社会科学中的还原论与整体论:分歧与互补

On the Divergence and Complement of Reductionism and Holism in Social Science

在社会科学理论中一直存在着还原论和整体论的分歧。社会还原论认为社会现象的说明必须诉诸于个体及其行动的微观分析,并提出理论还原的目标及纲领。社会整体论则认为社会现象及其理论只有诉诸于制度、文化等整体性因素才能得到合理的解释。各种科学研究和社会解释的实践表明:二者各有合理之处,不可偏废;其分歧可以用"功能结构可以还原,功能意义不可还原"的互补框架予以调和。

In the social epistemology there always is divergence between reductionism and holism. Reductionism comes from the mechanism-reductionism in the modem times, which is advanced to biological reductionism and social reductionism. They explain the social phenomenon with the micro- analisis of the individual and its actions, and put forward the reduced aims and program of the science theory. From the viewpoint of system theory the social holism propose that we must resort to the integral elements such as institution and culture, to explain the social phenomenon and its theory reasonably. The explanatory practice has showed up some partialities of reductionism and holism. We can reconcile their divergence with the complementary framework of functional strucure could be reduced while the functional meaning could not be reduced.