重读霍尔顿《科学与反科学》

美国科学史家杰拉尔德·霍尔顿(Gerald J.Holton,1922—)《科学与反科学》中译本出版已近五年,这本凝结着中美两国学者之心血的著作在当代中国的问世,对于中国社会受众理解科学之底蕴以及反科学现象的实质不无裨益。

A Review on J.Holton's Science and Anti-Science

In reviewing J. Holton' s Science and Anti-Science and its Chinese edition translated by Prof. Fan Dai-nian, the author remarks on some of the articles in this book and Holton' s "thematic approach ". Apart from the endeavor of philosophers of science who seek for a standard criterion to divide science and non-science, J. Holton suggests a historical approach to discern between good and bad science, between harmful and non-harmful antiscience or non-science. He points out that ideas of anti-science or non-science could be bad and harmful if and only they are combined with social power and become movements on a large scale.