论沃勒尔的结构实在论--与王巍教授的商榷

On Worrall's Structural Realism

结构实在论是当前英美哲学界有关科学实在论争论的最新进展,最早由伦敦经济学院的约翰·沃勒尔教授提出。结构实在论是在科学实在论两大论证——无奇迹论和悲观归纳论的背景下提出的,它表明科学理论依据自身的数学结构能够揭示不可观察世界的结构;在理论变革中数学等式得以持存,这种数学连续性构成了科学理论发展的连续性;成熟科学中科学理论的连续性高于纯粹的经验层面,这种连续性是非经验的,但是并没有达到充分解释的高级理论层面;数学结构的连续性表达了实体之间的真关系,然而除此之外我们一无所知。

Structural realism is the newest developing trend of scientific realism debate in the philosophical realm in America and Britain, which is proposed by John Worrall from London School of Economics. It is presented on the basis of two arguments concerning scientific realism that pull in distinctively contrary directions: the 'no miracle' argument (NMA) and the 'pessimistic (meta-) induction' (PMI). From structural realism it is implied that, scientific theories could reveal the structure of the unobservable world through its own mathematical structure; the mathematical equation has been retained in the changes of theories, and this mathematical continuity formed the continuity of the development of scientific theories; while, the continuity of the development of scientific theories in mature science is at levels higher than the purely empirical ones, but it does not extend to the fully interpreted top theoretical levels; at last, the continuity of mathematical structure expresses the real relations between entities, but we know nothing except this.