Relativism: From the perspective of paradigms, language, and reason: From the perspective of paradigms, language, and reason

Author: Wang Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: This book attempts to fundamentally demonstrate that relativism is not valid by analyzing the basic concepts involved in it, such as "paradigm," "language," and "rationality." First, "paradigm" is not in the sense of Lakatos's "hard core thesis," but can be characterized by "family resemblance" among its elements. Thus, paradigms are examples for us to learn from, rather than obstacles. Second, the "incommensurability" between languages does not necessarily mean the complete collapse of communication. A true bilingual person can achieve cross-paradigm understanding, and the creative capacity within languages can overcome "intranslatability." Finally, rationality may not be a hierarchical structure but can be a network model, so controversies at the level of values can also be discussed rationally. Moreover, the critical aspect inherent in the concept of rationality helps us critically reflect on our own paradigms and make them more open. As a case study, the book also discusses issues such as the tradition of Chinese science, language, and rationality, and compares it with the Western scientific tradition. This book is primarily aimed at professionals in the field of philosophy and readers with related academic interests.