Part of the scientific faith of the late nineteenth century was the view that there was one and only one scientific method.This method,argued writers like Karl Pearson in his Grammar of Science,was the only sure method for arriving at knowledge in any sphere.The method was easily described: collect the facts in the area under study;order them into sequences,such that law like occurrences could be seen;then,write down the laws so identified.According to this view,disciplines differed only as to subject matter,since the unity of science consisted of its method alone.Also,according to this view,the results of scientific investigation(that is,new knowledge)will always be embodied in the form of a law connecting the facts in the area under study.
Explanation,according to this view,is simply accounting for facts on the basis of a deduction from a known law or laws,or accounting for some subordinate law on the basis of a deduction from some more general law or laws.The most influential formulation of this explanation is Carl G Hempel‘s, perhaps most accessibly articulated in his article“Explanation in Science and History”。Sometimes,according to Hempel,such laws are of a strictly universal form and other times they are of a probabilistic or statistical form.They are assertions,in this latter case,of the kind that if certain specified conditions are realized then an occurrence of such and such a kind will come about with such a probability.
I think that it would be true to say that in the late nineteenth century it was felt that one feature distinguishing physics from history as a discipline was that,even if they shared exactly the same method,physics had no need for the latter kind of probabilistic explanation——at least in principle——while in history it was unavoidable.
However,in the twentieth century,whatever else may distinguish physics and history as disciplines it is not that physics uses only strictly universal laws and deductive explanations in the nineteenth century sense,while history does not.The physics of the century,from 1 900 onward,has been interested in aggregates of certain classes of physical individuals(the particles)and in accounts of the individuals that would enable one to understand the aggregates.As a consequence partly of this interest in statistical data pertaining to the very small,as well as for a number of other reasons,physicists have tended to formulate the mechanics of the very small in terms of equations in which probabilistic notions are fundamental.
1. According to Karl Pearson,only one scientific method——。
[A J prevailed in every field of study during 1890s
[B]directed the collection and arrangement of facts
[C]served as a unique element uniting all disciplines
[D]made the identification of new knowledge plausible
2. As stated by Hempel,general laws are——。
[A]based on detailed accounts of actual facts
[B]composed of subordinate laws by deduction
[C]realized in probabilistic or statistic form
[D]applied to all cases or under certain conditions
3. The author feels sure of the truth that in 19th century———————
[A]physics and history shared a common feature
[B]the same method blended history with ph)rsics
[C]statistical laws were compatible with physics
[D]probabilistic method was inapplicable to history
4. In the 20th century, it was true that—————————
[A]universal laws ceased to belong merely to physics
[B]deductive explanations became dominant in history
[C]distinction between history and physics turned obscure
[D]statistical explanations were adopted by physicists
5. In the study of physical particles_____
