爱因斯坦的傲慢与李约瑟的愤怒

Charles Coulston Gillispie《Edge of Objectivity: An Essay in the History of Scientific Ideas》引用爱因斯坦信后的评论如下（转引自李约瑟《POVERTIES AND TRIUMPHS OF THE CHINESE SCIENTIFIC TRADITION》（http://www.elegantbrain.com/edu4/classes/readings/depository/race/rac_pol_eco_scie_chin.pdf））：

Finally the author of a noted book, The Edge of Objectiity, says:

Albert Einsrein once remarked that there is no diffculty in understanding why China or lndia did nor creare science. The problern is rather why Europe did, for science is a most arduous and unlikely underraking. The answer lies in Greece. Ultimately science derives from the legacy of Greek philosophy.

很明显，西方科学是由希腊哲学的遗产产生出来的，中国没有产生科学的原因就在于中国没有希腊哲学的遗产，所以，中国没有那些西方科学发现并不奇怪。爱因斯坦并没有种族傲慢，中国没有希腊遗产怎么能产生科学？这是很明显的道理。李约瑟曲解不说，还修改爱氏信件，他的愤怒是没有来由的。