标签：philosophy

Predetermination as Vast as the Sea, Freedom as Small as a Boat

Philosophy & Thought2006.07.16
Predetermination as Vast as the Sea, Freedom as Small as a Boat
For some reason, this sentence suddenly came to mind. “Predestination is like the sea, freedom like a small boat.” — This saying comes from Islamic doctrine. There was a period when I was quite fascinated by Islam—though of course I still retain a strong interest in it now. But as for its doctrines and tenets, I know very little; the only line I can really recite from memory is probably this one. Yet these ten characters already capture the relation between freedom and constraint very aptly, and with considerable depth. On the question of “fate,” this sentence can be understood in two ways: one is pessimistic—no matter how “apparently” free…
philosophy freedom pluralism Islam
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2006年7月16日
An Analysis of “The Half-Fee Lawsuit”

Philosophy & Thought2006.07.11
An Analysis of “The Half-Fee Lawsuit”
The so-called “Half-Fee Lawsuit” is said to be a story related to the ancient Greek sophist Protagoras: Protagoras was the founder of the Sophist school and one of the earliest fee-charging teachers in ancient Greece. A man named Euthlus once became Protagoras’s student to learn the art of litigation and defense, and the two signed a contract: when Euthlus enrolled, he would pay half the tuition fee; the other half would be paid in full when Euthlus won his first case after graduation. However, after graduating, Euthlus kept delaying and did not appear in court to argue cases for others, so the remaining half of the tuition fee had to…
philosophy logic paradox
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2006年7月11日
Kant’s Significance for the Philosophy of Science

History of Science & Scholarship2006.07.04
Kant’s Significance for the Philosophy of Science
My own view is that Kant’s philosophy has great heuristic significance for the philosophy of science, but among the group of philosophers of science who continue empiricism in the contemporary era, it has been widely neglected. Of course, Kant’s exalted place in the history of philosophy is something very few philosophers would dare to deny, and philosophers of science are no exception. In writings on the philosophy of science, Kant is still often mentioned. But the problem is this: nine times out of ten, when philosophers of science mention Kant, they refer only to his “transcendental theory.” It seems as though Kant’s contribution to the philosophy of science amounted to…
philosophy science philosophy of science Kant
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2006年7月4日
Application for “Friends of Nature”

Life & Notes2006.06.30
Application for “Friends of Nature”
I had wanted to join for a long time. At first, though, it was simply because I thought the organization’s name was badly chosen, and figured that if I didn’t join, so be it; then I thought about it again and realized there was nothing I could do about it anyway—if it were up to me, I wouldn’t be able to come up with a better name either. Later I found remitting payment troublesome, but recently I’ve often been ordering books by mail from Kongfuzi, and I’ve come to feel that remitting money isn’t all that troublesome after all. In the end, I was put off by the trouble of…
philosophy everyday life philosophy of science environment
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2006年6月30日
A Classified Summary of Reference Works on Science and Religion

History of Science & Scholarship2006.06.26
A Classified Summary of Reference Works on Science and Religion
The method of collection was: 1. My own bookshop browsing over time. 2. Looking through the bibliographies and cited works of various relevant writings. 3. Searching keywords such as "science + religion," "science + faith," "science + God," "physics + religion," "evolution theory + religion," and so on, on the major online bookstores (such as Dangdang, Blues, Xidan Book Building, China Book Network, etc.). 4. Searching keywords such as "science + religion + bibliography/reference book" on Baidu. 5. Searching the online catalogs of major libraries, such as the libraries of Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Xiamen University, and so on. 6. Consulting the Yearbooks of Social Science Publications for…
philosophy book reading notes history of science
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2006年6月26日
Defending Science with Religion.

History of Science & Scholarship2006.06.22
Defending Science with Religion.
In a reply on Mr. Liu’s blog: http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/485ea879010003xs#comment For me, the objectivity and credibility of science are things I will certainly defend. One extremely naive reason for defending them is this: if science is not trustworthy and objective, then what is more trustworthy and objective? If there are things in the world that can be trusted, science is surely one of the best candidates—unless one believes that nothing in the world is reliable at all, in which case thoroughgoing relativism, skepticism, and nihilism are all unassailable. I am willing to defend science in a manner similar to Kant’s defense of religion—religion brings you hope; if not in religion, where else…
philosophy science faith religion
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2006年6月22日
A Discussion of “Shuangfei” — Reposting an Earlier Article and Comments from Teacher Liu’s Blog

History of Science & Scholarship2006.06.22
A Discussion of “Shuangfei” — Reposting an Earlier Article and Comments from Teacher Liu’s Blog
The two posts contained nearly 10,000 Chinese characters of my own contributions—almost as much as the original text and all the other comments combined. Even I, reading it back, felt I had been far too presumptuous. Still, fortunately the teachers are all good people, so they should be able to indulge me. Although I don’t usually browse forums, being able to write a couple of comments on a blog while at the same time exchanging views with people I admire or look up to is a very pleasant feeling. The “double-negation” principle and examples http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/485ea879010003k7 2006-05-28 18:27:46 The “double-negation” principle and examples Liu Huajie “Correctness is neither sufficient nor necessary…
philosophy science philosophy of science Liu Huajie
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2006年6月22日
Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Culture & Public Commentary2006.06.21
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
[U.S.] Richard Bach: Jonathan Livingston Seagull, translated by Guo Hui, Nanhai Publishing Company, April 2004 I first heard about this book in The Tree of Philosophy. In The Tree of Philosophy, it was not merely “mentioned” that seagull Jonathan existed; rather, nearly an entire class period was spent discussing it—as the introduction to the section on “philosophy of science.” The Tree of Philosophy provides countless excellent reference books as post-class reading, yet the only one assigned as a classroom task and directly discussed in class was this marvelous literary work. Freedom, pursuit, mind, wings, infinity… As for literary works, I am not very fond of writing analysis or criticism, nor…
philosophy book reading notes freedom
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2006年6月21日
From Afar It Looks Like Art, Up Close It Looks Like Religion

History of Science & Scholarship2006.06.09
From Afar It Looks Like Art, Up Close It Looks Like Religion
There is a philosophical system like this: its grandeur and self-consistency are unparalleled, and not only can it effectively explain the world, it can also significantly transform the world; seen up close, it is founded on the most devout and the purest religious sentiments; seen from farther away, it displays a beauty even more profound and harmonious than any painting or music…… Can you guess what I’m talking about~? June 9, 2006 Piaotuo Cafe Latest Comments zxr 2006-06-17 02:01:27 Science zxr 2006-06-17 02:02:01 What else could it be kaikair 2006-07-13 10:42:18 http://www.magicofsarah.com human civilization itself unic 2006-12-31 23:55:06 I know now, it’s love. I’ve thought of The Art of Loving…
philosophy science religion value
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2006年6月9日
How to Fall in Love with Mathematics

Life & Notes2006.06.03
How to Fall in Love with Mathematics
I have never lost interest in anything I once fell in love with. Even when it was not yet love, but merely a passing fondness or interest, the same was true: my hobbies always multiplied. For example, in my freshman year I was drawn to philosophy, psychology, and wandering over to Weiming Lake; in my sophomore year, to religion, philosophy of science, and memorizing Tibetan mantras by rote; in high school, to popular science books, wuxia novels, and philosophy in the first year, to history and turn-based strategy computer games in the second year, to economics, Japanese animation, and buying books in the third year; in middle school, to physics;…
philosophy everyday life Peking University mathematics
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2006年6月3日