming to provide a basic bibliography for modern readers in the 21st century that reflects the general outline of human cultural development.
Traditional Culture Series: Collects classic works of traditional Chinese culture, which are reviewed and collated by version experts before being published in simplified horizontal character format.
Modern Culture Series: Focuses on the works of academic giants during the Republican era, collecting, organizing, and publishing rare and widely known but hard-to-find or long-lost works in simplified character format.
Foreign Culture Series: Collects outstanding works from the world's cultural treasures outside China, with a theme of cultural research and introduction. The writing style is light and elegant, the tone fresh and lively, and the content highly readable, categorized as "small works by great writers."
The overarching purpose of the entire series is to provide readers seeking knowledge with long-lasting, readable, and useful books, demonstrating the necessity of reading activities in modern society and promoting the formation of a reading culture in society at large, creating a realm where book lovers can feel like they own a library.
Hanbury Brown is a professor of astronomy at the University of Sydney, Australia. This work is divided into four parts: Part I: Changing the World; Part II: Explaining the World; Part III: The Cultural Dimensions of Science; Part IV: The Religious Dimensions of Science. The entire book contains 160,000 words and is written concisely. I read this book in the 1980s and reread it recently, still finding it excellent. The new edition of this book was published by Liaoning Education Press as part of the "New Century Universal Library," translated by Li Qingmin. This book reraises the question "What is science?" for modern Chinese readers, with concise and well-angled writing. Although it is a new edition from 1998, I feel it did not receive enough attention.
Parts I and II of the book emphasize the two major characteristics of modern science: its ability to change the world. The author, with a historical and scientific perspective, explains the features of modern science in a clear and engaging manner. The later parts discuss the cultural and religious dimensions of science, which are relatively novel for Chinese readers. It explores the utility of science, how the rapid development of material life has benefited humanity, and how science can be understood through material abundance.
This book integrates the scientific tradition since ancient Greece, proposing that the purpose of new science is to bridge the relationship between humans and God, elevating the spiritual world of humanity, as Bacon once said: "Science brings us closer to God." This aspect is often overlooked by modern people. What does Hanbury Brown mean by the cultural and religious dimensions of science? He argues that science originally has the function of creating new cultures and ways for human civilization. The scientific method did not arise from nothing; it enhances human intellect and belief, and science should reach a reconciliation with religion. Although they were once in opposition, they should ultimately be reconciled. In fact, religion and science have reconciled before—in the 12th century, orthodox Christianity combined Greek science to create empirical philosophy.
Hanbury Brown believes it is difficult to establish religious faith while ignoring the worldview provided by science, such as the theory of creation. What is taught in the Bible today is merely metaphorical; religion should compromise with science. However, science should also embrace religion, because it does not provide the fundamental motivation for human life, such as "Why do humans live?" Brown explains that the cultural dimension reveals the true function of science is not about material improvement but the pursuit of wisdom. This extends to the religious dimension, where both religion and science need to compromise and acknowledge each other.
To elaborate further, Brown traces science back to its early days, noting that neither Newton nor Einstein expected science to immediately transform into material progress, but their work carried a religious nature. The harmony of the entire universe itself is something to be revered and admired. Einstein once said: "The only thing that is truly incomprehensible is that the universe is comprehensible," referring to the orderly operation of the universe. Therefore, Einstein opposed anthropomorphic religion but did not oppose religion itself. He also said: "Religion without science is weak, and science without religion is blind."
I believe that in this work of Hanbury Brown, the dimension of scientific wisdom and the cultural and religious dimensions are unfamiliar to Chinese readers. Often, we only see the material aspect and fail to accurately grasp its essence. I think reading this book would be beneficial.