March 1, 2002

Art and Science, East and West

To the Editor:

The claims of the geologist Gary D. Rosenberg properly elicited scornful responses from Nathan Sivin, the most eminent historian of Chinese science in the United States, and from others ("Lack of Perspective," January 25).

To begin with, Professor Rosenberg seems entirely unaware of the famous south Chinese karst formations that make the Chinese landscape and its reflection in art unique in the world. ...

Furthermore, while it is usually stated at the