劉師培의 初期 中·西學術會通 - 嚴復 西學과의 相關性을 中心으로 -

Abstract

Chinese academic traditions from the 19th century to 20th century, the time of transition underwent refraction and changes into modern knowledge via the prism of Western studies. Liu Shi-pei and Yan Fu are the exemplary figures in such movement by being firmly grounded on the Chinese reality and also confronting the changes of the world. Yan Fu, the distinguished scholar of Western studies, belonged to the group of scholars who designed a new prism which can illuminate China in a different perspective. Moreover, a great scholar in traditional Chinese learning, Liu Shi-pei was a leading figure who refracted the Chinese scholarly tradition with the prism of Western learning. In the academic hui-tong(會通: communication) of Chinese and Western learning of the late Qing period, Yan Fu provided a necessary condition while the intellectual life of Liu Shi-pei created a sufficient condition. At the time of the Revolution of 1911, Liu Shi-pei made tremendous efforts to renovate Chinese scholarly tradition through the communication of Chinese and Western intellectual traditions based on hui-tong and du-chang(獨創: originality). On the other hands, the Western Studies of Yan Fu greatly invigorated the early hui-tong of Chinese and Western scholarly traditions. In particular, the main contents and supplementary texts of She-hui-tong-quan (『社會通詮』, A History of Politics, Edward Jenks) and Qun-xue-yi-yan (『群學肄言』, The Study of Sociology, Herbert Spencer) translated by Yan Fu provided necessary elements for the scholarly hui-tong of Chinese and Western studies led by Liu such as theoretical frames, thematic selection, analytic methods and case studies. Liu created a new analytic method of yi-zi-quan-shi(以字詮史) by developing Yan’s studies and ideas. Moreover, he employed social evolutionism and yi-zi-quan-shi in order to newly examine the ancient Chinese society and to ‘discover’ the origin of Chinese civilization. The main purpose was to illuminate “the root of Chinese nation from the past” which created eye opening changes. His academic establishment is said to open a new chapter of the study on Ancient Chinese social history in tune with a modern historiography. Therefore, the origin of Chinese civilization, led by the hui-tong of the Chinese and the Western studies, could move from a mythic narrative to a historic fact, a beginning of long journey for historic discovery and exploration. This implicated a fundamental change in the thoughts and studies of Ancient Chinese history.