培根与实验哲学的开端

Bacon and the Beginning of Experimental Philosophy

培根被公认为经验哲学的开创者,但更严格地说,培根应该是实验哲学的开创者,因为他明确要求将哲学奠立在实验的基础上。培根之所以能够这样做,是和其新知识观分不开的。正是培根的这种基于人类积极行动的、向着无限开放的知识观,使实验构成了一切理论知识的基础。也正是基于这一知识观,培根才能将实验与一般经验观察区别开来,并阐明了实验区别于一般经验观察的根本特征。

It is generally accepted that Bacon is the pioneer of empirical philosophy,but more strictly speaking,Bacon is the pioneer of experimental philosophy.Bacon explicitly required that philosophy should be based on experiments.He was able to do this because of his new view of knowledge.This kind of view of knowledge is open to infinity on the basis of human’s active actions,which thus makes experiments the foundation of theoretical knowledge for Bacon.It is just because of this view of knowledge that Bacon can distinguish experiments from general empirical observation and clarify the fundamental characteristics of experiments that differentiate experiments from general empirical observation.