标签：Introduction to Philosophy of Science

Let Beibei Become Someone Different from Yang Weiwei

AI & Scholarship2025.11.01
Let Beibei Become Someone Different from Yang Weiwei
The report I gave on October 25 at the National Academy of Art, “Human Childhood: The Forum for the Eighth International Cross-Media Arts Festival and the Fifth Sensibility Forum.” This year’s festival took the 1988 film Electric Boy as its starting point. I specially watched Electric Boy and prepared a talk that was as on-topic as possible. Here is the draft: Electric Boy tells the story of a child with extraordinary powers—a child who carries electricity—from being out of place to finally becoming integrated into society. In my personal view, this is a tragedy, because in the plot Beibei is gradually recognized by others only by doing good deeds and…
technology culture China freedom
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2025年11月1日
Will Digital Musk and Digital Musk Become Friends?

AI & Scholarship2022.07.24
Will Digital Musk and Digital Musk Become Friends?
Published in China Business News, 2022-07-24 Recently, Musk said “已经做过了” (“I’ve already done it”) in a remark that sparked attention and heated discussion. The question he was replying to was: “If you could upload your brain to the cloud and talk to your virtual version, would you become friends?” Musk was most likely joking, but not long ago Google did in fact have a programmer who, after talking with an AI, concluded that the AI had awakened self-awareness and tried to fight for rights for his “AI friend.” For now, consciousness uploading or AI awakening probably has not yet happened, but we can indeed begin with a thought experiment: what…
technology commentary AI self
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2022年7月24日
Recommended Introductory Readings in Philosophy of Technology

History of Science & Scholarship2011.07.26
Recommended Introductory Readings in Philosophy of Technology
The department’s magazine, *Qingqiu Yuan*, invited me to write a few recommendations of good books in philosophy of science and technology, mainly to provide some guidance for students who have not yet settled on a direction. I am very honored. In addition, I hope that all students interested in philosophy of science and technology will get in touch with me. On my blog (yilinhut.com) you can find my various contact details. Undergraduate philosophy majors are required to choose a supervisor and a direction in their freshman or sophomore year. At this stage, apart from introductory courses in Chinese philosophy, Western philosophy, and Marxist philosophy, students have relatively little knowledge of…
book reading science history of science notes
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2011年7月26日
Notes from Today’s Xin Dao Salon 09-10-03

Life & Notes2009.10.09
Notes from Today’s Xin Dao Salon 09-10-03
In view of the possibility that someone might mistakenly think last week’s salon had been canceled, I’m adding a belated note on last week’s ramblings. It happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival, so there was nobody around anywhere. The smoke-free area at Xin Dao was cordoned off; apparently the staff at Xin Dao were going to have a gathering, so I sat in a corner of the smoking area instead. But I wasn’t the only one—dr and jr both came to sit there too (thanks to jr for bringing mooncakes and crispy dates). We read, surfed the Internet, and dispersed after dinner. I heard that Classmate Guawang came looking for…
everyday life logic Introduction to Philosophy of Science science versus metaphysics
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2009年10月9日
A “Systematic Study” Plan for Philosophy of Science

History of Science & Scholarship2008.08.05
A “Systematic Study” Plan for Philosophy of Science
Recently, a number of friends have gradually found me through KKBBS and blogs and the like, hoping to consult me about the graduate entrance examination and about systematic methods for studying philosophy of science and technology. I’m sorry to say that, as a lazy student admitted by recommendation, I know virtually nothing about the graduate entrance examination; as for studying philosophy of science and technology, while I can hardly claim to have no experience at all, I am still, after all, only at the beginner stage—at most I can offer and share some beginner’s-beginner experience. But most of the people who come seeking help need guidance at the beginner level…
China science scholarship philosophy of science
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2008年8月5日
Peddling Philosophy of Science and Technology (III)

History of Science & Scholarship2007.10.03
Peddling Philosophy of Science and Technology (III)
The previous two “sales pitches,” as my senior brother put it, attacked only and defended not at all. In fact, philosophy of science and technology of course has its fatal weaknesses. What I want to emphasize is that anyone “can,” “may as well,” and “might as well” do philosophy of science and technology; however, I have not said that it is the most suitable choice for everyone. In fact, if a certain kind of work can be done well by anyone, then it is probably mediocre. The advantage of philosophy of science and technology is precisely its most fatal flaw—being too miscellaneous. Philosophy of science and technology runs through all…
science philosophy of science Kuhn Wittgenstein
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2007年10月3日
Pitching Philosophy of Science and Technology (II)

History of Science & Scholarship2007.09.22
Pitching Philosophy of Science and Technology (II)
Last time, my sales pitch was mainly that any branch discipline of philosophy can come to do philosophy of science and technology. This time, why not go one step further, because what philosophy of science and technology covers is not just the sum of the other seven branches~ Saying that the territory of philosophy of science and technology is bigger than the combined territory of the other seven second-level disciplines is a bit too much, but it is not entirely empty boasting either. That is because the division into the eight second-level disciplines of philosophy is itself unreasonable. Philosophy is not a science—not a “discipline of divisions.” The differentiation and…
science history of science philosophy of science sociology
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2007年9月22日
Peddling the Philosophy of Science

History of Science & Scholarship2007.09.18
Peddling the Philosophy of Science
I am scheming how to sell philosophy of technology to that junior female student. In previous years my sales tactic was just to lend them a few books and let them browse freely. I hoped that if they were interested in those books, they would borrow more books to read, or ask me about information on related books; the best possible outcome would be that they would come find me to discuss them. So far, though, the best case has been only that a junior said to me that that book was very interesting—nothing more. More often, after half a year or a year, they would come and say to…
science scholarship philosophy of science Introduction to Philosophy of Science
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2007年9月18日
A Brief Discussion of the Popularization of Philosophy (Final Published Version)

Philosophy & Thought2006.11.27
A Brief Discussion of the Popularization of Philosophy (Final Published Version)
Theoretical Weekly, Page 12, November 27, 2006, Guangming Daily http://www.gmw.cn/01gmrb/2006-11/27/content_513411.htm http://www.gmw.cn/01gmrb/2006-11/27/4453_b.htm In our country, work on the popularization of philosophy once received a high degree of attention and produced enormous influence, though of course it also had certain problems and shortcomings. Since the 1990s, owing to changes in philosophy’s status, work on popularizing philosophy has no longer been taken seriously, and an academicized orientation has become the sole pursuit, bringing with it even more problems. This article offers a few of my personal views, in the hope of prompting people to rethink this issue. Both philosophy and science need popularization; that is to say, they need to enable people outside…
philosophy scholarship education popularization
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2006年11月27日