A Critique of Li Hongzhi’s “View of Science”

A Critique of Li Hongzhi’s “View of Science”

李洪志“科学观”评析

“Falun D

“法轮大法”是“超常科学”是“ 博大精深的科学”，这是“法轮功”的基本科学观。要评论“法轮功”的科学观，先要弄清什么是“法轮大法”。在李洪志的《转法轮》中，“法轮大法”也被称之为“佛法”。他是这样叙述“佛法”的：“‘佛法’是世界上一切学说中最玄奥、超常的科学”、“要完全揭开宇宙、时空、人体之谜，唯有‘佛法’，他能区分真正的善与恶、好与坏，破除一切缪见，而予以正见”、“‘佛法’是从粒子、分子到宇宙，从更小到更大，一切奥秘的洞见，无所不包，无所遗漏”、“千古以来能够把人类、物质存在的各个空间、生命及整个宇宙圆满说清的唯有‘佛法’”。以上短短的几段话，就把他的“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”的内涵说得很清楚了。从字面上看，这种非驴非马的论述，在李洪志和他的“高级”弟子（李洪志杜撰出来的“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”的所谓现代科学证明，都是由他的这些“高级”弟子完成的）的心目中，“法轮大法”就是指导人们真正往高层次上修炼的根本大法。 “它详尽的阐述了人为什么修炼，人能够修炼和人如何修炼等高层次上的道理，提及了人体，生命和宇宙的许多奥秘。该书（指《转法轮》——笔者注）内容虽然超出了现代科学所认识的范围，但是许多论述已被现代科学所证明和认识，有些问题结合现代科学的新发现和新思维也不难理解。”“‘法轮大法’实在是太大了，释迦牟尼、老子当时讲的理，都是我们银河系范围内的理。我们法轮大法练的是什么呀？我们是按宇宙演化原理修炼……我们炼了这么大的一个东西，等于是在炼宇宙”（引自互联网上“不是迷信，而是博大精深的科学”）。

Li Hongzhi’s “supernormal science” and “profound and extensive science” can be critiqued from the following aspects:

李洪志的这个“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”，我们可以从以下几个方面来评析：

First, the “science” Li Hongzhi speaks of is not science in the modern sense, but a nondescript “science” adulterated with ghostly nonsense. When Li Hongzhi expounds on “supernormal science” and “profound and extensive science,” his tactic is: first, to exaggerate and mystify. Li Hongzhi first exaggerates himself, dressing himself up as a modern “superman,” the “highest” and “greatest” “god” since ancient times, who is omniscient and omnipotent. Thus, the “science” he discusses is naturally “supernormal” and “profound.” A “pseudo-master” with only a junior high school education, relying on his fabricated “abilities,” can not only fabricate all the achievements of human civilization and prehistory but also freely manipulate ancient, modern, and contemporary scientific achievements. This is Li Hongzhi’s self-proclaimed “supernatural power” and “divine transformation”; the “supernormal thinking” and “extraordinary thinking” possessed by the highest contemporary “god.” Second, he deifies the “Falun

