General

Yao Dazhi, PhD, professor. He focuses on the history of science and technology in the 18th and 19th century France, phenomenology of science and technology, historiography of science and technology. Prof. Yao Dazhi is the Director for the Department of Comprehensive History of Science and Technology and head of Editorial Office at the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences (IHNS, CAS).

Tel: +86-10-57552558 (Office)    +86-13269358198 (Mobile)

Email: yaodz@ihns.ac.cn

Education

Ph.D. Philosophy of Science and Technology, Department of Philosophy, Peking University, Beijing, 2010.


Research Interests

History of Science and Technology in ​France, Philosophy of Science and Technology, Historiography of Science and Technology

Publications

Books

Yao Dazhi, Body and Technics: A Study of Hubert Dreyfus's Phenomenology of Technology. Beijing: China Scientific and Technological Press, 2020.
Yao Dazhi, Sun Chengsheng, Scientific Revolution, Technological Revolution and the Modernization of France. Jinan: Shangdong Education Press, 2017,2020.


Edited Collection

“Technology, Philosophy and Time,” edited by Yao Dazhi, with essays from Lianqing Han, Yilin Hu, Hongyue Shu and Dazhi Yao, Chinese Book Review, 2013, vol. 263, 1. 


Selected Articles

Liu Kehan, Yao Dazhi, “The Rise and Early Development of Feminist History of Science and Technology.” Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities (Natural Science Edition), 2020, 26 (1): 30-36+81.

Yao Dazhi, Li Wenjing, “J.-A. C. Chaptal and the Interaction between Industrial Technology and Knowledge Revolution in the Late 18th Century”, Journal of Dialectics of Nature, 2019, Vol.41, No.5 (Serial No.249), pp. 116-125.

Yao Dazhi, "Hubert Dreyfus and the Phenomenology of Action" (reprinted in Chinese), Philosophy of Science and Technology (Information Center for Social Sciences, RUC), 2018, No. 5, pp. 17-28.

Cao Xijing, Yao Dazhi, “The Evolution of the concept of Innovation and its Effect”, in Lü Bianting eds. Research on the history of science (Vol 4.), Beijing: Science Press, 2018, pp. 71-85.

Yao Dazhi, "The Origin and Early Evolution of the École Polytechnique , 1794-1830", Journal of Engineering Studies, 2017 Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 644-655.

Yao Dazhi, "Hubert Dreyfus and the Phenomenology of Action."(Chinese)  Philosophical Analysis, 2017 Vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 17-28.

Per Högselius, Yao Dazhi, "The Hidden Integration of Eurasia: East–West Relations in the History of Technology." Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum, 2017, Vol.5, No.2. pp. 71-99.

Yao Dazhi, "Secularisation and the Rise of Modern Science: A Review of Bruno Belhoste's Histoire de la science moderne. De la Renaisssance aux Lumières." (Chinese) Studies in the History of Natural Sciences, 2016 35(4). pp. 485-496.

Yao Dazhi, Per Högselius. "Transforming the Narrative of the History of Chinese Technology: East and West in Bertrand Gille’s Histoire des Techniques." Acta Baltica Historiae et Philosophiae Scientiarum, 2015 (Spring). pp. 7-24.

Fang Yibing, Yao Dazhi. "On the Technological Historical Value of Metallurgical Industrial Heritage." (Chinese) Industrial Construction, 2015(05), pp. 10-14.

Yao Dazhi. “Neglected French Thinkers who are relevant to La Technique et le temps.”(English version) Contemporary Social Sciences. 2014. Vol.1 (Dec.). pp. 109-114.

Yao Dazhi. “ Neglected French Thinkers who are relevant to La Technique et le temps.” (Chinese version) Chinese Book Review, 2013, vol. 263, 1. pp. 22-28.

Yao Dazhi. “Forman's New Thesis: the Postmodern Turn and Its Influence on the History of Science and Technology.” (Chinese) Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology, 2012, Vol.29, No. 3. pp. 296-302.

Yao Dazhi. “Technology and Civilization: Bertrand Gille’s Model of Global History of Technology.” (Chinese) Chinese Social Science Digest, 2011, Vol. 85, No. 01. pp. 75-76.

Yao Dazhi. “On the Model of Chinese Ancient History of Techniques from a Global Perspective.” (Chinese) Science and Culture Review, 2010, Vol.7, No. 4. pp. 56-73.

Yao Dazhi. “Against Continuity: the Synchronic Perspective in Koyre’s Theory of Scientific Revolution.” (Chinese) Studies in Dialectics of Nature, 2010, No. 3. pp. 27-32.

 Yao Dazhi. “Evolution of the Technical Systems: The Concepts and Methodology in Gille’s The History of the Techniques.” (Chinese)  Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology, 2008, Vol.29, No. 3. pp. 297-306.

Yao Dazhi. “On the Language as a Hypothesis in Saussure’s General Linguistics.” (Chinese) Journal of Inner Mongolia University, 2005, No. 6. pp. 106-110.

Yao Dazhi. “On Popper's Theory of Natural Law.” (Chinese) Journal of Inner Mongolia University, 2003, vol.35. pp. 149-151.

