理解、理由与解释

Understanding, Reason and Explanation

文章主要针对如下几个问题展开。首先,论述了认识与理解之间的差别在于,理解除了需要把握事物的规定性外,还需深入到它们的"理据或理由"的层面,甚至还包括把握它们的意义与价值等;理解是一种对对象的重新解释的活动。其次,论证了理解的基础并非是事实性的,它依据的是理由。理由虽与事实有关,但并不等于事实。事实是自在的、客观的,理由则既可是客观的,也可是主观的。把某种事实作为理由是经过主观的选择、解读、判断的结果。自然事实具有可重复性,理由则未必如此。可以有普遍的理由,但不存在普遍的事实。最后,探讨了理解与解释的关系。理解是通过解释而形成的。理解的解释总是在不同的理由中寻找最佳的理由,因此,它在方法上属于最佳解释的推论。

The article is concerned mainly with the following issues.Firstly,I expound that the distinction between knowledge and understanding consists in that in addition to grasping the prescriptive nature of things,understanding needs to penetrate into the'evidence or reason'of things,even including grasping their meaning and value,etc.Understanding is an activity of reinterpretation of the subject investigated.Secondly,I argue that the foundation of understanding is not based on facts,but based on reasons.Reasons are related to facts.However,they are not the same.It is generally accepted that facts are objective,whereas reasons can be not only objective but also subjective.Taking a fact as a reason results from subjective choice,interpretation and judgment.Natural facts are repeatable,but it is not necessarily the case for reasons.Maybe there are universal reasons,but no universal facts.Finally,I discuss the relationship between understanding and explanation.Understanding is obtained by means of explanation which always seeks to find the best reason among diverse reasons,therefore its methodology is the'inference to the best explanation'.