伽桑狄主动性物质初考

A Brief Survey of Gassendi's Active Matter

伽桑狄的自然哲学一度不为科学史家所重视。直到近三十年来,学术界才逐渐对其进行重新评估,并取得了极大进展。奥斯勒、亨利等学者的研究显示出,伽桑狄的主动性物质思想所代表的是质的自然哲学从古代延续至牛顿综合这一过程中,一个不可或缺的思想环节。传统自然哲学中对"质"的理解,既表示性质本身,也表示性质的原因,后者体现为一种内在于物质的主动倾向。近代以来,笛卡儿发展出的严格机械论哲学,致力于将"质"作全盘机械化的理解:他将隐秘的质理解为隐秘性质,只关注如何把这些性质还原为微观粒子的位形与运动。而在伽桑狄看来,这种理解方式并没有阐明微观粒子的运动原因,从而也就无法保证机械体系得以运转。因此,他延续了传统自然哲学中对质含义的双重理解:隐秘的质不但表示性质本身,还表示物质的主动倾向。将隐秘的质作为物质的主动倾向既合理解释了微观粒子的运动原因,又巧妙避免了无神论的指责。

Recently, the study of Pierre Gassendi＇s natural philosophy, which had been largely ignored, has increasingly become a concern within the expertise of the historians of science. Publications by Margaret J. Osler and John Henry have shown that it was Gassendi ＇s concept of active matter that bore a significant historical resemblance to the tradition of qualitative natural philosophy from the ancient times to Issac Newton. According to ancient qualitative natural philosophy, ＂ quality＂ could refer not only to qualities or attributes themselves, but also to their cause, namely, an active tendency in matter. The tenet of strict mechanical philosophy, which was advanced by Rene Descartes, was inclined to explain all the qualities as the former meaning. Hence the occult quality was explained in terms of the action of micro-level passive particles. On the contrary, Gassendi tended to preserve the dual meanings of quality, in which he explained occult quality as both the action of micro-level particles and the motive tendency in matter. This concept of active matter represented his great achievements in both natural philosophy and theology.