重思劳丹的反划界论证

Rethinking Laudan's argument against the demarcation problem

著名科学哲学家拉里·劳丹认为科学的划界标准问题是一个伪问题。在中文学术界,很多科学哲学研究者明确表示不赞同劳丹的观点。然而,到目前为止,并没有一篇中文论文指出劳丹论证的具体错误。最近,划界问题在英美哲学界引起新的关注,劳丹的反划界理论被再次讨论。马思莫·皮留齐给出四个论证反驳劳丹的理论:诉诸直觉论证、诉诸实用论证、诉诸影响论证以及家族相似论证。但这四个论证都不能成立,没有驳倒劳丹。事实上,劳丹的论证之所以不能成立,主要是因为两点:(1)它含有一个内在矛盾;(2)它依赖于"划界问题预设了科学与非科学的区别本身在认知上是重要的"这个错误的前提。

What distinguishes science from non-science？ This is known as the ＂demarcation problem＂ in the philosophy of science.Larry Laudan argues that the demarcation problem is a pseudo-problem.Massimo Pigliucci recently raises four objections to Laudan＇s argument.In this paper,I argue that none of Pigliucci＇ s objections are tenable.But I agree with him that Laudan＇ s argument is unsuccessful.I show that Laudan＇ s argument is flawed for two reasons;first,it is incoherent;second,it rests on the premise that the demarcation problem presupposes that the difference between science and non- science must be epistemically significant,but this premise is false.