第一，李洪志讲的“科学”，不是现代意义上的科学，是掺进鬼话不伦不类的“科学”。李洪志在论述“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”时，他的伎俩是：首先夸大其词、故弄玄虚。李洪志首先是夸大自己，把自己打扮成现代“超人”、自古以来 “最高”、“最大”的“神”，他无所不通、无所不晓。所以他谈到的“科学”自然是“超常的”、 “博大的”。一个只有初中文化的“伪大师”，靠着他编造的“本事”，不仅能诌出人类史上和史前的一切文明成果，对古、近、现代科学成果，也能纵横捭阖。这就是李洪志自封的“神通”、“ 神变”；当代最高的“神”所具有的“超常思维”、“特异思维”。其次是神化“法轮大法”。李洪志和被他诱骗入伙的“精英”信徒，为“佛法”大唱颂歌，什么“最玄奥的”、“最高的”、“最新的”、“超常的”、“人不可能创造出来的”等等，先把人吓住；然后再东拉西扯，掺进神魔鬼怪的故事、传说、似是而非的“证据”，来证明李洪志前无古人，后无来者的“科学”缪说。这样的缪说，想怎么说，就怎么说，想说多大，就说多大。列举一些李洪志对“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”的论述。诸如：“现在用仪器在气功师身上测到了原子”、“我们人类生活的这层物质空间的物质‘本原’就是我们‘人类这个水’”、“月亮是史前人造的”、“‘元神出窍’可以洞察物质的内部结构”、“人类生活在分子构成的空间中，而‘神’生活在比分子微观的粒子构成的空间中”、“万有引力是‘神’在地球周围一定范围内通过创造某种特殊物质而产生的”等等。正像鲁迅先生所说的：“现在有一般好讲鬼话的人，最恨科学，因为科学能教道理明白，能教人思路清楚，不许鬼混，所以自然而然的成了讲鬼话的人的对头。于是讲鬼话的人，便须想一个方法排除他。其中最巧妙的是捣乱。先把科学东扯西拉，掺进鬼话，弄得是非不明，连科学也带了妖气。”“捣乱得更凶的，是一位神童做的《三千大千世界图说》。他拿了儒，道士，和尚，耶教的糟粕，乱作一团，又密密的插入鬼话。他说能看见天上地下的情形，他看见的‘地球星’随与我们所晓得的无甚出入；一到别的星球，可是五花八门了。因为他有天眼通，所以本领在科学家之上”（摘自《随感录三十三》——《新青年》第五卷第四号）。鲁迅先生说的这两段话，如此切中李洪志的要害。

Second, Li Hongzhi’s so-called “supernormal science” and “broad and profound science” is an alternative science that plays with modern scientific concepts and illusory, unfounded, and groundless mystical fallacies. Li Hongzhi’s alternative science plays two cards:

第二，李洪志的所谓“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”是玩弄于现代科学概念与虚幻的、不着边际的、捕风捉影的神秘谬说之间的另类科学。李洪志的另类科学打的是两张牌：

The first card is to exploit the limitations of modern science to argue that science is incompetent and cannot explain the “supernormal” and “broad” nature of his “science.” Li Hongzhi says: “So-called empirical science is confined only to this material space that human eyes can see,” and “The reason modern science is unscientific is that the definition of empirical science is drawn too narrowly; aside from what can now be seen and touched, it can be acknowledged; what cannot be seen is not acknowledged at all. Its scientific definition is fundamentally unscientific; it completely confines people.” (This fully demonstrates Li Hongzhi’s ignorance of science: are the objects of modern scientific research studied by “seeing” with the eyes and “touching” with the hands?)

第一张牌，是利用现代科学的局限性，来论证科学的无能，不能解释他的“科学”的“超常”与 “博大”。李洪志说：“所谓实证科学只局限在人的眼睛能够看到的这个物质空间中”、“现代科学之所以不科学，是因为现在实证科学的定义下得很窄，除了现在能看到的、摸到的，可以承认；看不到的一概不承认。它的科学定义根本不科学，它完全把人限制住了”。（这充分体现了李洪志对科学的无知，现代科学的研究对象，是靠眼“看”手“摸”吗？）

The “limitations of science” that Li Hongzhi speaks of are not the limitations of science as we understand them. When we speak of the limitations of science, we refer to the fact that, with regard to unknown phenomena that cannot yet be confirmed or explained, these limitations manifest in three ways: first, the characteristics of the object being understood are not yet fully revealed (is it illusory? or real?); second, the knowledge and cognitive abilities already possessed are limited; third, the level of human practice has not yet reached the required standard. This necessitates that humanity continuously pursue and explore, and that there can be no ultimate truth. Li Hongzhi and his followers, however, say that “the limitations of modern empirical science make it impossible for it to fully confirm Falun D

