Text A Scientific Knowledge and Common Knowledge(第1页)
TextAStifiowledgeandonKnowledge
&Spencer
Pre-reading
&Spencer(1820-1903)wasanEnglishphilist,anthropologist,sociologist,aclassicalliberalpoliticaltheoristoftheViera。
Spencerdevelopedanall-embraofevolutionastheprogressivedevelopmentofthephysicalworld,biolanisms,thehumanmind,andhumandsocieties。Hewas“aitofevolutioeaboutevolutionbeforeDarwindid”。Duringhislifetimeheachievedtremendousauthority,mainlyinEnglishspeakingacademia。SpehesifamousEuropeaualinthegdecadesoftheury”,buthisinfluenedsharplyafter1900。
Speknownfortheexpression“survivalofthefittest”,whiedinPrinciplesofBiology(1864),afterreadingCharlesDarwin’sinofSpecies。
Thefollowingessayisafreressay“OntheGenesisofSce”。
Promptsf
1。WhatarethesimilaritiesaweeifiowledgeandordinaryknowledgeagtoSpencer?
2。Whatistherelationshipthatexistsbetweeifiowledgeandordinaryknowledge?
&herecaseswherescedisprovesouroarethey?
4。Whatarethecharacteristicsofstifiowledge?
5。Whatdothewords“ty”aeness”meaninParagraph7?
6。Howdoesstifiowledgedevelopinstages?
7。Whatisthediffereiveaivesyougivesomeexamples?
8。Howwouldyehispassage?
9。Whatisthegenerallogidtheanizatiohispassage?Workoutanideaflowcharttoillustratetheofthoughtsinthispassage。
[1]TherehaseverprevailedamongmehatstifiowledgediffersinnaturefromordinarykheGreeks,withwhomMathematics—literallythi—wasalonesideredasknowledgeproper1,thedistinusthavebeenstro;andithaseversiaihegeneralmind。Though,gthetrastbetweentheatsofsdthoseofdailyuhodiking,itisnthatsuchadistinhasbeeorisealittleabovetheonpoioseethatnosureallyexist:orthatatbest,itisbutasuperficialdistin。Thesamefacultiesareemployedinbothdinbothcasestheirmodeofoperationisfuhesame。
[2]Ifwesaythatsceisanizedknowledge,wearemetbythetruththatallknowledgeisanizedierree—thattheoionsofthehouseholdandthefieldpresupposefactscolligated2,inferen,resultsexpedthatthegeneralsuccessoftheseasprovesthedatabywhichtheywereguidedtohavebeetaisceisprevision—isaseeingbeforehand—isaknowinginwhattimes,plabinations,orsequences,specifiedphenomenawillbefouobligedtofessthatthedefinitiohatisutterlyfsordiion。Forexample,aowledgeofahis,asfarasitgoes,sistsinprevisions。Whenachildseesaandcolors,itknoutsoutitshanditwillhaveimpressioandroundness,andsmoothness;andifitbites,ataste。Asgeneralacewithsurrousisoflikenature—ismadeupoffagthem,sogroupedasthatanypartperceived,theexisteherfaitisforeseen。
[3]If,oncemore,wesaythatsceisexactprevisioillfailtoestablishthesupposeddiffereohatmuchofwhatweotexadthatsomeofit,asphysiology,everbeeexact;butwefimanyoftheprevisionsstitutingtheonstockalikeofwiseandignorahatanunsupportedbodywillfall;thatalighteddlewillgooutwheer;thaticewillmeltwhenthrowhese,andmaitothefamiliarpropertiesofthingshaveashighadegreeofaccuracyaspredisarecapableof。Itistruethattheresultspredicatedareeneralcharacter;butitisruethattheyarerigorouslycorrectasfarastheygo:andthisisallthatisrequisitetofulfillthedefinition。Thereisperfectatheanticipatedpheheaes;ahisbesaidofthehighestatsofthescesspeciallycharacterizedasexact。
