ashibaka...the Japanese were excellent metallurgists too. But it was on the level of an art and a craft--not science as a thing apart. Same in India. They produced Damascus steel--the finest in the world. But they didn't know why they were able to do it. In 1200 AD, the Chinese were drilling natural gas wells hundreds of feet deep, capturing the gas in bags and using it for lightning.
But in all these cultures, science was stillborn.
In the west we had people such as Newton, a devoted Christian who could separate religion from science (he thought his religious writings were more important than his work on physics). One of the best chemists ever, Joseph Priestly, was a Christian minister. He too was able to separate the world of the spirit from the world of experience.
When exposed to the west, the Japanese knew which path to take. Fukuzawa Yukichi wrote in 1885:
If one observes carefully what is going on in todays world, one knows the futility of trying to prevent the onslaught of Western civilization. Why not float with them in the same ocean of civilization, sail the same waves, and enjoy the fruits and endeavors of civilization?
The movement of a civilization is like the spread of measles. Measles in Tokyo start in Nagasaki and come eastward with the spring thaw. We may hate the spread of this communicable disease, but is there any effective way of preventing it?
I can prove that it is not possible. In a communicable disease, people receive only damages. In a civilization, damages may accompany benefits, but benefits always far outweigh them, and their force cannot be stopped. This being the case, there is no point in trying to prevent their spread. A wise man encourages the spread and allows our people to get used to its ways.
The Opening to the modern Civilization of the West began in the reign of Kaei (184858). Our people began to discover its utility and gradually and yet actively moved toward its acceptance.
However there was an old-fashioned and bloated government that stood in the way of progress. It was a problem impossible to solve. If the government were allowed to continue, the new civilization could not enter.
The modern civilization and Japans old conventions were mutually exclusive. If we were to discard our old conventions, that government also had to be abolished.
We could have prevented the entry of this civilization, but it would have meant loss of our national independence. The struggles taking place in the world civilization were such that they would not allow an Eastern island nation to slumber in isolation. At that point, dedicated men (shijin) recognized the principle of the country is more important than the government, relied on the dignity of the Imperial Household, and toppled the old government to establish a new one . . .
Good-bye Asia continued here
Raden Adjeng Kartini reflected a similiar view in 1902. In a letter to a European friend she said:
I long to go to Holland for many reasons; the first is study, the second is that I want European air to blow upon the few remaining prejudices that still cling to me, so that they may be wholly driven away. There are not many left, it is true, but some obstinately remain. Only your cold air, Stella, can make of me in truth, a free woman . . .
Letters of a Javanese Princess continued here
