Scientific Realism and Quantum Mechanics: Revisiting a Controversial Relation

The article examines the controversial relation of scientific realism with quantum mechanics. To this end, two distinct discussions are invoked: the discussion about ‘realism’ in the context of quantum mechanics and the discussion about ‘scientific realism’ in the context of the general philosophy of science. The aim is to distinguish them in order, first, to argue that the former—revolving around ‘local realism’ and the theorems of Bell and Kochen–Specker—unjustifiably identifies realism with features of a particular worldview, and thereby fosters the impression that the failure of ‘local realism’ in quantum experiments constitutes a failure of scientific realism too; and, second, in light of the latter discussion, to claim that scientific realism and quantum mechanics can be compatible—there is ground for dealing with quantum measurement simply as a physical mind-independent interaction. Therefore, a realist approach to the theory is possible despite its notorious measurement problem, even if the issue of its interpretation is still disputed.     

科学态度科学精神社会道德--读朱清时论藏传佛教

俗谚说:“隔行如隔山”。我对于自然科学缺乏起码的专业知识,现在却不得不讲些与自然科学领域有关的事。我们老祖宗为幼儿写的启蒙的读物中言:“教不严,师之惰”,最近有点新的理解———如果教师不能严格自律,应该受到批评和自我批评。之所以写下这些话,与读了两篇文章有关。一篇叫《从藏传佛教到认知科学的崭新链接》,是用对话形式发表在网站上,记中国科技大学校长的高见;另一篇名《中医是复杂科学》,是这位校长以科学院院士署名的,发表在本年度9月16日《中国中医药报》上。前一篇涉及藏传佛教问题,后一篇涉及哲学科学方法论问题。初步印象…     

从历史的角度论中医的科学性

先讨论了科学哲学对科学与伪科学的分界标准,从历史角度论述了中医对理性道路的选择,中医第一使命与中国古代科技文化背景对其发展道路的塑造,与近现代科技背景下对中医的伪科学诘难,认为中医虽非严格意义的科学,但不能对其贴上附加贬义的伪科学标签,中医是理性和具备科学精神的,应正确看待其探索角度与思路的价值。     

A Social Psychological Perspective

Ethics is normative; ethics indicates, in broad terms, what researchers should do. For example, researchers should respect human participants. Empirical study tells us what actually happens. Empirical research is often needed to fine-tune the best ways to achieve normative objectives, for example, to discover how best to achieve the dual aims of gaining important knowledge and respecting participants. Ethical decision making by scientists and institutional review boards should not be based on hunches and anecdotes (e.g., about such matters as what information potential research participants would want to know and what they understand, or what they consider to be acceptable risks). These questions should be answered through empirical research. Some of the preceding articles in this special issue illustrate uses of empirical research on research ethics. This article places empirical research on research ethics into broader perspective and challenges investigators to use the tools of their disciplines to proactively solve ethical problems for which there currently exist no empirically proven solutions.     

Scientific Representation: Paradoxes of Perspective

David Lewis is a natural target for those who believe that findings in quantum physics threaten the tenability of traditional metaphysical reductionism. Such philosophers point to allegedly holistic entities they take both to be the subjects of some claims of quantum mechanics and to be incompatible with Lewisian metaphysics. According to one popular argument, the non-separability argument from quantum entanglement, any realist interpretation of quantum theory is straightforwardly inconsistent with the reductive conviction that the complete physical state of the world supervenes on the intrinsic properties of and spatio-temporal relations between its point-sized constituents. Here I defend Lewis's metaphysical doctrine, and traditional reductionism more generally, against this alleged threat from quantum holism. After presenting the non-separability argument from entanglement, I show that Bohmian mechanics, an interpretation of quantum mechanics explicitly recognized as a realist one by proponents of the non-separability argument, plausibly rejects a key premise of that argument. Another holistic worry for Humeanism persists, however, the trouble being the apparently holistic character of the Bohmian pilot wave. I present a Humean strategy for addressing the holistic threat from the pilot wave by drawing on resources from the Humean best system account of laws.     

