[论文解读] Has Science Established that the Cosmos is Physically Comprehensible?

Nicholas Maxwell|PhilSci-Archive (University of Pittsburgh)|Oct 5, 2012

Science and Climate Studies被引用 7

一句话总结

本文主张，科学在本质上假设宇宙在物理上是可理解的——即受一个统一的、真实的万物理论所支配——尽管这一假设本身无法被检验。通过表明物理学一贯拒绝那些在经验上更成功但缺乏统一性的理论，作者认为科学实际上已通过其基础假设确立了物理可理解性，而不仅仅是依赖于经验证据。

ABSTRACT

Most scientists would hold that science has not established that the cosmos is physically comprehensible - i.e. such that there is some as-yet undiscovered true physical theory of everything that is unified. This is an empirically untestable thesis and thus lies beyond the scope of science. However, this argument presupposes a conception of science which holds that in science theories are accepted solely on the basis of evidence. But this conception of science is untenable. Any fundamental physical theory, in order to be accepted as a part of theoretical scientific knowledge, must be (1) sufficiently empirically successful, and (2) sufficiently unified. Given any accepted theory of physics, endlessly many empirically more successful disunified rivals can always be concocted - disunified because they assert that different dynamical laws govern the diverse phenomena to which the theory applies. These disunified rivals are not considered for a moment in physics, despite their greater empirical success. This persistent rejection of empirically more successful but disunified rival theories means, I argue, that a big, highly problematic, implicit assumption is made by science about the cosmos, to the effect, at least, that the cosmos is such that all seriously disunified theories are false. Once this point is recognized, it becomes clear, I argue, that we need a new conception of science which holds that science makes a hierarchy of assumptions about the cosmos, these assumptions becoming less and less substantial as one goes up the hierarchy. One of these assumptions is that the cosmos is physically comprehensible. Hence the conclusion: improve our ideas about the nature of science and it becomes apparent that science has established that the cosmos is physically comprehensible.

研究动机与目标

• 挑战主流观点，即由于统一理论的不可检验性，科学无法确立宇宙在物理上是可理解的。
• 揭示物理学中隐含的假设：即非统一理论——尽管在经验上更成功——是错误的，这暗示了对宇宙统一性的承诺。
• 论证科学依赖于关于宇宙的一系列假设层级，其中物理可理解性是基础性的、尽管是隐含的假设。
• 重新定义科学概念，将形而上学假设视为理论接受的必要条件，而不仅仅是经验证据。
• 证明，一旦采纳这一修正后的科学观念，科学实际上已确立了宇宙的物理可理解性。

提出的方法

• 分析主流物理学中持续拒绝经验上更成功但非统一的物理理论的现象。
• 识别出一种隐含假设：所有真正被考虑的非统一理论都是错误的，这是科学实践中一个关键但未被承认的承诺。
• 构建一个科学假设的层级结构，其中较不坚实的假设（如物理可理解性）支撑着更具体的理论承诺。
• 重新诠释科学方法，不仅将其视为基于证据，还视为包含对统一性和可理解性的形而上学承诺。
• 使用思想实验和逻辑分析，表明尽管统一理论在经验上并非更优，但它们的非统一对手仍被系统性地排除。
• 论证统一理论即使缺乏独特的经验优势仍被接受，揭示出对一个可理解宇宙的隐含信念。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 鉴于该主张在经验上不可检验，科学能否确立宇宙在物理上是可理解的？
• RQ2 为何物理学家拒绝那些在经验上比统一理论更成功的非统一理论？
• RQ3 科学在接受统一物理理论时，对宇宙本质作出了哪些隐含的形而上学假设？
• RQ4 科学假设的层级结构，包括物理可理解性的假设，如何塑造科学理论的接受？
• RQ5 一种包含非经验性假设的科学新观念，是否仍可被视为理性和科学的？

主要发现

• 科学经常拒绝在经验上更成功但非统一的理论，表明其存在一种根深蒂固的假设：此类理论是错误的。
• 对非统一理论的持续拒绝意味着科学隐含地假设宇宙受统一物理理论支配。
• 这一假设——即非统一理论是错误的——构成了对宇宙物理可理解性的基础性、非经验性承诺。
• 本文结论认为，科学通过这一隐含假设，已确立了宇宙的物理可理解性，即使并非通过直接的经验证明。
• 需要一种修正后的科学观念，承认一个假设层级结构，其中物理可理解性是核心的、尽管是隐含的信条。
• 因此，宇宙的物理可理解性并非仅仅是希望或猜测，而是从科学的实际实践而非其正式方法中得出的结论。