结构主义与历史主义在科学革命研究中的张力

The Tension of Structuralism and Historicism in the Scientific Revolution Studies

从柯瓦雷开始,科学革命成为科学史研究的一个热门话题。早期柯瓦雷对科学革命的分析主要是基于共时性的静态的语言分析,带有浓厚的结构主义特征。库恩将历史主义引入对科学革命的言说,从而确立了以范式和不可通约性为核心词汇的科学革命观。但是,由于英美主流分析哲学的大肆围攻和科学革命观本身的矛盾,库恩后期逐渐弱化不可通约性,向带有结构主义特征的语言分析靠拢。夏平则沿着库恩早期的思想,走向了彻底的历史主义之路,以一幅多叉的科学历史图景将科学革命消解于无形。结构主义与历史主义似乎遭遇了不可共存的局面。但是,扬弃其相对主义的一面,库恩早期的科学革命观有值得重视和捍卫的深刻洞见,其中结构主义和历史主义的方法论保持了合理的张力。

From Koyré,the Scientific Revolution has been a hot issue in the study of history of science.Koyré＇s study was based on synchronic,static language analysis,with the characteristic of structuralism.Kuhn adopted historicism and structuralism approaches to investigate the history of science,establishing the view of Scientific Revolution in which paradigm and incommensurability are the Key words：.However,because of the analytic philosophers＇ query,Kuhn came back to language analysis.Shapin adopted a thorough historicist approach to investigate the history of science.He asserted that there was no essence of Scientific Revolution.Shapin＇s view got caught up in the relativism,resulting in a lack of interpreting the rational aspect of science compared to other cultures.It seems that structuralism and historicism could not coexist.Nevertheless,abandoning the relativism in Kuhn＇s thoughts,early Kuhn＇s idea has deep insight about Scientific Revolution,in which structuralism and historicism remain suitable tension.