Imagined Civilizations

China, the West, and Their First Encounter

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Mathematics, History, Science, Other Sciences
Cover of the book Imagined Civilizations by Roger Hart, Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Roger Hart ISBN: 9781421407128
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: August 15, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Roger Hart
ISBN: 9781421407128
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: August 15, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

Accounts of the seventeenth-century Jesuit Mission to China have often celebrated it as the great encounter of two civilizations. The Jesuits portrayed themselves as wise men from the West who used mathematics and science in service of their mission. Chinese literati-official Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), who collaborated with the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) to translate Euclid’s Elements into Chinese, reportedly recognized the superiority of Western mathematics and science and converted to Christianity. Most narratives relegate Xu and the Chinese to subsidiary roles as the Jesuits' translators, followers, and converts. Imagined Civilizations tells the story from the Chinese point of view.

Using Chinese primary sources, Roger Hart focuses in particular on Xu, who was in a position of considerable power over Ricci. The result is a perspective startlingly different from that found in previous studies. Hart analyzes Chinese mathematical treatises of the period, revealing that Xu and his collaborators could not have believed their declaration of the superiority of Western mathematics. Imagined Civilizations explains how Xu’s West served as a crucial resource. While the Jesuits claimed Xu as a convert, he presented the Jesuits as men from afar who had traveled from the West to China to serve the emperor.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Accounts of the seventeenth-century Jesuit Mission to China have often celebrated it as the great encounter of two civilizations. The Jesuits portrayed themselves as wise men from the West who used mathematics and science in service of their mission. Chinese literati-official Xu Guangqi (1562–1633), who collaborated with the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) to translate Euclid’s Elements into Chinese, reportedly recognized the superiority of Western mathematics and science and converted to Christianity. Most narratives relegate Xu and the Chinese to subsidiary roles as the Jesuits' translators, followers, and converts. Imagined Civilizations tells the story from the Chinese point of view.

Using Chinese primary sources, Roger Hart focuses in particular on Xu, who was in a position of considerable power over Ricci. The result is a perspective startlingly different from that found in previous studies. Hart analyzes Chinese mathematical treatises of the period, revealing that Xu and his collaborators could not have believed their declaration of the superiority of Western mathematics. Imagined Civilizations explains how Xu’s West served as a crucial resource. While the Jesuits claimed Xu as a convert, he presented the Jesuits as men from afar who had traveled from the West to China to serve the emperor.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book HIV Pioneers by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Train Wreck by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Operation Crisis by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Introduction to US Health Policy by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Arthur Ashe by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Creatures Born of Mud and Slime by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Marine Fishes of Florida by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Matrix Computations by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Hike Maryland by Roger Hart
Cover of the book The Fabulous Dark Cloister by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Lyric Poetry by Women of the Italian Renaissance by Roger Hart
Cover of the book A Guide to Survivorship for Women Who Have Ovarian Cancer by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Proving Ground by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking by Roger Hart
Cover of the book Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City by Roger Hart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy