三个船喻对生命文化学研究的启示

文章从比较的视角探讨了“提修斯之船”“纽拉特-奎因之船”“毛泽东之船”这三个隐喻的含义及其在生命文化学研究中的作用。就本体论而言,“提修斯之船”这个比喻要求生命文化学的研究关注文化的本质、文化的结构与功能之间的关系、文化的连续与断裂、文化的继承和创新等四个问题。就认识论而言,“纽拉特-奎因之船”这个隐喻要求在生命文化学的研究注意文化概念的复杂性、历史性和整体性。就方法论而言,“毛泽东之船”这个隐喻要求生命文化学的研究方法与所要解决的问题和解决问题的主体的能力水平相适应。

The Implications of Three Metaphors about Ships for the Studies of Bioculturology

This paper in a comparative way discusses the meanings of the three metaphors about ships,namely,the Ship of Theseus,the Ship of Neurath-Quine and the Ship of Mao Zedong,and their implications for the studies of bioculturology respectively.Ontologically,the metaphor about the Ship of Theseus demanded that bioculturology should pay attention to the problems related to following aspects:cultural nature,the relationships between cultural structures and cultural functions,cultural continuation and rupture,and cultural inheritance and innovation.Episte-mologically,the metaphor about the Ship of Neurath-Quine held that studies of bioculturology should focus on the complexity,historicity and wholeness of culture.Methodologically,the metaphor about the Ship of Mao Zedong re-quired that the methods used by bioculturology should be suitable for the problems to tackle and the subjects'abilities to solve problems.