2012年英語(一)試題 第7頁(共14頁)
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Intheidealizedversionofhowscienceisdone,factsabouttheworldarewaitingto
beobservedandcollectedbyobjectiveresearcherswhousethescientificmethodtocarry
outtheirwork.Butintheeverydaypracticeofscience,discoveryfrequentlyfollowsan
ambiguousandcomplicatedroute.Weaimtobeobjective,butwecannotescapethe
contextofouruniquelifeexperiences.Priorknowledgeandinterestsinfluencewhatwe
experience,whatwethinkourexperiencesmean,andthesubsequentactionswetake.
Opportunitiesformisinterpretation,error,andself-deceptionabound.
Consequently,discoveryclaimsshouldbethoughtofasprotoscience.Similar
tonewlystaked miningclaims,theyarefullofpotential.Butittakescollective
scrutinyandacceptancetotransform adiscoveryclaimintoa maturediscovery.
Thisisthecredibilityprocess,throughwhichtheindividualresearcher?sme,here,
now becomesthecommunity?sanyone,anywhere,anytime.Objectiveknowledge
isthegoal,notthestartingpoint.
Onceadiscoveryclaim becomespublic,thediscovererreceivesintellectual
credit.But,unlike with miningclaims,thecommunitytakescontrolof what
happensnext.Withinthecomplexsocialstructureofthescientificcommunity,
researchers make discoveries;editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by
controllingthepublicationprocess;otherscientistsusethenewfindingtosuittheir
ownpurposes;andfinally,thepublic(includingotherscientists)receivesthenew
discoveryandpossiblyaccompanyingtechnology.Asadiscoveryclaim worksits
waythroughthecommunity,theinteractionandconfrontationbetweensharedand
competingbeliefsaboutthescienceandthetechnologyinvolvedtransformsan
individual?sdiscoveryclaimintothecommunity?scrediblediscovery.
Twoparadoxesexistthroughoutthiscredibilityprocess.First,scientificwork
tendstofocusonsomeaspectofprevailingknowledgethatisviewedasincomplete
orincorrect.Littlerewardaccompaniesduplicationandconfirmationofwhatis
already known and believed. The goalis new-search,notre-search. Not
surprisingly,newlypublisheddiscoveryclaimsandcrediblediscoveriesthatappear
tobeimportantandconvincing willalwaysbeopentochallengeandpotential
modificationorrefutationbyfutureresearchers.Second,noveltyitselffrequently
provokesdisbelief.NobelLaureateand physiologist AlbertSzent-Gy?rgyionce
describeddiscoveryas“seeingwhateverybodyhasseenandthinkingwhatnobody
hasthought.”Butthinkingwhatnobodyelsehasthoughtandtellingotherswhat
theyhave missed maynotchangetheirviews.Sometimesyearsarerequiredfor
trulynoveldiscoveryclaimstobeacceptedandappreciated.
Inthe end,credibility “happens”to a discovery claim—a processthat
correspondstowhatphilosopherAnnetteBaierhasdescribedasthecommonsofthe
mind.“Wereasontogether,challenge,revise,andcompleteeachother?sreasoning
andeachother?sconceptionsofreason.”