科学与经验由于其来源和基础不同,它们之间呈现出非常不同的特点,存在着本质差异:经验是一元的,科学是多元的;经验是个别知识,科学是普遍知识;经验只能告诉过去,科学却能预言未来;经验几乎不会出错,科学却永远是可错的;经验是知识的集合体,科学则是理论体系。但从科学的构成看,经验与科学又紧密关联,正是这种关联导致了许多人把经验与科学混为一谈,并引起了对科学的种种误解。而这些误解正是“李约瑟难题”之所以提出并长期得不到正确解答的重要原因之一。 Science and experience have very different characteristics due to their different origins and backgrounds. There are essential differences between them: experience is monadic and science is pluralistic; experience is individual knowledge and science is universal knowledge; experience can only tell the past Science can predict the future; experience is almost error-free; science is always wrong; experience is a collection of knowledge and science is a theoretical system. However, from the point of view of science, experience and science are closely related. It is this connection that has led many to confuse experience with science and to cause misunderstandings of science. And these misunderstandings are exactly one of the important reasons why “Needham Puzzle” is raised and can not be correctly answered for a long time.