西方前现代智识传统中的“经验”概念

The Concept of Experientia in Premodern Western Intellectual Tradition

“经验”是现代自然科学研究方法的关键概念之一,对现代经验-实验概念的历史背景进行研究有助于理解这种认识方式所具有的特殊地位。通过考察西方前现代时期哲学、医学、隐秘科学、工匠技艺及神学等领域对“经验”概念的运用及讨论,文章试图对“经验”这一概念的理论内涵及语义流变进行初步澄清,并指出“经验”一词在取得今天通行的科学与哲学意义之前拥有广阔的语义领域,而现代“经验”或“实验”的生成是许多智识领域共同发挥作用的结果。

“Experience”is one of the key concepts in the methodology of modern scientific research.An investigation on the historical background of the modern idea of experience-experiment can help us to understand these special epistemic concepts.By examining the use and discussion of the concept of experientia/experimentum in premodern Western philosophy,medicine,occult sciences,artisan practices and theology,this article attempts to provide a preliminary clarification on the theoretical implications and semantic changes of this concept.It also attempts to show that the word“experience”has a much larger semantic field before it obtains its current scientific and philosophical meaning,and that many intellectual trends have contributed to the making of modern“experience”and“experiment”.