[A]statistical information accounts for the interest in aggregates
[B]probabilistic conceptions result from their formulation
[C] description of their mechanics is based on statistical data
[D]physical equations are accountable for probabilistic ideas
核心詞匯
sphere n.范圍,領(lǐng)域
subordinate adj.從屬的
probability n.可能性
sequence n.次序,順序
articulate vt.清晰地表達(dá)
consequence n.結(jié)果
embody vt.使具體化
statistical adj.統(tǒng)計(jì)的
formulate vt.用公式表示
完整譯文:
19世紀(jì)末期的科學(xué)信仰中包括這樣一種觀點(diǎn),即世界上有且僅有一種科學(xué)方法。一些作家指出(如卡爾。皮爾遜在其著作《科學(xué)的語(yǔ)法》中寫(xiě)道):這種方法是惟一一種在任何領(lǐng)域都可獲得知識(shí)的有效方法。這種方法描述起來(lái)十分容易:通過(guò)調(diào)查研究后,在該領(lǐng)域收集事實(shí);將這些事實(shí)按順序排好,以保證根據(jù)所發(fā)生的事件總結(jié)出定律;然后,將所發(fā)現(xiàn)的定律寫(xiě)下來(lái)。根據(jù)這種觀點(diǎn),既然科學(xué)是統(tǒng)一的,并且只包含這惟一一種方法,因此各個(gè)學(xué)科的區(qū)別僅僅在于內(nèi)容的不同。同樣,根據(jù)這種觀點(diǎn),科研調(diào)查的結(jié)果(也就是新知識(shí))永遠(yuǎn)都是以在該領(lǐng)域進(jìn)行調(diào)查的前提下連接各類(lèi)事實(shí)的定律的形式所體現(xiàn)出來(lái)的。
根據(jù)這種觀點(diǎn),解釋僅僅是在演繹的基礎(chǔ)上說(shuō)明事實(shí),而這種演繹來(lái)自于著名的定律,或者是在演繹的基礎(chǔ)上說(shuō)明某種從屬定律,這種演繹來(lái)自于更普遍的定律。關(guān)于解釋最具影響力的確切表達(dá)來(lái)自于卡爾吉。亨普爾,在他的《科學(xué)與歷史中的解釋》一文中表述得很清楚。根據(jù)亨普爾的觀點(diǎn),有的時(shí)候,這些定律有著十分嚴(yán)格的共同形式;其他時(shí)候,這些定律體現(xiàn)的則是概率或是統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)字的形式,這種情況下,這些定律屬于論斷,即如果滿足某些具體條件,某種結(jié)果便會(huì)依某種概率而發(fā)生。
在19世紀(jì)末期,人們認(rèn)為物理作為一門(mén)學(xué)科,與歷史相比,一個(gè)明顯區(qū)別就是即使兩種學(xué)科均使用同一種方法,但至少?gòu)脑瓌t上講,物理沒(méi)有必要進(jìn)行概率解釋?zhuān)鴼v史這門(mén)學(xué)科則不可避免。我個(gè)人認(rèn)為這種說(shuō)法是正確的。
但是,在20世紀(jì),不論還有些什么別的特征可能用來(lái)區(qū)分物理學(xué)與歷史學(xué)這兩門(mén)學(xué)科,從以下角度加以區(qū)分肯定是不對(duì)的:物理學(xué)只是嚴(yán)格運(yùn)用19世紀(jì)那個(gè)意義上的普遍規(guī)律和演繹性解釋?zhuān)鴼v史學(xué)并非如此。從1900年以后,20世紀(jì)的物理研究興趣主要在于某些種類(lèi)的物質(zhì)個(gè)體(粒子)的總計(jì)及對(duì)這些物質(zhì)個(gè)體的解釋以便人們了解這種總計(jì)。部分地由于物理學(xué)對(duì)于微觀世界的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)的興趣,同時(shí)也由于很多其他相關(guān)原因,物理學(xué)家們傾向于用方程式來(lái)闡述微觀世界的力學(xué)原理,而在這些方程式中,有關(guān)概率的概念是最基礎(chǔ)的。
參考答案:
1. c推斷題。由題干關(guān)鍵詞Karl Pearson定位文章第一段。根據(jù)第二句之后的內(nèi)容,可立即排除A(流行于每一個(gè)研究領(lǐng)域);題干中的According to Karl Pearson相當(dāng)于第四句的According to this View,因此可將答案鎖定在此句,推斷可知c與其內(nèi)容一致,是正確答案;B(指導(dǎo)事實(shí)論據(jù)的搜集和整理)不全面;D中的plausible(似是而非的)是一種不確定的說(shuō)法,不合文意。
2. D推斷題。由題干中關(guān)鍵詞Hempel定位第二段第三、四句,其中的such laws即general laws(普遍規(guī)律)。選項(xiàng)D概括了這兩句的內(nèi)容,all cases相當(dāng)于第三句中的universal from(普遍型),certain conditions即specified conditions(特定情況)。A(基于對(duì)事實(shí)的詳細(xì)說(shuō)明)、B(由演繹得出的從屬定律構(gòu)成)兩項(xiàng)指的是explanation;C不全面,只是指general laws中的一種,即概率型或統(tǒng)計(jì)型。
3. A推斷題。題干中的The author feels相當(dāng)于第三段開(kāi)頭的I think,故答案應(yīng)在此段之中。A說(shuō)物理學(xué)和歷史學(xué)有共同特點(diǎn),即指此段所說(shuō)的也same method(同樣的方法),故為答案。B(同樣的方法把歷史學(xué)和物理學(xué)混為一談)不合邏輯;C的comparable with(相符的)和D的was inapplicable to(不適用于)皆與句意相悖。
4. D推斷題。由題干關(guān)鍵詞20m century定位文章最后一段。文中指出用19世紀(jì)的普遍規(guī)律和演繹性解釋來(lái)區(qū)分物理學(xué)和歷史學(xué)是不對(duì)的。由此可知選項(xiàng)A(普遍規(guī)律不再只屬于物理學(xué))、B(演繹性解釋在歷史學(xué)中占主導(dǎo)地位)、c(歷史學(xué)和物理學(xué)之間的區(qū)別變得模糊)是對(duì)文章的故意曲解;文章末句說(shuō),物理學(xué)家往往用方程式來(lái)闡述微觀世界的力學(xué)原理,而方程式的基礎(chǔ)就是概率概念,故推斷可知D正確。
5. C推斷題。由題干關(guān)鍵詞physical particles定位最后一段第二、三句,其中提到20世紀(jì)的物理研究興趣主要在于某些種類(lèi)的物質(zhì)個(gè)體的總計(jì)及對(duì)這些物質(zhì)個(gè)體的解釋以便人們了解這種總計(jì),由此可知A(統(tǒng)計(jì)信息說(shuō)明人們對(duì)總計(jì)的興趣)因果顛倒;文中說(shuō)物理學(xué)家們傾向于用方程式來(lái)闡述微觀世界的力學(xué)原理,而在這些方程式中,有關(guān)概率的概念是最基礎(chǔ)的,言外之意,微觀世界的描述是以概率的概念為基礎(chǔ)的,由此可知B(概率的概念由方程式而生)本末倒置,D(物理方程式可以解釋概率理念)因果顛倒,而c(對(duì)其力學(xué)原理的描述基于統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù))正確。
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