A Physical Approach to the Construction of Cognition and to Cognitive Evolution

It is shown that the method of operationaldefinition of theoretical terms applied inphysics may well support constructivist ideasin cognitive sciences when extended toobservational terms. This leads to unexpectedresults for the notion of reality, inductionand for the problem why mathematics is sosuccessful in physics.A theory of cognitive operators is proposedwhich are implemented somewhere in our brainand which transform certain states of oursensory apparatus into what we call perceptionsin the same sense as measurement devicestransform the interaction with the object intomeasurement results. Then, perceivedregularities, as well as the laws of nature wewould derive from them can be seen asinvariants of the cognitive operators concernedand are by this human specific constructsrather than ontologically independent elements.(e.g., the law of energy conservation can bederived from the homogeneity of time and bythis depends on our mental time metricgenerator). So, reality in so far it isrepresented by the laws of nature has no longeran independent ontological status. This isopposed to Campbell's `natural selectionepistemology'. From this it is shown that thereholds an incompleteness theorem for physicallaws similar to Gödels incompletenesstheorem for mathematical axioms, i.e., there isno definitive or object `theory of everything'.This constructivist approaches to cognitionwill allow a coherent and consistent model ofboth cognitive and organic evolution. Whereasthe classical view sees the two evolutionrather dichotomously (for ex.: most scientistssee cognitive evolution converging towards adefinitive world picture, whereas organicevolution obviously has no specific focus (the`pride of creation').     

物理学基本定律的独立性之争及其反思

理论公理化的一个重要问题是公理的独立性问题.考察公理化最为发达的物理学中关于独立性问题的争论,可以看出,自然科学的公理独立性问题不同于逻辑学和数学,有自身独特的方法论价值.     

论达尔文进化论的运用误区

本文一方面通过历史追踪的考察,揭示了达尔文及其进化论影响心理学的效果,是为心理学塑造了关于心理进化符合与机体进化同样的逻辑的盲目信念;另一方面通过对人的存在的维度的分析,阐明心理进化所符合的它自己的逻辑,而不是生物进化的逻辑,从而揭示进化论在向心理学领域的运用性扩展的过程中为心理学设置的思想陷阱或理论误区。文章研究结论同时暗示了,心理学必须自觉地超越达尔文及其进化论的思想框架,才有可能寻求到它自己的目标和归宿,从而获得它的真实的存在。     

Games as formal tools versus games as explanations in logic and science

This paper addresses the theoretical notion of a game as it arisesacross scientific inquiries, exploring its uses as a technical andformal asset in logic and science versus an explanatory mechanism. Whilegames comprise a widely used method in a broad intellectual realm(including, but not limited to, philosophy, logic, mathematics,cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computation, linguistics,physics, economics), each discipline advocates its own methodology and aunified understanding is lacking. In the first part of this paper, anumber of game theories in formal studies are critically surveyed. Inthe second part, the doctrine of games as explanations for logic isassessed, and the relevance of a conceptual analysis of games tocognition discussed. It is suggested that the notion of evolution playsa part in the game-theoretic concept of meaning.     

科学普适性信念批判的SLK进路研究及其意义

西方学术传统所坚持的科学普适性信念,多年来受到来自数学哲学、物理哲学等多条进路的批判。布鲁尔的SSK思想也是对这种信念的一种批判,作为其SSK组成部分的SLK思想,是这种批判的集中体现。他以逻辑学这门硬科学为例,从逻辑基础和逻辑规则社会性两个方面,提供了对于科学普适性信念更为深入的批判路径,从而导致了科学形象的极大变革。     

从逻辑哲学观点看量子逻辑

1.根据逻辑哲学,量子逻辑可以定位于一种以非分配性为特征的非经典逻辑,它以量子力学家实际使用的科学推理为现实原型或经验基础;2.普特南从量子逻辑的产生而得出根据经验的理由,逻辑是整体可修正的结论。但他同时又主张逻辑联词的意义不变,因此陷入二难困境。3.根据量子力学几种不同解释来重新审视经验理由和逻辑可修正性论证,发现形而上学考量更不可忽视。4.对应原理具有消解普特南二难的方法论功效,量子逻辑对于经典逻辑的继承性与革新性同时可以得到合理解释。     