Revisiting the Social Sources of American Christianity 1972–1998

We examine the relationship between demographics and adherence to certain religious traditions within American Christianity. Starting with Niebuhr's Social Sources of Denominationalism , we interact with a long scholarly tradition that connects demographics and religious groups, particularly the abiding "class-sect" relationship. Included in this literature are works by Roof and McKinney (1987), and the particular profiles of evangelicals by Hunter (1983) and more recently by Smith et al. (1998). Findings indicate slow convergence on certain demographics highlighted by Niebuhr (social class, region, population size), and slow divergence on other demographics (age, percent female, percent married, number of children). Contrary to previous research, evangelical Protestantism is not very distinct demographically; however, black Protestantism is, and this reflects the continued demographic significance of race. Our findings lead us to question accepted theoretical links between demographics and religious groups. We end with some preliminary recommendations for future theorizing in this area.     

当代科学认识论的新视野

20世纪 50年代兴起的历史主义科学哲学瓦解了逻辑实证主义和证伪主义 ,但因历史主义强调科学理论的建构性和主观性 ,而逐步形成了相对主义和非理性主义为主导的科学哲学 ,从而导致了科学在文化中的权威性地位的丧失。所以 ,自 6 0年代开始 ,以Ｗ 塞拉斯和普特南为代表的科学实在论应运而生 ,他们对科学哲学历史主义学派的错误观点进行了批判 ,认为 ,科学理论的术语是有指称的 ,其指称的对象是客观存在的 ,成熟的科学理论比之以往的科学理论具有更多的真理性等实在论观点。 70年代末以来 ,美国科学哲学界出现了劳丹、范·弗拉森等人为代表的…     

Social Status and the Academic Achievement Gap: A Social Dominance Perspective

In this paper we sketch several mechanisms by which low social status is transformed into low academic performance. Using the perspective of social dominance theory, we review three processes by which this transformation takes place. These processes include: (a) the effects of lower economic, cultural, and social capital; (b) the effects of personal and institutional discrimination; and (c) reactions to low social status by members of low status groups. It is argued that members of low status groups engage in various protective mechanisms in response to their low social status. Although these mechanisms have the benefit of protecting self-esteem, this benefit is purchased at a potential cost. This cost includes reduced motivation to succeed which results in lower academic achievement and subsequent reinforcement of the status hierarchy. We argue that future research needs to place substantially more effort into precisely understanding the numerous, and often subtle, mediating mechanisms transforming low social status into low academic achievement. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

发展哲学视野中的社会矛盾与社会制度--关于社会矛盾、社会制度和社会发展的再认识

发展哲学是一种应用哲学 ,它是最高层次的哲学思维在社会领域中的贯彻和运用 ,它将人们的发展观用理论的形式加以高度概括而形成一定的思想体系。发展哲学所探讨的重点 ,是关于人们的现代社会发展活动的根本观点。社会矛盾是发展哲学最基本的范畴之一 ,科学界定和把握这一概念具有重要意义。首先 ,它是正确反思关于当代社会发展动力问题的诸多观点的逻辑起点。其次 ,它是科学回答与有效解决当代社会发展中许多重大问题的思想前提。在社会主义市场经济发展过程中会涌现出许多新的矛盾 ,在这种背景下探讨社会发展与社会制度的关系 ,是面对社会…     

A Social Neuroscience Perspective on Stress and Health

Psychological stress is a major risk factor for the development and progression of a number of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, and major depression. A growing body of research suggests that long term, stress‐induced activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis may lead to increases in inflammation, which is known to play a key role in the pathophysiology of a variety of diseases. Furthermore, the burgeoning fields of social neuroscience and health neuroscience have begun to identify the neurocognitive mechanisms by which stress may lead to these physiological changes. Here we review the literature examining the neurocognitive correlates of stress‐induced SNS, HPA, and inflammatory responses. Specifically, we summarize the results of neuroimaging studies that have examined the neural correlates of stress‐related increases in SNS, HPA, and inflammatory activity. A set of neural systems involved in threat processing, safety processing, and social cognition are suggested as key contributors to stress‐related changes in physiology. We conclude by offering suggestions for future research in the exciting new field of health neuroscience.