李洪志所说的“科学的局限性”，并不是我们所说的科学局限性。我们说的科学局限性说的是：对目前尚不能证实和解释的未知现象，科学局限性表现为：一是被认识的对象特征暴露尚不充分；（是虚幻的？还是真实的？）二是已掌握的知识和认识能力有限；三是人类的实践水平还达不到。这就需要人类不断地追求、探索，不能终极真理。而李洪志及其追随者们则说，“现代实证科学的局限性使其不可能完全证实法轮佛法对时空、人体、生命以及整个宇宙的论述”。李洪志，一面诋毁现代科学，称“现代科学不是科学”、“科学一开始的出发点就是错的”、“现代科学是最大的迷信”；一面又利用现代科学的成果，用现代科学的概念和语言来论证他的“超常科学”、“博大精深的科学”多么的“超常”、多么的“博大”。有了“现代科学的局限性”和“现代科学不是科学”的遁词，李洪志就可以任意胡编滥造科学“事实”和科学“结论”。这类例子，在“法轮功”的著作里彼彼皆是。在《转法轮》中，论述“气功是史前文化”一节中指出：“人类多次文明遭到毁灭性打击之后，只有少数人活下来了，过着原始生活，又逐渐繁衍出新的人类，进入新的文明。然后又走向毁灭，再繁衍出新的人类，它就是经过不同的这样一个个周期变化的。”当有人问到李洪志“人们看到的海市蜃楼”怎么解释，李洪志答曰：“我说就是另外空间的景象阴差阳错地闪现出来了。那边的建筑也不光是古式的，也有现在的这种楼房建筑。而且那边的空间有的是可以移动”。在“法轮功”的宣传材料上看到“元神出窍”的情形是这样描写的：“……当我的元神变小，小到分子那么小时，我就跳到钢水里面去了。钢水的温度在一千七八百度。我在钢水里看到了各种各样的化合物或元素，比如C、Si、Mn、S、P、氧化物、硅酸盐，等等。我只是看到分子状态，我还不能进入原子内部去。看得很清楚，一下子就把矿石直接冶炼铝合金的反应看清楚了。这个反应是很复杂的。我看完以后，我的主元神很快回来了”、“一粒沙里有三千大千世界”、“人的汗毛孔里能跑汽车”，类似这样的只有结论没有证据的热昏的胡话，随处可见。

The second card is to fabricate and distort “evidence”, or to have no evidence at all, in order to create Li Hongzhi’s alternative science. For instance, Li Hongzhi and his followers say: “The view that prehistoric civilizations exist and that human development is cyclical has been confirmed by a large amount of conclusive archaeological evidence and is recognized by many scientists.” In *Zhuan Falun* [1] and on the internet, works and articles signed by some practitioners, such as “It is not superstition, but a broad and profound science

第二张牌，是利用捏造、歪曲的“证据”，或完全没有证据，来创造李洪志的另类科学。如李洪志及其弟子们说：“关于史前文明的存在和人类发展具有周期性的看法，已为大量确凿的考古证据所证实，并为许多科学家所认同。”在《转法轮》及互联网上，由部分学员署名“不是迷信，是博大精深的科学”、“‘法轮功’不是迷信和伪科学，而是真正的、超常的科学”的著作和文章里，列举了不少从考古发现论证“史前文化”和“史前文明”的段落。这样的“证据”还可以列出很多。关于“考古发现”这是另一门类的知识，它与“自然科学”之间是一种探索、启迪、印证的关系，特别是对新的“科学发现”和人们争论不休的“人类起源”、“宇宙生成”、“地质构造”等问题，“考古发现”，有特别的参考价值。但它不是自然科学充要的“检验证据”。更何况考古年代的测定，是一个很难确定的事情。上述例证中有关考古年代的确定，也只是一种推测，从考古学的角度，都很难让人相信；更甭说作为“史前文化”和“史前文明”的“证据”了。

The “evidence” most frequently and most elaborately cited by Li Hongzhi and his disciples is the “nuclear reactor discovered in the Oklo mining zone of Gabon, dating back 2 billion years” and the “mystery of the ancient Egyptian pyramids.” Many scientists have already conducted investigations and explanations regarding these two events. This is, of course, a matter of debate that can be studied and discussed. However, as scientific proof, it is insufficient.

李洪志和他的弟子说的最多和最详细的“证据”，要算“加蓬共和国奥克罗矿区发现了20亿年前的核反应堆”和“古埃及金字塔之谜”。关于这两个事件，已经有许多科学家作过考证和说明，这当然是一个争论的问题，可以研究、讨论。但作为科学证明是不充分的。

