哲学实验的认知价值

On the Cognitive Values of Philosophical Experiments

实验哲学所使用的实验方法引起了一些哲学方法论的争议。乐观者认为,哲学实验为哲学研究增添了新工具,甚或应该成为取代“扶手椅哲学”的哲学方法;怀疑论者认为,实验哲学是个尴尬的概念,或者在哲学上不结果,或者不免沦为经验心理学研究。通过将实验哲学方法和思想实验、广泛观察、密尔五法、科学实验进行分析比较,本文认为,应该参照科学实验来理解实验哲学方法的认知价值,它们不是发现哲学直觉的途径,也不能为哲学理论提供确证或证明,但它们确实是检验假说的有效工具,就像现代科学普遍使用的受控实验方法一样起作用。另外,除了检验性作用,哲学实验也有重要的探测性作用。

Experimental philosophy raises some controversial methodological issues.While advocates think they have a useful tool indeed,skepticists doubt that experimental philosophy is a legitimate philosophical methodology and consider it either unproductive or simply reduced to be part of experimental psychology.In comparison with thought experiments,comprehensive observation,Mill's methods,and scientific experiments,this article argues that the cognitive values of philosophical experiments could be well appreciated with reference to the uses of scientific experiments in natural sciences.In particular,it argues that philosophical experiments are not tools of discovery,nor could they provide proofs for philosophical theories.However,they are powerful empirical testing for empirical hypotheses.They also have exploratory values.