Article
ID: CBB000770133

Nathanael Vincent and Confucius's “Great Learning” in Restoration England (2006)

unapi
Translations Philosophy Confucianism East Asia, civilization and culture Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence 17th century China Vincent, Nathanael Royal Society of London

This paper outlines the sinological activities of Nathanael Vincent (d. 1722), an obscure and elusive fellow of the Royal Society (1683--7; readmitted 1694) who was also fellow of Clare Hall in Cambridge and chaplain in ordinary to Charles II. An amateur scientist operating in the shadow of the great fellows of the early Royal Society, Vincent's involvement ranged from investigating the work of Denis Papin to presenting a manuscript of Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica. However, his greatest contribution to the intellectual history of the Restoration is located in his 1685 translation of Confucius's `Great Learning', which seems to be the first time that a Confucian book began to be printed in the English language. Hitherto unnoticed, hidden away in an appendix to a court sermon, it nonetheless represented part of the interest in Chinese culture in the circles of the early Royal Society. This paper places Vincent in the context of the activities of the early Royal Society and offers an overview of this interest in sinology. It then considers how Vincent gained access to Confucian texts, how he was able to `translate' from them, and what ramifications the philosophy had for an Anglican divine in Restoration England.

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Authors & Contributors
Chen, Zhihui
Mori, Giuliano
Paramore, Kiri
Shi Yunli Zhu Haohao
Mode,
Zhao, Dong
Journals
Ziran Kexueshi Yanjiu (Studies in the History of Natural Sciences)
Tsinghua xuebao
Sciamvs: Sources and Commentaries in Exact Sciences
Nei Menggu Shifan Daxue Xuebao (Ziran Kexue Ban)
Kexue Jishu yu Bianzhengfa (Science, Technology, and Dialectics)
Journal of the History of Ideas
Publishers
University of California, Los Angeles
State University of New York Press
Harvard University Asia Center
Princeton University
Concepts
East Asia, civilization and culture
Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence
Confucianism
Translations
Philosophy
Transmission of ideas
People
Shao Zeng (1832-1877)
Li Hongzhang (1823-1901)
Zhu, Zhenheng
Zhou Dunyi
Yi Ik
Wang, Honghan
Time Periods
17th century
18th century
Ming dynasty (China, 1368-1644)
Yuan Dynasty (China, ca. 1260-1368)
Qing dynasty (China, 1644-1912)
Early modern
Places
China
Japan
Korea
Institutions
Jesuits (Society of Jesus)
Imperial University of Peking
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