The first event originates from the 1950s, when American scientists proposed that “uranium ore from 2 billion years ago may have produced a natural chain reaction.” They argued that if this hypothesis held, “the theory of nuclear reactors could be applied to geochronology, explaining a certain correlation between geological age and uranium ore stability, and providing the conditions for a natural uranium reactor.” By the 1970s, French scientists discovered natural uranium ore and located this specific natural uranium deposit in the Oklo mining zone of Gabon. Li Hongzhi and his followers use this event as “evidence” of a “prehistoric civilization.” The crux of their distortion lies in: first, fabricating claims that “the uranium ore was all artificially refined” and that “the uranium mine was a large-scale nuclear reactor with a very rational layout,” using this to assert that prehistoric humans already possessed the technology to extract uranium-235 from uranium-238 and built large-scale nuclear reactors with highly rational layouts (conditions for nuclear reaction: pure uranium-235; natural uranium is predominantly uranium-238, with a half-life of 4.5 billion years and low fissionability, while uranium-235 has a half-life of 700 million years and is prone to nuclear reaction; uranium-235 constitutes only 0.7171% of uranium-238, so naturally occurring uranium is mostly uranium-238); second, inventing the claim that the reactor “operated for 500,000 years” and that “even modern people could not create it.” This is also Li Hongzhi’s nonsense. As stated above, the probability of obtaining uranium-235 is extremely low, and the conditions for a nuclear reaction are both complex and stringent, especially for a natural fission chain reaction. Given that the climatic and environmental changes on Earth 2 billion years ago created the conditions for a natural fission reaction, when exactly did it occur? When did it stop and become a relic? How was it deduced that this reactor operated for 500,000 years? As early as 1976, George A. Cowan published an article titled “A Natural Fission Reactor” in *Scientific American*, which already provided some explanation. Twenty years later, Li Hongzhi and his followers still regard it as the most compelling archaeological “evidence.” This is truly a farce routinely staged by Li Hongzhi. As for the claim that “even modern people could not create it,” this is another of Li Hongzhi’s habitual deceptive tactics. In the 1940s, the atomic bomb was already built, and in the latter half of the 20th century, the United States constructed a 2,300-megawatt nuclear power plant.

第一个事件，是上个世纪50年代，美国科学家提出的“20亿年前的铀矿石可能产生天然连锁反应”，并认为，如果这种推测成立，“可以把核反应堆理论应用于地质年代学，解释地质年代与铀矿稳定性之间一定的相关性，并给出了天然铀矿反应堆的条件”。到了上世纪70年代，法国科学家发现了天然铀矿，并在加蓬共和国奥克罗矿区找到了这种天然铀矿。李洪志和他的信徒们，拿这个事件来作为“史前文明”的“证据”，其要害在于：一，编造“铀矿石都是被人工提炼过的”、“铀矿是大型核反应堆，而且布局非常合理”，用此来说明史前的人，就已经有了从铀238提炼铀235的技术了，并建设了布局非常合理的大型核反应堆（核反应的条件：纯铀235，天然的铀元素绝大部分是铀238，半衰期为45亿年，且不易裂变，而铀235的半衰期为7亿年，并易发生核反应，铀235占铀238的比例只有0.7171%，所以天然存在的铀元素多为铀238）；二，捏造反应堆已“运转了50万年”、“现在的人都不可能创造出来的”。这也是李洪志的胡言乱语。如上所言，获取铀235的几率如此之低，核反应的条件，更是既复杂又苛刻，何况是天然裂变连锁反应。待20亿年前地球气候、环境变化形成了天然裂变反应的条件，那还不知道是哪一年发生的？又是什么时候停止下来，并成为遗迹了？怎么就推算出来了这个反应堆已运转了50万年？这个事件，早在1976年，乔治阿·科恩（George A.Cowan ）在《科学美国人》杂志，发表一篇“天然裂变反应堆”（A Natural Fission Reactor）的文章，已经有所说明。二十年后，还被李洪志及其信徒们视为最有力的考古“证据”。真是一出李洪志贯演的闹剧。至于说“现在的人都不可能创造出来的”，更是李洪志一贯使用的蛊惑人心的伎俩，上世纪40年代，就已造出了原子弹，上世纪后半叶，美国就造出了2300兆瓦的核电站。

