Science, Protestant Christianity and Darwinism in Meiji Japan(<Special Issue>Locating Japanese Science and Technology)
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概要
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This paper will argue that some elite Japanese, especially the former samurai, considered a package of Westernization that included not only the introduction of Western science but also Western values through Protestant Christianity which was seen as part of the "intellectual Westernization" of Japan. Study in the US was, for some, the first step. The introduction of Darwinism into Japan and the popularity of Herbert Spencer's writings provided an obstacle to the spread of Christianity. The rise of nationalism and justification of the Imperial Rescript on Education (1890) in terms of the divinity of the Emperor meant that Christians were seen as having divided loyalties. From that point, the notion of Westernization and Christianity as a package that had some currency in the 1870s and 1880s declined. There were inherent tensions and contradictions in the relationship between science and Christianity that became obvious to the Japanese, and the Rescript introduced another element of potential conflict.
- 2008-11-29