How Future Depends on Past and Rare Events in Systems of Life

The dependence on history of both present and future dynamics of life is a common intuition in biology and in humanities. Historicity will be understood in terms of changes of the space of possibilities (or of “phase space”) as well as by the role of diversity in life’s structural stability and of rare events in history formation. We hint to a rigorous analysis of “path dependence” in terms of invariants and invariance preserving transformations, as it may be found also in physics, while departing from the physico-mathematical analyses. The idea is that the (relative or historicized) invariant traces of the past under organismal or ecosystemic transformations contribute to the understanding (or the “theoretical determination”) of present and future states of affairs. This yields a peculiar form of unpredictability (or randomness) in biology, at the core of novelty formation: the changes of observables and pertinent parameters may depend also on past events. In particular, in relation to the properties of synchronic measurement in physics, the relevance of diachronic measurement in biology is highlighted. This analysis may a fortiori apply to cognitive and historical human dynamics, while allowing to investigate some general properties of historicity in biology.     

Quantum Superpositions and the Representation of Physical Reality Beyond Measurement Outcomes and Mathematical Structures

In this paper we intend to discuss the importance of providing a physical representation of quantum superpositions which goes beyond the mere reference to mathematical structures and measurement outcomes. This proposal goes in the opposite direction to the project present in orthodox contemporary philosophy of physics which attempts to “bridge the gap” between the quantum formalism and common sense “classical reality”—precluding, right from the start, the possibility of interpreting quantum superpositions through non-classical notions. We will argue that in order to restate the problem of interpretation of quantum mechanics in truly ontological terms we require a radical revision of the problems and definitions addressed within the orthodox literature. On the one hand, we will discuss the need of providing a formal redefinition of superpositions which captures explicitly their contextual character. On the other hand, we will attempt to replace the focus on the measurement problem, which concentrates on the justification of measurement outcomes from “weird” superposed states, and introduce the superposition problem which focuses instead on the conceptual representation of superpositions themselves. In this respect, after presenting three necessary conditions for objective physical representation, we will provide arguments which show why the classical (actualist) representation of physics faces severe difficulties to solve the superposition problem. Finally, we will also argue that, if we are willing to abandon the (metaphysical) presupposition according to which ‘Actuality = Reality’, then there is plenty of room to construct a conceptual representation for quantum superpositions.     

区域集群创新:一个基于生成式的分析框架

区域集群创新是创新的一种新形式,它不同于传统上创新主体限于单个机构或个人,创新过程以单一线性为主的模式,有着更为复杂的实现机制。本文依创新本身的生成逻辑,构建了一个综合性分析框架。区域集群主体基于丰富的地理、社会和行业接近性所生成的互动网络是创新产生的基础,它纾解了主体间知识转移的障碍,使集群整体层面呈现出协同进化特征,而个体关系层面的竞争和合作催生了创新的“涨落”效应,由此推动了创新的不断生成演进。     

Philosophy of Science的统计与分析(1988-2007)

Philosophy of Science是美国科学哲学协会的官方刊物,美国科学哲学协会"两年一度会议记录"占所发表的论文总量的比例较高,Philosophy of Science呈现出的发展态势基本反映了美国科学哲学的现状。从1988-2007年发表论文关键词的统计看,量子理论的研究最受关注,进化、生物学是另一个研究热点,逻辑、数学、认知科学等方面的研究也备受关注;从影响力的角度上看,在1996-2007年间,Philosophy of Science的影响因子常年保持在0.3以上,但在JCR公布的2000-2007年影响因子排名上,其下降态势十分明显;在作者方面,90%以上的论文为个人独立成果。     

Contemporary Epistemic Logic and the Lockean Thesis

This paper studies the Lockean thesis from the perspective of contemporary epistemic logic. The Lockean thesis states that belief can be defined as ‘sufficiently high degree of belief’. Its main problem is that it gives rise to a notion of belief which is not closed under conjunction. This problem is typical for classical epistemic logic: it is single-agent and static. I argue that from the perspective of contemporary epistemic logic, the Lockean thesis fares much better. I briefly mention that it can successfully be extended from single-agent to multi-agent settings. More importantly, I show that accepting the Lockean thesis (and a more sophisticated version for conditional beliefs) leads to a significant and unexpected unification in the dynamic behavior of (conditional) belief and high (conditional) probability with respect to public announcements. This constitutes a methodological argument in favor of the Lockean thesis. Furthermore, if one accepts Baltag’s Erlangen program for epistemology, this technical observation has even stronger philosophical implications: because belief and high probability display the same dynamic behavior, it is plausible that they are indeed one and the same epistemic notion.     