[4]Seeingthusthattheassumeddistiweeifiowledgeandonklogicallyjustifiable;afeelihathoweverimpossibleitmaybetodrawalihetractitical;therearisesthequestion—Whatistherelationshipthatexistsbetweeialahisquestionmaybedrawrationsjustgiven。Onregthem,itwillbeobservedthatthoseportionsofordinaryknowledgewhichareidenticharacterwithstifiowledge,prehendonlysubinationsofphenomelyizable3bythesenses,andareofsimple,iure。Thatthesmokefromafirewhichsheislightingwillasdthatthefirewillpresentlyboilrevisionswhichtheservant-girlmakesequallywellwiththemostlearnedphysicist;theyareequally,equallyexactwithhis;buttheyareprevisiphenomenaintaiohatfollowvisiblyaelyaftertheiras—phenomenaofwhichtheisenorobscure—phenomenaredictedbythesimplestpossibleact。
[5]If,otheprevisionsstitutingwhatisonlyknowahemooneime;andwheakeopofamountainofkhemernwilldesdastatednumberofihepolesofagalvanicbatteryimmersedinwaterwillgiveoff,theoneaniheotheraninflaminggas,iio—weperceivethattherelatioofakindhabituallypreseoourseheydepehem,uponspebinationsofdthatihemthebetweesasisestablishedonlybyaeseriesofihebroaddistin,therefore,betweewoordersofkiure,butienessfromper。
[6]Ifweregardthetheirmostge,weseethatthelaborer,whotesihedge,describethepartiandcolorsthem;aronomer,who,havingcalculatedatransitofVenus,eate4theblateringonthesun’sdisc,asitearthroughthetelescope,ataspecifiedhour;doessentiallythesamething。Eaowsthatonfulfillies,heshallhaveapreceivedimpression—thatafteradefiionswilleagroupofsensationsofaforeknownkind。Thediffereinthefualcharaentalatheessoftheprevisionsaplishedbythem;butintheplexityoftheprocessesrequiredtoachievetheprevisions。Muoknowledgeis,asfarasitgorouslyprecise。Sotihispre;ottra。Whatthedo?Itreducesetothesamedegreeofpre。Thattywhichdirectpergivesusrespegdsequehesimplestandmostaccessiblekind,scegivesusrespegdsequenplexintheirdependenaccessibletoimmediateobservatiardedfromthispointofview,scemaybeextensioionsbymeans。
[7]Onfurthergthematter,however,itsbefeltthatthisdefiexpressthewholefact—thatinseparableasscemaybefromonknoletelyasthegapbetweeprevisionsofthedthemostreesofthenaturalphilosopherbyinterposingaseriesofprevisionsinwhiplexityinvolvedisgreaterahereisyetadifferewobeyondthatwhichisheredesdthisistrue。Butthediffereillnotsuablesustodrawtheassumedliion5。Itisadiffereweenonknowledgeaifiowledge;butbetweenthesuccessivephasesofsceitself,eitself—whicheverwechoosetocallit。Initsearlierphasesssoye;initslaterphasesitfurtherattainstopleteness。Webeginbydisgarelation:weendbydisgtherelation。Ourfirstatistoforetellthekindofphenomenonwhichwilloderspeditions:ourlastatistoforetellnototheamount。Or,toreducethepropositiontoitsmostdefiniteform—undevelopedsceisqualitativeprevision;developedstitativeprevision。
[8]Thiswillatooexpresstheremainingdistihelowerandthehigherstagesofpositivekhepredithatapieceofleadwilltakemoreforcetoliftthanapieceofwoodofequalsize,exhibitsty,buteness,ht。Thekiinwhiebodywillexceedtheotherisforeseen;butbywhichitwillexceed。Thereisqualitativeprevisiononly。Ohepredithatatastatedtimetwopartietswillbein;thatbymeansarmsiio,aknownforcewillraisejustsomanypounds;thattodeposeaspecifiedquantityofsulphateofiron6byateofsoda7willrequiresomanygraiiofe,notoureoftheeffectstobeproduagheroftheeffectsthemselves,oftheagenciesprodugthem,orofthedistaimeorspaceatwhichtheywillbeproduced。Thereisnotonlyqualitativebutquantitativeprevision。
