“易碎”与“勇敢”——物理倾向与心理倾向的差异

“Fragility” and “Bravery”

什么是倾向?倾向和虚拟条件句之间有何关联?当代哲学争论已表明这些问题特别困难。研究者们一般主要讨论诸如易碎、可塑、导电这样的物理倾向,并且一般假定,对于倾向相关的哲学问题,可以期待一种统一的最终解释。首先,本文简要阐述条件句分析的基本观念;其次,我讨论区分不同倾向的三种方式:概括的倾向和确定的倾向,要求特征表现的倾向和不要求特征表现的倾向,物理倾向和心理倾向;然后,以"易碎"和"勇敢"分别作为物理倾向谓词和心理倾向谓词的典型案例,我尝试阐明心理倾向和物理倾向在因果基础,刺激条件,特征表现,以及两类谓词在语义学和认识论上的差异,以期表明,倾向的多样性抵制对倾向做统一的解释。

It has proven difficult to articulate what dispositions are and how they are related to subjunctive conditionals.Debates in philosophical literature tend to focus on typical physical dispositions such as fragility,elasticity,conductivity,etc.It is assumed that there would be a unified account of all issues related to all kinds of dispositions.In this paper,first,I briefly expose the basic idea of the so-called simple conditional analysis.I then identify three illuminating classifications of dispositional predicates,i.e.,Ryle’s distinction between specific or determinate dispositions and generic or determinable dispositions,dispositional predicates which require their manifestation and which do not,and the distinction between physical disposition and psychological disposition.Focusing on typical physical disposition and psychological disposition,taking bravery and fragility as examples,I then argue that there are noticeable differences between their causal bases,manifestations,and stimulus conditions;these differences imply semantic and epistemic differences of their verbal expressions as well.I conclude that the diversity of dispositions resists a unified account of disposition.