Evolution of Cognition: Towards the Theory of Origin of Human Logic

The main problem discussed in this paper is: “Why and how did animal cognition abilities arise?” It is argued that investigations of the evolution of animal cognition abilities are very important from an epistemological point of view. A new direction for interdisciplinary researches – the creation and development of the theory of human logic origin – is proposed. The approaches to the origination of such a theory (mathematical models of ``intelligent invention'' of biological evolution, the cybernetic schemes of evolutionary progress and purposeful adaptive behavior) as well as potential interdisciplinary links of the theory are described and analyzed.     

道家哲学与现代物理哲学的契合性考察

与儒家"向内觅理"有别,道家重视外向的"天之道",对自然之源和万物之本多有探讨,形成了独特而深刻的自然哲学思想,诸如"道""朴""无""有""阴阳"等自然哲学概念,在此基础上形成了"道生万物"的宇宙创生观,"负阴抱阳"的自然运行观,"道通为一"的世界统一观等自然哲学思想.这些概念和思想被现代物理科学,特别是量子物理学所...     

浅谈1953年版《物理学名词》的编纂特点

新中国成立初期编纂的《物理学名词》,既是接近50年物理学名词统一工作的总结,也为后来的物理学名词审定工作奠定了深厚的基础。这部名词具有如下特点:以名词统一为目的,遵循一定的收词和定名原则,审查非常充分,广泛征求了意见,方便实用,是接近50年物理学名词工作成果的汇集。     

20世纪的英雄史诗--《基本粒子物理学史》

人类对物理世界中基本物质及其相互作用力的探索,正如派斯(A.Pais)教授所述,至少可以上溯到古希腊的恩培多克勒。与早期希腊自然哲学家相比,恩培多克勒对世界本原问题的解答引进了两种新的概念:比例构成的概念和作用力的概念,他的理论支配了随后两千多年西方人的物质观。下一个重大的转折发生在18世纪末至19世纪,这就是化学元素概念的确立和原子-分子学说的诞生。但派斯教授在这部著作中没有追溯得这么久远,他所讲述的,是从1895年伦琴发现X射线到1983年欧洲核子中心发现W和Z     

译介术语演化分析

针对中国译介研究术语演化规律这一科学问题,采用文献计量方法对中国期刊全文数据库(1963—2016)中的译介研究关键词进行了统计分析。结果表明中国译介研究术语经历了三个演化阶段:第一阶段为1963—1982年,这期间相关研究论文的数量比较稀少,导致术语贫乏;第二阶段为1983—2000年,这期间发文量明显增多,多研究重心开始形成,新的术语不断产生;第三阶段为2001—2016年,这期间发文量大规模增长,研究重心发生迁移,术语呈现“百花齐放”态势。当前,中国译介研究方兴未艾,译介研究术语更多地被赋予了时代性、民族性、多样性的文化内涵。     

民国时期物理学名词的统一及留学生的贡献(1920—1934)

清末民初,国内物理学名词的译名非常混乱,这成为近现代物理学在中国快速传播的巨大障碍。从1920年开始,大批归国留学生为审定物理学名词进行了多方面的努力:他们讨论并确定了物理学名词的翻译原则,为审定名词奠定了基础;他们先后主持了科学名词审查会物理组和物理学会名词审查委员会的工作,并陆续编订了《物理学名词(第一次审查本)》《物理学名词汇》和《物理学名词》三部词典。到1934年,在留学生的全面主导下,国内的物理学名词基本上得到了统一,西方物理学在中国的本土化进程因此大大加快了。     

物理学名词规范使用例析

通过分析一些物理学名词的定名,简述了科技名词的定名应遵循“单义性”“科学性”“约定俗成”“协调一致”等原则,外国科学家的译名应遵从“名从主人”“约定俗成”“服从主科”“尊重规范”等原则。列举了物理学名词依据这些原则所做的部分修订情况,以便新闻、出版、教学、科研等部门规范使用这些名词。     

物理学名词规范使用例析

通过分析一些物理学名词的定名，简述了科技名词的定名应遵循“单义性”“科学性”“约定俗成”“协调一致”等原则，外国科学家的译名应遵从“名从主人”“约定俗成”“服从主科”“尊重规范”等原则。列举了物理学名词依据这些原则所做的部分修订情况，以便新闻、出版、教学、科研等部门规范使用这些名词。