认知科学对现代哲学的挑战

传统西方哲学是以纯粹理性为基石的主体哲学 ,被当作人的本质特性的理性是脱离身体的或与身体无关的。 2 0世纪后期的科学哲学是对传统哲学的反叛 ,特别是它的译不准论题和观察依赖理论的论题 ,与普遍理性和方法的观念是尖锐对立的 ,并导致了知识相对主义和文化相对主义。 1 970年代以来认知科学的发现表明 ,理性和心灵是涉身的 ,取决于身体的结构和人与外部世界的相互作用。人体的神经结构和人与世界相互作用的方式决定了人必须以指称个体的方式来认识世界 ,因此与译不准论题相反对 ;人观察世界的方式主要是由人的神经决定的 ,而不是由理论概念决定的 ,因此与观察依赖理论的论题相反对。因此 ,现代认知科学既是对传统的理性哲学的挑战 ,也是对当代相对主义哲学的挑战。

Cognitive Science's Challenge to Contemporary Philosophy

Traditional Western philosophy is the philosophy of the subject based on the concept of pure reason. The rationality regarded as the basic feature of the man is detached from the human body or has no relation with the human body. Philosophy of science in late 20th century is a rebel against modern philosophy. Its thesis of indeterminacy of radical translation and that of observation dependence theory stand diametrically opposite to the idea of universal reason and method and lead to cognitive and cultural relativism. Discoveries in cognitive science since 1970s suggest that reason and mind are embodied and is shaped by the structure of human body and its interaction with the environment. The neural structure of human body and the way it is adapted to the environmental world have the implication that human being has to know the world by means of its language referring individual objects in the world, so the thesis of indeterminacy of radical translation is questioned; that the nature of observation is mainly determined not by theoretical concepts but by neural system of human body, thus the thesis of observation dependence theory is questioned. In short, cognitive science challenges both the traditional philosophy of reason and the recent philosophical relativism.