Russell’s Scientific Philosophy and the Early Formation of Modern Philosophy in China
A Historical Overview
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/jhap.v16i4.7358Abstract
The article delineates the pivotal milestones in the evolution of Russell’s “scientific philosophy” within Chinese philosophical discourse during Republican-era China. Shedding new light on the interrelation between what is termed the “Russellian paradigm” in the Republican era and key developments in Chinese intellectual history, the article situates the Chinese reception of Russell’s scientific philosophy within a coherent and conceptually continuous historical narrative. By linking Russell’s direct influence during the May Fourth period to the emergence of Chinese New Realism in the late 1920s, the study further elucidates how the series of transformations initiated by the introduction of Russell’s ideas in the late 1910s gradually coalesced into a paradigmatic cluster of concepts and categories identified as Russellian “scientism” or New Realism. This, in turn, culminated in the establishment of a distinct form of academic philosophy at leading Chinese institutions, most notably Yenching and Tsinghua Universities in Beijing.
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