Jul 27, 2023
Teaching Applied Sciences or Research Pure Sciences?
- 14:00 to 15:30
- Colloquium
- Lise Meitner Research Group
- Chengji Xing
The LMRG Visiting Predoctoral Fellow Sally Chengji Xing presents her paper "Teaching Applied Sciences or Research Pure Sciences?" which studies the contested debates, conversations, and dialogues that occurred in Beijing surrounding the establishment of the China Foundation in 1924, a non-governmental organization that administered the second American remission of Boxer Indemnity funds to China. It revisits the robust debate within the China Foundation back in 1924, by Paul Monroe and Roger Sherman Greene, about whether to sponsor “pure” or “applied” science for the sake of China’s modernization. In so doing, it demonstrates how and why Paul Monroe’s ideas, though being very predominant and influential at the time, were consequently challenged and did not become endorsed in the funding priorities of the China Foundation. Following that, the speaker proposes a follow-up research agenda to examine the grounds shared between Indian and Chinese scientists in the early half of the twentieth century, when they endeavored to do pioneering research in science, but only applied sciences were the agendas expected from them.
Contact and Registration
This event is open to all at the Institute. A limited number of places is available. Those from outside of the MPIWG are welcome to request participation if interested.
For registration or further information about the LMRG Colloquium series or specific sessions, please contact Dieu Linh Bui Dao.
About This Series
The LMRG Colloquium is a venue for members and guests of the Lise Meitner Research Group, "China in the Global System of Science," to share work in progress on an ongoing basis. It is an opportunity to raise questions, discuss methodological challenges, or get feedback on preliminary conclusions. We aim to create a supportive atmosphere that combines rigorous criticism with genuine curiosity.