Li Xiaochun, Yao Dazhi, Yu Jinlong. “Sustaining Development of Grassland Animal Husbandry in Inner Mongolia and Ecological Awareness.” (Chinese) Journal of Inner Mongolia University, 2002, No. 5. pp. 13-18.


Reviews and Book Review

Du Xinhao, Zhang Zhihui, Li Yang, Yao Dazhi, "A Review of 2021 HSS and SHOT Joint Annual Meeting", Vol. 41,No. 2, pp. 170-174.

Yao Dazhi, Shi Xiaolei. "A Review of 2014 Annual Meeting of SHOT ."(in Chinese) Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology, 2015, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 257-260.

Yao Dazhi. "A Review of 2012 Annual Meeting of SHOT ."(in Chinese) Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology, 2013, Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 133-137.

Yao Dazhi. "Engineers, Exact scientists, and Political Processes from Global Perspectives: A review of 2012 Hixon-Riggs Forum." Chinese Journal for the History of Science and Technology, 2012, Vol.33, No, 2,pp. 235-238.

Yao Dazhi. “Meeting at Davos in order to Part Ways.” (Review: Michael Friedman. A Parting of the Ways: Carnap, Cassirer, and Heidegger. Open Court, 2000.) Science Times, Feb. 4, 2010.


Selected Presentations

"J. A. C. Chaptal's Conversion: the Interaction between the Chemical Revolution and Chemical Industry in the late 18th Century", Session: "Reconsidering Skills and Science in the Early Industrial Revolution", Chair and Commentator: Ross Basset, SHOT Annual Meeting 2018, St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Oct. 12, 2018.​"Capitalist Ladies in China: Cases of Swedish female visitors accompanying scientists and officials," Second International Workshop on Nordic-Chinese Relations in the History of Science, Technology and Industry, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Beijing, China, Dec. 8, 2017.

"Between Scientific Education and Engineer Training: The early history of the École Polytechnique,"  SHOT Annual Meeting,Philadelphia, Oct. 28, 2017.

"Between Scientific Education and Engineer Training: The early history of the École Polytechnique," The 7th European Society for the History of Science Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, Spet. 23, 2016

"Philosophical Provocations and History of Technology: What we can learn from French historians” No. 59 SHOT Annual Meeting, Singapore, June 23th, 2016

"An Introduction: The History of Technology in the Disciplinary System, " No. 59 SHOT Singapore Annual Meeting, Singapore, June 23th, 2016

“The Establishment of Chinese-Swedish Relation of Science and Technology and Hannes Alfvén’s First Trip to China in 1963,” International Workshop on Nordic-Chinese Relations in the History of Science, Technology and Industry, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, Apil 18, 2016

“The Failure of an Official Enterprise? The Role of Descriptions des arts et métiers of the Académie des Sciences in 18th Century France,” No. 57 SHOT Annual Meeting, Dearborn, Michigan, U. S., Nov. 6-9, 2014.

“Enlightenment and Science in France,” No. 2 Workshop of International Academic Trends in IHNS, Beijing, China, July. 2014.

“The Failure of Descriptions des arts et Métiers in 18th Century France,” The 6th International Conference of ESHS, Lisbon, Portugal, Sept. 2-6, 2014.

“On Transforming Chinese Historical Narrative of Technology from a Global Perspective,” the 24th International Congress of History, Science, Technology and Medicine, Manchester, U. K., July 22-28, 2013.

“Contemporary Philosophy of Technology in France", the 6th National Conferences of Phenomenological Philosophy of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, China, Dec. 1-2, 2012.

“On Transforming Chinese Historical Narrative of Technology from a Global Perspective,” No. 55 SHOT Annual Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, Oct. 3-7, 2012.

“The Outline of French Modernization and Scientific and Technological Revolutions,” Berlin Workshop on Scientific Revolutions, Technological Revolutions and National Modernization, Max-Plank Institute, Berlin, German, May 1-9, 2012.

“Technocracy: Case Studies from France and China,” Guest Lecture in Professor Richard Olson’s course on “Engineers, Exact scientists, and Political Processes: Global Perspectives,” Harvard Mudd College, the U. S., March 1, 2012.

“Is Conceptualist Theory of Embodied Copying Possible?” 2010 Beijing Roundtable on Contemporary Philosophy, Peking University, Beijing, China, Aug 6. 2010.

“On Dreyfus’ Criticism of McDowell’s theory of behaviors,” the 3th National Conferences of Phenomenological Philosophy of Science and Technology, Nanning, Guangxi, China, Nov., 2009.

“On The Two Modes of Actions that a Subject takes with a tool,” the 3rd BESETO Philosophy Conference, the University of Tokyo, Japan, Jan., 2009.

“Body, Instrument and Motor Intentionality,” the 2nd National Conferences of Phenomenological Philosophy of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, Oct., 2008.

Academic Memberships

Editorial Board member of Technology and Culture(2021-)

Chair, The Internationalization Committee of Society for the History of Technology (SHOT),2019-2021

Chair, The Internationalization Committee of Society for the History of Technology (SHOT),2019,and Member of The Internationalization Committee of SHOT, 2016-2018.

British Society for the History of Science (BSHS)

Chinese Society for the History of Science and Technology (中国科学技术史学会)

Chinese Society for Dialectics of Nature (中国自然辩证法研究会)