ABSTRACT

Practice-based philosophy of science has gradually arisen in the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) and science and technology studies (STS) during the past decades. It studies science as an ensemble of practices and theorising as one of these practices. A recent study has shown how the practice-based approach can be methodologically justified with reference to Peirce and Dewey. In this article, I will explore one consequence of that notion: science, as practice, is necessarily social. I will disambiguate five different senses in which science is social. First, science presupposes language, which is essentially social. Second, practices, including science, are adaptations of the behaviour of an organism to an environment, of which other organisms are a part. Third, practices, including science, are public and hence shareable. Fourth, scientific knowledge can serve as a vehicle of social and moral reform. Fifth, scientific knowledge can be applied to improve the human condition. This fivefold result bears on the problem of realism.

摘要

近几十年来，基于实践的科学哲学逐渐在科学知识社会学（SSK）和科学技术研究（STS）中兴起。它将科学作为实践的集合来研究，并将理论作为这些实践之一来研究。最近的一项研究表明，参考皮尔士和杜威的方法，如何在方法论上证明基于实践的方法是合理的。在本文中，我将探讨这一概念的一个后果：科学作为实践，必然是社会性的。我将澄清科学是社会性的五种不同含义。首先，科学以语言为前提，而语言本质上是社会性的。其次，包括科学在内的实践是有机体行为对环境的适应，其他有机体也是环境的一部分。第三，包括科学在内的实践是公开的，因此可以共享。第四，科学知识可以作为社会和道德改革的工具。第五，科学知识可以应用于改善人类状况。这五重结果涉及现实主义问题。