String theory,Einstein, and the identity of physics: Theory assessment in absence of the empirical

String theorists are certain that they are practicing physicists. Yet, some of their recent critics deny this. This paper argues that this conflict is really about who holds authority in making rational judgment in theoretical physics. At bottom, the conflict centers on the question: who is a proper physicist? To illustrate and understand the differing opinions about proper practice and identity, we discuss different appreciations of epistemic virtues and explanation among string theorists and their critics, and how these have been sourced in accounts of Einstein's biography. Just as Einstein is claimed by both sides, historiography offers examples of both successful and unsuccessful non-empirical science. History of science also teaches that times of conflict are often times of innovation, in which novel scholarly identities may come into being. At the same time, since the contributions of Thomas Kuhn historians have developed a critical attitude towards formal attempts and methodological recipes for epistemic demarcation and justification of scientific practice. These are now, however, being considered in the debate on non-empirical physics.     

人类对地球形状认识的辩证过程

在系统讨论了人类对地球形状认识的复杂历史之后,作者认为这是一个“否定之否定”式的螺旋状上升过程,即“非球→球→非球…”的过程。在经历了5次“非球→球”的认识反复之后,目前人类已跨入对地球本身便存在着“球(?)非球”的动态变化过程的认识这个崭新的阶段。     

经典遗传学为什么崛起于美国?——评美、德的不同社会环境对遗传学的影响

本文对经典遗传学产生的社会和历史渊源作出了社会学的和思想的考察,并加以深入的分析。     

寻找精神家园的“歌手”——《浮士德》探幽

歌德的《浮士德》是“一种生活的发现艺术”。通过阅读作品，我们就会发现无论是“浮士德”形象还是“浮士德精神”，其最终的指向都是人的心灵世界，是人类追求和寻找精神家园的一种艺术化表达，浮士德的一生是寻找精神家园的一次审美体验。     

中国传统学术视阈中的历史与历史哲学

从中国传统学术的视阈入手，梳理与辨析历史和历史哲学的内涵与外延。考察历史一词的多重含义；指出西方历史哲学乃根据对历史的两分法，即历史事实和历史著述，而有“思辨的历史哲学”和“分析的历史哲学”两大流派；进而指出中国古代对历史有一三分法，即史事、史文、史义，认为史义即为中国的历史哲学，同时史义又包含有“历史之大义”与“吾心之精义”两部分内容。     

明末熊明遇《格致草》内容探析

熊明遇生当明清鼎革之际“东西文化交流”的重要时刻。他的主著《格致草》广被时人以至遗民征引和称颂。作为明末东林党的成员之一，熊氏对耶稣会士抱持开明的态度，并跟他们建立良好的友谊。正如书名所示，《格致草》的撰作，毫无疑问是继承了宋明理学“格物致知”的传统。《格致草》当中，具见熊明遇从耶稣会士的译作中节引西学所函盖的多个领域，如天文学及相关科学仪器、气象学、世界地理及绘图、灵魂学说和创世理论。然而，约从清初行禁书之令后，《格致草》一书便销声匿迹，而国人也不复知此书仍存于天壤之间，熊明遇研究西方科学的成果又多被其门人游艺征引；游氏著作《天经或问》传入日本后，当中提及第谷学说和熊明遇的观点，对江户时期的日本天文学产生过巨大的影响。     

New theories for new instruments: Fabrizio Mordente's proportional compass and the genesis of Giordano Bruno's atomist geometry

The aim of this article is to shed light on an understudied aspect of Giordano Bruno's intellectual biography, namely, his career as a mathematical practitioner. Early interpreters, especially, have criticized Bruno's mathematics for being “outdated” or too “concrete”. However, thanks to developments in the study of early modern mathematics and the rediscovery of Bruno's first mathematical writings (four dialogues on Fabrizio's Mordente proportional compass), we are in a position to better understand Bruno's mathematics. In particular, this article aims to reopen the question of whether Bruno anticipated the concept of infinitesimal quantity. It does so by providing an analysis of the dialogues on Mordente's compass and of the historical circumstances under which those dialogues were written.     

Between meaning culture and presence effects: contemporary biomedical objects as a challenge to museums

The acquisition and display of material artefacts is the raison d’être of museums. But what constitutes a museum artefact? Contemporary medicine (biomedicine) is increasingly producing artefacts that do not fit the traditional museological understanding of what constitutes a material, tangible artefact. Museums today are therefore caught in a paradox. On the one hand, medical science and technologies are having an increasing pervasive impact on the way contemporary life is lived and understood and is therefore a central part of the contemporary world. On the other hand, the objects involved in medical diagnostics and therapies are becoming increasingly invisible and intangible and therefore seem to have no role to play as artefacts in a museum context. Consequently, museums are at risk of becoming alienated from an increasingly important part of contemporary society. This essay elaborates the paradox by employing Gumbrecht’s (2004) distinction between ‘presence’ and ‘meaning’.     

“花柳病”概念探源补遗

当今我国学者普遍将花柳病等同于性病,认为花柳病是性病在旧社会的称谓或者是一种民间称法。本文通过对花柳病概念进行溯源,认为这种看法是缺乏历史依据的:花柳一词作为对妓女等的雅称始于唐代,但是作为一种疾病的名称则始于日本,自19世纪中后期被引入中国之后,它又经历了近代医学的洗礼和改造,成为了一个充满本土感的近代词汇。     

Maxwell's color statistics: From reduction of visible errors to reduction to invisible molecules

This paper presents a cross-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary account of Maxwell's introduction of statistical models of molecules for the composition of gases. The account focuses on Maxwell's deployment of statistical models of data in his contemporaneous color researches as established in Cambridge mathematical physics, especially by Maxwell's seniors and mentors. The paper also argues that the cross-disciplinary, or cross-domain, transfer of resources from the natural and social sciences took place in both directions and relied on the complex intra-disciplinary, or intra-domain, dynamics of Maxwell's researches in natural sciences, in color theory, physical astronomy, electromagnetism and dynamical theory of gases, as well as involving a variety of types of communicating and mediating media, from material objects to concepts, techniques and institutions.