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一十七和十八世纪西方文化中的科学观17世纪以来,科学已经成为西方文化的核心部分。对自然现象的探究,尽管此前已广泛开展,但在17世纪下半叶,这项探究获得了前所未有的自信和社会意义[Webster,1974;Ben-David,1984(1971)]。对许多人来讲,实验和经验探究已成为不容置疑的真理之源,由此获得的真理其可靠性堪比甚至超过圣经。事实上,探究所得的各种发现不再被视为互不相关的知识碎片,而是被视为旨在完整解释宇宙的结构和机制的自然哲学的组成部分。在英国,这种新的科学概念和力学世界观,在许多杰出的科学家看来,与他们不信国教的或自由主义的宗教世界观相得益彰[Merton, 1970(1938a); Manuel,1974
Science in the 17th and 18th Centuries Western Culture Since the 17th century, science has become a core part of Western culture. In the second half of the 17th century, this exploration of natural phenomena gained unprecedented confidence and social significance despite its widespread previous practice [Webster, 1974; Ben-David, 1984 (1971)]. For many, experimentation and empirical inquiry have become the undeniable source of truth, and the truths gained thereby are as reliable and comparable to the Bible. In fact, discoveries of inquiry are no longer viewed as fragments of knowledge that are not related to each other, but rather as part of a natural philosophy aimed at a complete explanation of the structure and mechanism of the universe. In the United Kingdom, this new scientific concept and mechanistic worldview, in the eyes of many prominent scientists, complement their beliefs of the State religion or the liberal religious worldview [Merton, 1970 (1938a); Manuel, 1974