希腊力学的性质和传统初探

A Preliminary Research on the Nature and Traditions of Greek Mechanics

希腊力学应当分成理论和实践两部分。力学的理论部分自古以来就被认为是一门数学学科,而力学的实践部分则主要涉及人工物的构造和操作,讨论的是如何完成自然本身不可能完成的事情,从而为人的目的服务。在某种意义上,力学与物理学是完全对立的,但力学又把数学运用于自然物。希腊力学可以分为四种传统:亚里士多德传统、阿基米德传统、希腊化时期的理论传统和希腊化时期的技术传统。与天文学史与光学史不同,力学史是各种迥然不同的论题和问题的历史,是不同学科之间、理论与实践之间的关系史。力学问题在不同的学科和概念传统中以不同的方式得到处理。

Greek mechanics should be divided into the theoretical part and the practical part. The theoretical part of mechanics has always been regarded as a mathematic discipline, while the practical part of mechanics mainly involves the construction and operation of artifacts, and deals with accomplishing what nature itself can achieve in the interests of human beings. Although Greek mechanics was in some sense totally contrary to physics, it did apply mathematics to natural objects. Furthermore, Greek mechanics had four traditions： Aristotelian, Archimedian, theoretical tradition in the Hellenistic Age and technical tradition in the Hellenistic Age. Unlike the history of astronomy or optics, the history of mechanics is the history of a variety of disparate topics and problems that were treated in different ways within very different disciplines and conceptual traditions.