The second incident, “the mystery of the ancient Egyptian pyramids,” is also an age-old proposition that has been debated for nearly a century. Two issues are involved here: first, whether the era of pyramid construction is as ancient and as highly civilized as Li Hongzhi claims; second, what is the truth behind the many mysterious legends about the pyramids? Of course, even today, with science so advanced, it cannot be said that clear answers to these two questions have been found. Yet this century-long debate has given us a relatively clear understanding of the facts. Regarding the era of pyramid construction, according to investigations by pyramid researchers, in Egypt, the period from the Third to the Sixth Dynasties of the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BCE) was the heyday of pyramid building, known as the “Pyramid Age.” Thereafter, pyramids continued to be built through the Eleventh and Twelfth Dynasties (2133–1786 BCE). Over a span of more than 900 years, centered on Memphis on the west bank of the Nile, about 80 large and small pyramids were constructed. According to textual research, counting backward one or two generations from Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, who built the largest pyramid, there were scattered small pyramid constructions, and forward to the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, fourteen centuries after Khufu built the largest pyramid, the pyramid construction reflected in the pyramid inscriptions narrated in the Old Testament of the Bible does not exceed five to seven thousand years. Li Hongzhi’s claim that the ancient Egyptian pyramids “are actually a kind of prehistoric culture that sank to the bottom of the sea. Later, when the earth changed and continental plates shifted many times, they came up again. The Egyptians discovered them, used them, and later the Egyptians imitated them to build some small pyramids.” This statement is completely inconsistent with the facts. As for “prehistoric civilization” and “prehistoric culture,” to date these remain issues of discussion and debate. This debate roughly revolves around the following questions: First, whether “prehistoric civilization” and “prehistoric culture” exist at all, and when they began, is itself a major controversy. Some historians of science say that the concepts of “prehistoric civilization” and “prehistoric culture” originate from myths, legends, and religious scriptures, and are therefore illusory and absurd; their time of origin cannot be determined. Some say tens of thousands of years ago, hundreds of thousands of years ago, millions of years ago, and others say tens of millions of years ago, or even billions of years ago. Second, the “facts” about the existence of “prehistoric civilization” and “prehistoric culture” are basically descriptive and speculative; there are few observations and little evidence, which leaves a gap for logical responses to mysterious things. Third, from the perspective of archaeology: archaeologists always strive to obtain data systematically and scientifically, but no archaeological conclusion can exceed the limits given by the data. Due to the incompleteness and uncertainty of archaeological data, as well as the limitations of measurement techniques (using carbon-14 to date buildings and their ages can currently only reach within 5,000 years), using archaeology as evidence for “prehistoric civilization” and “prehistoric culture” is insufficient. Fourth, based on current astronomical observations and astronomical theories, the earth’s rotation is stable; the claim of periodic changes in “earth civilization” and multiple destructions lacks evidence. Li Hongzhi’s claim that the earth has been destroyed 81 times is completely unfounded nonsense. From the above analysis, it can be seen that Li Hongzhi’s judgment about the pyramids is entirely a clamor to deceive people and confuse the world, and is baseless from both archaeological and scientific perspectives.

第二个事件，“关于古埃及金字塔之谜”，也是争论近一个世纪的古老命题。这里涉及两个问题：一是金字塔建造的年代，是否像李洪志说的——那样的古老，又是那样的高度文明；二是金字塔那么多神秘传说又是怎么回事？当然，这两个问题，直到科学昌明的今天，也不能说已经有了明确的答案。但是这一百多年的争论，让我们对事实的真相，有了一个比较清晰的认识。关于金字塔的建造年代，据金字塔研究学者的考察，在埃及，古埃及王国统治第三到第六王朝时期（公元前2686年—2181年）是建造金字塔的全盛时期，被称为“金字塔时代”。以后直到十一和十二王朝（公元前2133—1786年前），还有金字塔建造。在持续900多年间，以尼罗河西岸孟斐斯为中心建造了大小金字塔约80多座。据考证，从建造埃及最大金字塔的古埃及第四王朝的胡夫往前推算一、二代，有零星小金字塔的建造到埃及法老莱姆赛斯二世统治时期，即胡夫修建最大金字塔之后的十四个世纪，在《圣经》旧约中叙述的金字塔石刻所反映的金字塔修建情况至今，也超不过五千年至七千年。李洪志所说的古埃及金字塔“实际上是一种史前文化，沉积到海底下去了。后来地球发生变化，多次大陆板块更换，它又上来了，埃及人发现了它，利用了它，后来埃及人又仿造了一些小的金字塔。”这个说法与事实完全是不符的。至于“史前文明”、“史前文化”到目前为止，还是一个探讨、争论的问题。这个争论大概围绕以下几个问题：第一，就“史前文明”和“史前文化”存不存在？始于什么时候？就是一个很大的争论。有的科学史学家说，“史前文明”、“史前文化”的说法，来源于神话、传说、宗教经典，所以是虚幻的、荒诞不经的；它的起源时间，也就无法确定。有的说几万年前，几十万年前，几百万年前，还有的说几千万年前，甚至几十亿年前。第二，对于“史前文明”、“史前文化”存在的“事实”，基本上是描述性、猜测性的；观察少、证据少，这就为对神秘事物作出逻辑反应留出了空白。第三，从考古学来看：考古学者总是力图系统而又科学地获取资料，但对任何考古结论的给出，都不能超出资料所给出的限度。由于考古资料的这种不完备性、不确定性，以及测量技术的局限性（用碳14测定建筑物及年代，目前，只能做到5000年之内）。所以把考古学作为“史前文明”、“史前文化”的证据是不充分的。第四，根据目前的天文观测和天文理论，说明地球的运转是平稳的，所谓“地球文明”的周期性变化，毁灭多少次的说法，缺少证据。李洪志的地球曾经毁灭81次的说法，更是毫无根据的胡言乱语。由以上分析可以看出，李洪志对金字塔所做出的判断，完全是蛊惑人心、欺世惑民的喧嚣，无论从考古学还是科学上说，都是没有根据的。

