再论科学划界

费耶阿本德和劳丹否认科学与非科学的界线,遭到了科学哲学家的反驳。彭诺克以神创论为例阐明了区分科学与伪科学的球场规则,沙加德则以占星术为例阐明了区分伪科学的标准。准确陈述科学划界标准的困难源于科学的复杂性。科学划界的标准是一组方法论的原则,其核心是两个基本原则,即可误论和可检验性原则。方法论的自然主义等其他原则都可以从这两条基本原则中引申出来。不论是科学陈述、科学理论、科学活动还是科学学科,都可以由方法论原则做出划分。方法论的划界标准也适合于科学的历史发展和变化。

Updating the Demarcation of Science

Feyerabend and Laudan denied the difference between science and nonscience. But many philosophers of science continue to argue for demarcation. Pennock invokes a case of creationism to show that the demarcation of science from pseudo-science can be done by appeal to something like ＂ground rules＂, and Thagard takes astrology as an example to develop a criterion of demarcation. The difficulty in formulating a precise and general criterion of demarcation arises from the complicatedness of science. A criterion of demarcation is a set of methodological rules, whose central part consists of two basic conceptions,namely,falliblism and testability. Methodological naturalism and other rules are implied in them. In terms of methodological rules, science, whether taken as sets of statements, theories, activities or research fields, can be distinguished from nonscience. Methodological rules are also subject to development and change in history like sciences themselves.