Student views concerning evidence and the expert in reasoning a socio‐scientific issue and personal epistemology

This study investigated their views concerning evidence and expert opinion of 10th‐grade students, accessed by an open‐ended questionnaire in the context of a socio‐scientific issue: the cause of flood disasters, and personal epistemology identified by the Learning Environment Preference Questionnaire (LEP). Students' responses to the open‐ended questions showed that when thinking about the flood issue, most students rely heavily on direct and numerical data to draw their conclusions, while experts represented a source of conclusive information. The LEP scores indicated that, in terms of epistemological development, students were mostly at the stage of the ‘multiplicists’ in Perry's model. The statistical analysis suggested that view towards evidence and expert were associated with personal epistemology.     

Feminist philosophy of science: ‘standpoint’ and knowledge

Feminist philosophy of science has been criticized on several counts. On the one hand, it is claimed that it results in relativism of the worst sort since the political commitment to feminism is prima facie incompatible with scientific objectivity. On the other hand, when critics acknowledge that there may be some value in work that feminists have done, they comment that there is nothing particularly feminist about their accounts. I argue that both criticisms can be addressed through a better understanding of the current work in feminist epistemology. I offer an examination of standpoint theory as an illustration. Harding and Wylie have suggested ways in which the objectivity question can be addressed. These two accounts together with a third approach, ‘model-based objectivity’, indicate there is a clear sense in which we can understand how a standpoint theory both contributes to a better understanding of scientific knowledge and can provide a feminist epistemology.

The Anthropology of Meaning

Meaning is one of the recent terms which have gained great currency in mathematics education. It is generally used as a correlate of individuals' intentions and considered a central element in contemporary accounts of knowledge formation. One important question that arises in this context is the following: if, in one way or another, knowledge rests on the intrinsically subjective intentions and deeds of the individual, how can the objectivity of conceptual mathematical entities be guaranteed? In the first part of this paper, both Peirce's and Husserl's theories of meaning are discussed in light of the aforementioned question. I examine their attempts to reconcile the subjective dimension of knowing with the alleged transcendental nature of mathematical objects. I argue that transcendentalism, either in Peirce's or Husserl's theory of meaning, leads to an irresolvable tension between subject and object. In the final part of the article, I sketch a notion of meaning and conceptual objects based on a semiotic-cultural approach to cognition and knowledge which gives up transcendentalism and instead conveys the notion of contextual objectivity.     

可持续发展评价的方法论之比较

可持续发展作为一项社会实践活动,必须接受方法论的指导。基于认识论的可持续发展评价仅仅把评价看成是一种纯粹的反映活动,而不是一种实践活动,这往往会限制可持续发展评价的研究视域。从实践本体论出发进行可持续发展评价,不仅避免了在认识论范围内研究评价的局限,而且还丰富了评价活动的现实意义,使可持续发展评价更具有合理性和全面性。     

Constructivism and science education: Some epistemological problems

The paper outlines the significant influence of constructivism in contemporary science and mathematics education and emphasizes the central role that epistemology plays in constructivist theory and practice. It is claimed that constructivism is basically a variant of old-style empiricist epistemology, which had its origins in Aristotle's individualist and sense-based theory of knowledge. There are well-known problems with empiricism from which constructivism appears unable to dissociate itself.     

从纳米科学技术研究看认识论纵深发展

20世纪 90年代初纳米科学技术的迅速发展 ,使人类认知在原子尺度上进入微观领域 ,极大地改变了人们的思维 ,革新了人们的概念。针对纳米科技与其它各类科学在微观尺度上的结合 ,作者提出了建立微观认识论的必要性 ,必然要促进马克思主义认识论的发展。针对纳米科技发展的特点 ,怎样从哲学认识论上来概括现代科学技术革命的最新成就 ,为科学技术发展提供科学的认识方法 ,将对 2 1世纪自然科学的发展产生深远的影响。     

对教学论哲学基础的反思与重构

哲学基础是教学论的内在根据和本真灵魂。目前我国教学论的哲学基础研究存在着严重缺陷。在认识论框架内,传统教学认识论有其存在合理性,但需要超越其不容忽视的局限性。与教学认识论相并列、共生的教学生成论具有非常重要的存在价值。完整意义上的教学论哲学基础是教学实践论。教学实践论不同于教学认识—实践说,而是教学认识论与教学生成论的整合互补和辩证统一。     

以有形把握无穷——分形理论对教育研究的思想启示

分形理论提供了一种从可变性与不变性的差别与统一中认识无穷变化的多样性世界的方法。从分形的角度认识教育领域的复杂性，在表面看来极为不同的事物之间，发现其在结构、功能和动力学特征方面的相似性，在更为深刻的层面上阐释了教育系统运作的动力机制。这一探索旨在突破实证论的局限，为教育研究提供新的认识论与方法论思路。     

多维视野中的教学关系

教学存在是教学关系和教学实体的辩证统一体 ,教学关系存在并体现于教学实体的相互作用亦即教学活动之中 ,决定教学存在及其本质的是教学关系而不是教学实体。从本体论、认识论、存在论等不同的维度考察 ,可以发现不同的教学关系类型。对教学论关系的多维度分析 ,勾勒出一幅关于教学存在的立体网络图景。     

无时间量子引力与物理学的认识论

广义相对论否定了空间与时间是外在于物质的特别的实体，而是物质的相互作用与运动的显现的现象；同时，运动的定义不是相对作为背景的空间和时间，而是运动系统自身的运动关系的界定。作为显现的关系现象的时空不存在客观的时间。在此基础上的量子引力改变了物理学的认识论基础。量子引力中的各种问题带来了一系列意义深远的本体论与认识论的问题。