Annotated Bibliography: Western and Eastern Approaches to Science – A Historical Perspective
Mazzocchi, Fulvio. "Western Science and traditional knowledge: Despite their varioations, different forms of knowledge can learn from each other." EMBO Reports 7.5 (2006): 463-466.
This journal article provides a sound general understanding of the differences between Western approach to science and traditional, indigenous approaches from around the world. It explains why, despite the widespread acceptance of Western science, traditional approaches remain more holistic in their understanding and application.
Pan, Xing, Ricardo Valerdi and Rui Kang. "Systems Thinking: A comparison between Chinese and Western Approaches." Prodecia Computer Science 16 (2013): 1027-1035.
This journal article focuses on the Chinese approach towards systems thinking and Western perspective, predominantly the US and the UK. The article identifies similarities between the two approaches and argues that both aim at being holistic and synergism. The most critical difference identified is the reliance on intuition by the Chinese perspective, while the focus of Western science is on evidence.
Li, Tao. "Philosophic perspective: A comparative study of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine." Asian Social Science 7.2 (2011): 198-201.
This journal article focuses Western and Eastern approaches to science by studying the field of medicine. It begins by evaluating the paradigms of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, and Western medicine. It provides a detailed discussion of Eastern theories including Yin and Yang, Five Phases, Overall synthesis, Black Box Experience and Thought Experiment. The article provides a detailed account of the historic development of Eastern, particularly Chinese, scientific approaches. Western theories covered include modern natural science, objective anatomy, concrete analysis and scientific experiment. The article also illustrates why Eastern science is not as widely followed as Western science, and the challenges it faces.
Hai, Hong. "Kuhn and the Two Cultures of Western and Chinese Medicine." Journal of Cambridge Studies 4.3 (2009): 10-36.
In this article, the author focuses on Kuhnian paradigms to analyze the similarities and differences in Eastern and Western scientific approaches, with a focus on medicine. The article specifically studies cultural and traditional influences on these scientific approaches. The article provides an in-depth account of the development of booth Western as well as Eastern scientific approaches in history, including major eras of development and change. The author posits that, although at first glance, the two approaches seem similar in their structure, they actually differ greatly. The article also traces the reasons behind the longevity of Chinese medicine in Eastern culture.
