TY - BOOK ID - 85467765 TI - Astral science in early imperial China : observation, sagehood and the individual PY - 2017 SN - 1108506437 1108513883 1108515371 1108516866 1108524311 1316488276 1108518354 1107139023 1316504298 PB - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Astronomy KW - Astronomy, Ancient KW - Astronomical instruments KW - Instruments, Astronomical KW - Optical instruments KW - Physical instruments KW - Scientific apparatus and instruments KW - Space optics KW - Ancient astronomy KW - History. KW - Instruments UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:85467765 AB - Challenging monolithic modern narratives about 'Chinese science', Daniel Patrick Morgan examines the astral sciences in China c.221 BCE-750 CE as a study in the disunities of scientific cultures and the narratives by which ancients and moderns alike have fought to instil them with a sense of unity. The book focuses on four unifying 'legends' recounted by contemporary subjects: the first two, redolent of antiquity, are the 'observing of signs' and 'granting of seasons' by ancient sage kings; and the other two, redolent of modernity, involve the pursuit of 'accuracy' and historical 'accumulation' to this end. Juxtaposing legend with the messy realities of practice, Morgan reveals how such narratives were told, imagined, and re-imagined in response to evolving tensions. He argues that, whether or not 'empiricism' and 'progress' are real, we must consider the real effects of such narratives as believed in and acted upon in the history of astronomy in China. ER -