Mysterious legends about the “pyramid” flourished in the 19th century. These mysterious legends basically all involved whether the pyramid’s construction was divine or human, the π mystery, the Earth-Sun distance, the number of days in a year, the pyramid’s orientation, shape, purpose, and so on. Around these issues, various mysterious legends and scientific “miracles” emerged, lasting for over a century. The most representative figure was Charles Piazzi Smyth, Royal Astronomer for Scotland and professor at the University of Edinburgh. In his 1864 book *Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid*, he pushed the study of the pyramid to a new climax. In the book, Smyth provided a series of explanations for the aforementioned issues. Like his predecessors, Smyth used a unit of measurement he himself had set to deduce a series of conclusions. For example: the height of the pyramid multiplied by 10 to the 9th power yields the Earth-Sun distance; the length of the base of the Great Pyramid divided by the width of the casing stones yields 365; using his “sacred cubit” (the width of the casing stones) and “sacred inch” (1/25 of the sacred cubit) for measurement, he derived the Earth’s average density, the precession cycle, the average surface temperature, and so on; he reiterated that the ratio of the base perimeter of the Great Pyramid to twice its height equals π; the distance between the Earth and the Sun is exactly 109 times the height of the Great Pyramid, and so forth. These seemingly “scientific” issues were, in fact, still aimed at finding a basis for religious doctrine. Smyth treated the length of one “sacred inch” as one year, and actually measured out “major dates” of the Earth’s history, past and future, within the pyramid’s passages and chambers. For instance, the world was created in 4004 BC before the birth of Jesus; the birth of Jesus began from the Grand Gallery leading to the burial chamber; and the years of atonement, suffering, and resurrection could all be found in the complex layout of the pyramid’s internal passages and chambers. He also proposed that the volume of the pyramid, expressed in cubic pyramid inches, equaled the total number of people since the creation of the world by God, and so on. In summary, Smyth’s work on the pyramid was twofold: first, he relatively systematically completed the expression of ancient, long-lost Egyptian science through numbers and symbols; second, he used a large number of imaginative, subjectively speculative (in fact, Smyth had not even conducted precise measurements of the Great Pyramid), and exaggerated deductions to prove the existence of God and the truth of the biblical scriptures. After this, people continuously followed his line of thought, either believing, supplementing, revising, or opposing it, so that the study of “pyramidology” continues to this day. Although Smyth raised the banner of the “Bible pyramid,” this greatly reduced the prestige of this generally trusted astronomer. However, in the study of the pyramid, he opened up two directions: one was to examine the “pyramid” from the perspective of long-lost ancient Egyptian science; the other was to establish the research method of “Bible pyramidology.” Subsequent “pyramidology” research has generally proceeded along these two directions. In 1880, William Flinders Petrie, hailed as the father of modern archaeology, arrived in Egypt and conducted a comprehensive survey and measurement of the Great Pyramid, refuting some of the numbers and exaggerated claims listed by Smyth. This provided reliable and usable data for later “pyramidology” research. From a metrological perspective, it is indeed true that the Great Pyramid was built according to an ancient Egyptian unit of measurement. As for whether the pyramid’s construction was divine or human, the π mystery, the pyramid’s orientation, shape, size, purpose, etc., as research has deepened, there is nothing mysterious about them. Take the Great Pyramid of Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt as an example. According to the research of the Greek scholar Herodotus, who traveled to Egypt in the 5th century BC, the Great Pyramid was built over 20 years during Khufu’s 22-year reign. It is estimated that the Great Pyramid used 2,300,000 stone blocks, each weighing an average of 2.5 tons. With a three-month cycle, 100,000 laborers were conscripted each period. Utilizing the Nile flood season, building materials were transported by water from only 400 meters away from the pyramid construction site, and granite was brought from the upper Nile. All this was within the capacity and technological reach of Egypt at the time; there was no need for any “divine power” to build the Great Pyramid. As for the π mystery, Herodotus believed that the design concept of the Egyptians when building the Great Pyramid was: to make the area of each face of the pyramid equal to the square of its height. According to this design, the ratio of the base perimeter of the Great Pyramid to twice its height can be calculated as 3.145, which is indeed very close to the value of π. From this perspective, the value of π is merely a byproduct of this design concept, with nothing “mysterious” about it. According to Herodotus’s investigation and analysis, the pyramid’s orientation, shape, and size are nothing more than different design concepts and plans from different periods of pyramid construction.

