근대 일본의 서양학문 수용과 ‘학역(學域)’의 형성-자연과학과 인문･사회과학의 분리를 중심으로

Abstract

This article studies how the division of scholarship, which was underway as a global trend around the 19th century, had an effect on the formation of modern scholarship in Meiji Japan, and what characteristics appeared as a result of the formation of such a modern Japanese intellectual system. The formation of modern studies in Meiji Japan was achieved by accepting Western modern studies as entirely replacing traditional studies. It is important to note that the studies Japan accepted in the West at that time had been already divided into specialized areas. It tells why Meiji Japanese scholars understood the word ‘science’ as the meaning of ‘disciplinary science’. In addition, the formation of modern Japanese scholarship, which was completely dependent on the acceptance of Western sub-disciplinary sciences, shows a unique feature different from that of the West. In the case of the West, the subdivision between disciplines after the scientific revolution proceeded relatively naturally as the natural sciences influenced the humanities and social sciences, whereas in Japan, which was completely dependent on the acceptance of Western disciplines, the chain between disciplines had almost disappeared. Such unplanned acceptance of Western studies had to be resolved through institutionalization of higher education. However, key officials of the Meiji government, such as Hirobumi Ito and Arinori Mori, recognized government universities such as Tokyo University and Imperial University as institutions for ‘national demand’. Therefore, the University of Tokyo and Imperial University placed great importance on the national urgency, which was, the fields of science and engineering necessary for industrialization, and the law required to cultivate new bureaucrats in the modern state. On the other hand, other fields of humanities and social sciences were not considered very attractive until the mid-20th century. The acceptance of Western studies in Japan also displayed an important feature in the categorization of academic fields. In Japan, the categories of natural science, social science, and humanities seem to have been formed from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century by accepting Western studies in each field.