科学实践与本体论历史主义——以历史知识论为例

Scientific Practices and the Ontological Historicism:With Historical Epistemology as an Example

20世纪下半叶的科学哲学历史转向坚持科学哲学应该建立在科学史研究的基础之上。然而,吉尔曾指出,在科学哲学研究中,科学史到底起到了什么样的知识论层面上的作用从来没有被很好地理解过。最近对科学实践中各类本体论承诺的历史性研究对吉尔所提出的问题提供了一种回应的可能。在此使用瓦托夫斯基的历史知识论来说明这点。他的历史知识论还展示了,建立在科学史上的科学哲学要求以实践而非以理论为中心,因而它必定是一种自然主义的科学实践哲学。

The historical turn in philosophy of science in the second half of the 20th century claimed that philosophy of science needed to base its inquiry on history of science.However,as Ronald Giere argues,what an epistemic role history of science can play in philosophy of science has not been well understood.Recent studies of how different ontological commitments in scientific practices have been historically established can be a useful starting point to understand this relationship.Historical epistemology is a good example to show this point.Besides,Wartofsky’s historical epistemology also shows that a philosophy of science based on history of science should be a naturalist approach centered on practices instead of theories,and hence it should be a version of philosophy of scientific practices.