关于“金字塔的”神秘传说盛行于19世纪。这些神秘传说基本上都牵涉到金字塔的建造是神力还是人力、π之谜、日地距离、一年日数、金字塔的方位、形状、用途等。围绕这些问题产生了种种神秘传说和科学“奇迹”，历经一个多世纪。最有代表性的是苏格兰皇家天文学家、爱丁堡大学教授查尔斯·皮亚奇·史密斯。他在1864年出版的《我们从大金字塔获得的遗产》一书，把对金字塔的研究，推向一个新的高潮。史密斯在书中，就上述问题，给出了一系列解释。史密斯也像他的前人一样，他利用自己设定的量度单位，推断出一系列结论来。如：金字塔塔高乘10的9次方得日地距离；大金字塔底边之长除以饰面石块之宽得365；他以“圣尺（饰面石块宽度）”、“圣寸（圣尺的1/25）”进行测量，又得出地球的平均密度、岁差周期、地面平均温度等；重申大金字塔基底周长与高度二倍值的比例为π值；地球与太阳之间的距离恰恰等于大金字塔高度的109倍等等，这些看似“科学”的问题，实际上，还是为了给宗教教义寻找根据。史密斯把一“圣寸”的长短当作一年，居然在金字塔内的墓道和墓室中量出了地球历史上过去和未来的“重大日期”。诸如，世界创世于耶稣诞生前4004年，耶稣的诞生是从通往墓室的大走廊开始的，以后赎罪、受难和复活的年份，也都可以从金字塔内部通道和墓室的复杂布局中找到；他还提出，金字塔的体积，如以立方金字塔寸为单位表示，则等于上帝创世以来的总人数等等。总之，史密斯在金字塔方面所作的工作：一是比较系统地完成了用数字和符号来表述古老的、久已失传的古埃及科学；二是用大量富有想象的、带有主观猜测的（实际上史密斯对大金字塔也没有进行过精确的测量）、言过其实的推演，来证明上帝的存在和《圣经》经文的真实。在这之后，不断有人顺着他的思路，或相信或补充或修正或反对，使“金字塔学”的研究，至今仍在继续着。尽管史密斯举着“《圣经》金字塔”的招牌，使这位被人们普遍信任的天文学家的威望大大降低。但在金字塔的研究方面，却开辟了两个方向：一是从久已失传的古埃及科学的角度考察“金字塔”；二是奠定了“《圣经》金字塔学”的研究方法。之后的“金字塔学”研究，大体上是沿着这两个方向进行的。1880年，一位是被誉为现代建筑学之父的威廉·弗奇林德斯·皮特里到达埃及，对大金字塔进行了全面的考察、测量，驳倒了史密斯所罗列的某些数字和一些浮夸的说法。这就为后来“金字塔学”的研究，提供了可靠和可依据的数据。人们从测量学的角度来说，大金字塔确实是根据一种古埃及的度量单位建造的。至于，金字塔的建造是神力还是人力、π之谜、金字塔的方位、形状、尺寸、用途等，随着人们研究的不断深入，也就没有什么神秘可言了。以古埃及第四王朝胡夫大金字塔为例，据公元前5世纪，曾游历过埃及的希腊学者希罗多德考证，在胡夫统治的22年间，大金字塔建造了20年，据估计大金字塔用2300000块石块，以每块平均重2.5吨，以3个月为一周期，每期征用10万人，利用尼罗河水泛滥期，水运距大金字塔建造地仅400米的建筑材料和从尼罗河上游运来花岗岩，都是当时埃及国力和技术所能及的，用不着什么“神力”来建造大金字塔。至于π之谜，希罗多德认为，埃及人造大金字塔时的设计思想是：使用角锥的每一面的面积等于锥高的平方，按这个设计可以算出大金字塔基底周长与高度二倍的比值为3.145，确实十分接近π值。由此看来，π值也不过是这一设计思想的副产品，毫无“神秘”可言。按照希罗多德的考察和分析，金字塔的方位、形状、尺寸，也不过就是，各个时期建造金字塔的不同设计思想和设计方案而已。

