“迪昂—奎因论题”的整体论再定位——形式建构与结构分析

Reconsider the Holism of Duhem-Quine Thesis:A Formal Construction and Structural Analysis

“迪昂—奎因论题”动摇了科学认识论的还原论基础,主张一种整体主义的知识论,引发持续至今的讨论。在形式上,迪昂—奎因论题是由相关命题组成的命题系统,其内核是确证整体论,包括整体确证命题和不充分决定命题,与之相对的是还原论的构造命题与严格确证命题,二者形成结构性冲突。在迪昂—奎因论题中,迪昂观点相对较弱,而奎因由前期激进的强整体论走向温和的弱整体论。依据结构分析,迪昂—奎因论题以整体主义立场全面否定了还原论纲领,但由于原则上无法解决“整体疑难”等问题,难于作为建构性的整体论纲领。

The Duhem-Quine Thesis,triggering a debate to date as a kind of holism,has shaken the foundation of reductionism in scientific epistemology.From the perspective of formal analysis,the Duhem-Quine Thesis is a system of thesis rather than a single proposition,the core of which is the confirmation holism consisting of confirmation thesis of whole and underdetermination thesis,which is contrary to confirmation reductionism consisting of construction thesis and strict confirmation thesis.And some discussions of Duhem-Quine Thesis also extend to the problem of semantic holism.By comparison,Duhem holds a weak holism while Quines has transferred from holding strong holism in earlier stage to moderate holism later.Due to the“puzzle of the whole”,the Duhem-Quine Thesis is actually not a constructive holism in scientific epistemology though it has undermined the foundation of reductionism.