From “Science, Technology, and Philosophy” to “Philosophy of Science and Technology”: A Retrospective on the Intellectual Undercurrent and Its Implications

Abstract

The intellectual undercurrent of “science, technology (S&T), and philosophy” that formed in modern China is an organic component of the history of the philosophy of science and technology (PST) and a valuable resource for the discipline’s renewal. Research on S&T and philosophy encompasses four dimensions: the history of science and philosophy, philosophy about science, the philosophy of science, and scientific philosophy. Concurrently, inquiries into the relationship among S&T, the humanities, and society have addressed the scientific spirit and culture, the new humanism, the sociology of science, and S&T. Reflections on three derivative topics—the problem-domain of the PST, the cluster of S&T humanities disciplines, and the notion of an S&T-era community—also offer crucial insights. The evolution from “S&T and philosophy” to the formal PST represented a chain reaction in academic research and disciplinary development, driven by the growing dominance of scientific culture and the mutual challenges between S&T and the humanities in the modern era. Looking forward, the PST should seek to establish a new disciplinary position “between S&T and the humanities.” It should cultivate its innate scientific-humanistic character, emulate past scholars to integrate Chinese and Western thought, address problems directly, transcend disciplinary boundaries, and grasp the spirit of the age by integrating the scientific and humanistic spirits. In doing so, it can achieve paradigmatic innovation while contributing to the development of China’s independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy.

Keywords

philosophy of science and technology (PST) / science, technology (S&T) and philosophy / intellectual undercurrent / scientific spirit / dialectics of nature

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Higher Education Press