内部问题与外部问题——卡尔纳普的语言哲学思想析读

Interpretation of Carnap's Philosophical Thought of Language:Internal and External Questions

一方面,鲁道夫.卡尔纳普认为关于语言构架内的某些新类型的东西的存在问题,称为内部问题(internal questions)。另一方面,他认为关于作为整体的各东西的系统的存在或真实性的问题,称为外部问题(external questions)。哲学存在问题就转化成了一个关于语言构架外部问题的理论语言问题,而否定了理论语言的可观察性可理解性的经验意义,也就否定了传统哲学问题语言表达式系统的意义,进而就从根本上取消了关于世界存在的一切哲学基本问题。

The paper elucidates the difficult question of the existence of abstract entities such as numbers,properties,and propositions.Carnap argues that the way to avoid philosophical pseudo-problems is to distinguish between internal and external questions about the existence of such entities.Deep philosophical questions about the properties,the existence,and individual entities can be answered only internally to a given form of language.Thus the purpose of this article is to clarify the controversial issues within empiricism,semantics,and ontology.