In fact, with the development of science today, the “mystery of the pyramid” is no longer a secret. It is just that in this era of diversity, this diverse world, there are always some people enthusiastic about pyramids, harboring different purposes—whether to express individuality, explore mysteries, sing hymns for religion, or seek divine inspiration. In inheriting Charles Piazzi Smyth’s “Bible pyramidology,” the most influential figure today is probably Erich von Däniken of Switzerland. Following the path of “Bible pyramidology,” he continues to search for “prehistoric civilizations,” attempting to demonstrate the existence of a supernatural God. In his 1968 book *Chariots of the Gods?*, he extensively discusses the “mystery of the Great Pyramid,” from the divine craftsmanship and power displayed in the pyramid’s construction to the scientific “miracles” it contains. Von Däniken believes that all this fully demonstrates that a highly developed civilization once existed on Earth. This “super-civilization” was something the ancient Egyptians could not have achieved and is beyond the imagination of modern humans. Everyone knows that the pyramid symbolizes Egypt, and Egypt is closely linked to the Bible. Thus, von Däniken logically deduces that there must be a supernatural God to accomplish all this. And this coincides precisely with the many astonishing miracles performed by God in Egypt as recorded in the *Old Testament*—the “Book of Exodus.” This is how von Däniken proves the existence of God, and “Bible pyramidology” is thus carried forward and expanded by him.

事实上，科学发展到今天，“金字塔之谜”已经不是什么秘密了。只是在这多元化的时代、多元化的世界，就有那么一些对金字塔热衷的人，抱有不同的目的，或张扬个性，探寻奥秘或为宗教唱赞歌，寻求神明灵感。在继承查尔斯·皮亚奇·史密斯“《圣经》金字塔学”方面，当今最有影响的要算瑞士的厄里希·丰·丹尼肯，他寻着“《圣经》金字塔学”的道路，继续寻找“史前文明”，企图论证超自然上帝的存在。他在1968年《众神之车？》的一本著作中，大谈“大金字塔之谜”，从金字塔的施工建造所表现的神工、神力到金字塔所蕴含的科学“奇迹”。丹尼肯认为，这一切都充分展示了一个高度发达的文明曾经在地球上存在过。而这种“超文明”，是古埃及人无法做到的，也是现代人类无法想象的。人们都知道，金字塔象征着埃及，而埃及又同《圣经》有着密切的联系。于是丹尼肯就顺理成章地演绎出，必然存在着一个超自然的上帝，来完成这一切。而这恰巧就是《圣经·旧约》——“出埃及记”中所记载的，上帝在埃及显示的许多惊人圣迹。丹尼肯就是这样来证明上帝存在的，“《圣经》金字塔学”也就在他这里发扬光大了。

(This column is co-organized by the China Anti-Cult Association)

（本栏目由中国反邪教协会协办）

References

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Author’s biography: Xin Peng, researcher at the China Research Institute for Science Popularization

作者简介：辛芃，中国科普研究所研究员