[9]Andthisistheunexpresseddifferencewhichleadsustosiderordersofknoeciallystifitrastedwithknowledgeingeneral。“Arethephenomenameasurable?”isthetestwhiploy。Spaceismeasurable:hery。Fordspacearemeasureable:heics8。Time,fordspacearemeasureable:henamics9。Theiioereendtheprineosphere;aicsexisted。Wheerwasdevised,therearoseasceofheat,whichwasbeforeimpossible。Suchofoursensatioyetfoundmodesdinatesces。Wehavenosells;norhaveweoes。Wehaveasceoftherelationsofsoundsdifferinginpitch,becausewehavediscoveredawaytomeasurethem;butwehavenosdsiheirloudheirtimbre,becausewehavegotnomeasuresofloudimbre。
[10]Obviouslyitisthisreduoftheserepreseionsofmagnitude,whichgivestoanydivisionofksespeciallystificcharacter。inallymen’sknowledgeofweightsandforthesameastheirknowledgeofsmellsandtastesisnow—akegivenbytheuions;anditremaiilweighingisanddyers10wereied。Beforetherewerehlasses11andclepsydras12,mostphenomenacouldbeestimatedastotheirdurationsandintervals,witherprethandegreesofhardnessbeestimatedbythefiilathermometricscalewastrived13,mesrespegrelativeamouoodoingwiththeirpresesrespegrelativeamountsofsound。Andasiialstages,withnoaidstoobservation,hestparisonsofade,andomarkeddiffereisobviousthatosimplelawsofdependencecouldbeased—onlythoselawswhigunplicatedwithothers,andnotdisturbedintheirmaions,requirediesofobservatiohem。Wheappearsnotonlythatinproportionasknowledgebeesquasprevisioeaswellas,butthatuntilitsassumptionofaquaeritisnecessarilyedtothemostelemeions。
[11]Moreoveritistoberemarkedthatwhile,ontheonehand,wediscoverthelawsofthegreaterproportionofphenomenaonlybyiiatively;oherhaendtherangeofourquantitativeprevisionsonlyasfastaswedetectthelawsoftheresultswepredict。Forclearlytheabilitytospecifythemagnitudeofaresultiodirectmeasurementimpliesksmodeofdepehingwhibemeasured,impliesthatwekicularfactdealtwithtobeaninstane。Thustheextenttowhichourquantitativeprevisionshavebeenaiohedepthtowhiowledgereathatdiredhere,asaofthesamefact,wemayfurtherobservethataswepassfromqualitativetoquantitativeprevision,wepassfrominductivescetodeductivescewhilepurelyinductiveispurelyqualitative;wheniitativeitusuallysistsofpartindu,partdeduditbeesaccuratelyquantitativeonlywhenwhollydeductive。Wedohededudthequantitativearesive,forthereismalymuchdeduthatisqualitativeoallquantitativeprevisionisreacheddeductively;andthatindualyqualitativeprevision。
[12]Still,however,itmustnotbesupposedthatthesedistinableustoseparateordinaryknowledgefromsce,muchastheyseemtodoso。Whiletheyshowinwhatsiststhebroadtrastbetweeremeformsofthetwo,theyyetleadustialidentity;andohediffereobeoneofdegreeonly。For,oheoivekosomeextentquantitative;seeingthattheamountoftheforeseeisknownwithiais。Aherhaquantitativeprevisioreachtheexacttruth,butonlyaverynearapproximationtoit。Withoutclocksthesavageknowsthatthedayislohesummerthaer;withoutscalesheknowsthatstohais,hefresultsthattheiramouhese,ahose-heknowsaboutwhattheywillbe。And,withhismostdelistrumentsaecals,allthatthemanofsdo,istoreducethediffereheforeseeualresultstoanunimportantquantity。
[13]Moreover,itmustbeborneinmindnotonlythatallthescesarequalitativeistages,—notonlythatsomeofthem,asChemistry,havebutretlyreachedthequaage—butthatthemostadvanceshaveattaiheirpreseerminingquapresenttothesedirectlymeasurable,byaslowproprovemehroughthousahatsdthekheunculturedarealikeiureoftheirprevisioheydifferiheypossessaperfe,thoughthisisimmehelasttha;aioheotherhasbeenthroughaseriesofstepsbywhichtheimperfehasbeeiherainuallywider。
Notes