物理因果闭合性与能量守恒定律

The Causal Closure of the Physical and the Law of the Conservation of Energy

在当代心灵哲学关于心物关系的讨论中,物理因果闭合性(任何具有原因的物理事件皆有其充足的物理原因)往往被视为一个教条性的原则。该原则之所以享有如此地位,是因为不少哲学家认为能量守恒定律为该原则提供了足够的支持,然而,通过严格检验按照这一思路提出的一些论证,发现情况并非如此。要从能量守恒定律导出物理因果闭合性,要么需要引入其他重要原则,要么需要调整此定律的适用范围,二者皆导致能量守恒定律失去确证作用。这一结论为物理因果闭合性的可接受性蒙上了一层阴影。

In the discussion on mind- matter relation of contemporary philosophy of mind,the physical causal closure principle（ any physical event that has cause has sufficient physical cause） is usually thought as a dogmatic principle. The reason that the principle enjoys such a status is that many philosophers think that the law of the conservation of energy can provide enough support for it,however,after examining some arguments that according to this thought,we can find that it is not really so. To get the physical causal closure principle from the law of the conservation of energy,we need either inject some other important principles,or need revise the scope of application of the law of the conservation of energy,as a result,the law of the conservation of energy loses its confirming role. This conclusion shades the acceptability of the physical causal closure principle.