中科院博士研究生英语精读教材翻译及原文整理解读Word文档下载推荐.doc

中科院博士研究生英语精读教材翻译及原文整理解读Word文档下载推荐.doc

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第1课知识的悖论TheParadoxofKnowledge@#@Thegreatestachievementofhumankindinitslongevolutionfromancienthominoidancestorstoitspresentstatusistheacquisitionandaccumulationofavastbodyofknowledgeaboutitself,theworld,andtheuniverse.Theproductsofthisknowledgeareallthosethingsthat,intheaggregate,wecall"@#@civilization,"@#@includinglanguage,science,literature,art,allthephysicalmechanisms,instruments,andstructuresweuse,andthephysicalinfrastructuresonwhichsocietyrelies.Mostofusassumethatinmodernsocietyknowledgeofallkindsiscontinuallyincreasingandtheaggregationofnewinformationintothecorpusofoursocialorcollectiveknowledgeissteadilyreducingtheareaofignoranceaboutourselves,theworld,andtheuniverse.Butcontinuingremindersofthenumerousareasofourpresentignoranceinviteacriticalanalysisofthisassumption.@#@Inthepopularview,intellectualevolutionissimilarto,althoughmuchmorerapidthan,somaticevolution.Biologicalevolutionisoftendescribedbythestatementthat"@#@ontogenyrecapitulatesphylogeny"@#@--meaningthattheindividualembryo,initsdevelopmentfromafertilizedovumintoahumanbaby,passesthroughsuccessivestagesinwhichitresemblesancestralformsofthehumanspecies.Thepopularviewisthathumankindhasprogressedfromastateofinnocentignorance,comparabletothatofaninfant,andgraduallyhasacquiredmoreandmoreknowledge,muchasachildlearnsinpassingthroughtheseveralgradesoftheeducationalsystem.Implicitinthisviewisanassumptionthatphylogenyresemblesontogeny,sothattherewillultimatelybeastageinwhichtheaccumulationofknowledgeisessentiallycomplete,atleastinspecificfields,asifsocietyhadgraduatedwithalltheadvanceddegreesthatsignifymasteryofimportantsubjects.@#@Suchviewshave,infact,beenexpressedbysomeeminentscientists.In1894thegreatAmericanphysicistAlbertMichelsonsaidinatalkattheUniversityofChicago:

@#@@#@WhileitisneversafetoaffirmthatthefutureofPhysicalSciencehasnomarvelsinstoreevenmoreastonishingthanthoseofthepast,itseemsprobablethatmostofthegrandunderlyingprincipleshavebeenfirmlyestablishedandthatfurtheradvancesaretobesoughtchieflyintherigorousapplicationoftheseprinciplestoallthephenomenawhichcomeunderournotice....ThefuturetruthsofPhysicalScienceatetobelookedforinthesixthplaceofdecimals.@#@InthecenturysinceMichelson'@#@stalk,scientistshavediscoveredmuchmorethantherefinementofmeasurementsinthesixthdecimalplace,andnoneiswillingtomakeasimilarstatementtoday.However,manystillclingtothenotionthatsuchastateofknowledgeremainsapossibilitytobeattainedsoonerorlater.StephenHawking,thegreatEnglishscientist,inhisimmenselypopularbookABriefHistoryofTime（1988）,concludeswiththespeculationthatwemay"@#@discoveracompletetheory"@#@that"@#@wouldbetheultimatetriumphofhumanreason--forthenwewouldknowthemindofGod."@#@PaulDavies,anAustralianphysicist,echoesthatviewbysuggestingthatthehumanmindmaybeabletograspsomeofthesecretsencompassedbythetitleofhisbookTheMindofGod（1992）.Othercontemporaryscientistswriteof"@#@theoriesofeverything,"@#@meaningtheoriesthatexplainallobservablephysicalphenomena,andNobelLaureateStevenWeinberg,oneofthefoundersofthecurrentstandardmodelofphysicaltheory,writesofhisDreamsofaFinalTheory（1992）.@#@Despitetheeminenceandobviousyearningoftheseandmanyothercontemporaryscientists,thereisnothinginthehistoryofsciencetosuggestthatanyadditionofdataortheoriestothebodyofscientificknowledgewilleverprovideanswerstoallquestionsinanyfield.Onthecontrary,thehistoryofscienceindicatesthatincreasingknowledgebringsawarenessofnewareasofignoranceandofnewquestionstobeanswered.@#@Astronomyisthemostancientofthesciences,anditsdevelopmentisamodelofotherfieldsofknowledge.Peoplehavebeenobservingthestarsandothercelestialbodiessincethedawnofrecordedhistory.Asearlyas3000B.C.theBabyloniansrecognizedanumberoftheconstellations.InthesixthcenturyB.C.,PythagorasproposedthenotionofasphericalEarthandofauniversewithobjectsinitchatmovedinaccordancewithnaturallaws.LaterGreekphilosopherstaughtthattheskywasahollowglobesurroundingtheEarth,thatitwassupportedonanaxisrunningthroughtheEarth,andchatstarswereinlaidonitsinnersurface,whichrotatedwestwarddaily.InthesecondcenturyA.D.,Ptolemypropoundedatheoryofageocentric（Earth-centered）universeinwhichthesun,planets,andstarsmovedincircularorbitsofcyclesandepicyclesaroundtheEarth,althoughtheEarthwasnotattheprecisecenteroftheseorbits.Whilesomewhatawkward,t