Dorothy's Translation E2C

Dorothy

On Heroes and Fools in Science

In the conventional model of scientific “progress”, we begin in superstitious ignorance and move toward final truth by the successive accumulation of facts. In this smug perspective, the history of science contains little more than anecdotal interest—for it can only chronicle past errors and credit the bricklayers for discerning glimpses of final truth. It is as transparent as an old-fashioned melodrama: truth (as we perceive it today) is the only arbiter and the world of past scientists is divided into good guys who were right and bad guys who were wrong.

Historians of science have utterly discredited this model during the past decade. Science is not a heartless pursuit of objective information. It is a creative human activity, its geniuses acting more as artists than as information processors. Changes in theory are not simply the derivative results of new discoveries but the work of creative imagination influenced by contemporary social and political forces. We should not judge the past through anachronistic spectacles of our own convictions—designating as heroes the scientists whom we judge to be right by criteria that had nothing to do with their own concerns. We are simple foolish if we call Anaximander (sixth century BC) an evolutionist because, in advocating a primary role for water among the four elements, he held that life first inhabited the sea; yet most textbooks so credit him.

论科学领域中的英雄与愚人
　　在科学“进步”的传统模式中，我们始于迷信引起的无知，随后连续积累事实，逐渐迈进最终真理。以这种沾沾自喜的眼光看来，科学的发展历史不过是一段趣闻轶事而已――因为它只能按照年代记录过去的错误，却将荣誉赋予每一位有能力一睹最终的真理并为之添砖加瓦的人。如过时的情景剧老套的情节一样显而易见的是：真理（以我们现今的认知而论）是将过去的科学家们划分为正确的好人和错误的坏人的唯一权威和标准。
　　在过去十年里，科学历史学家们最终对这种模式提出了质疑。科学并不是对于客观真理的冷酷无情的追寻。它是一项充满创造力的人类活动，科学界的天才们更倾向于表现得像一个艺术家而不是一台信息处理器。理论的变革并不简单的是新发现衍生出来的结果，而是在当代社会和政治推动力的影响下，科学家们极富创造性的想象力的杰作。我们不应该戴着我们自己深信不疑但却不合时代的有色眼镜来判断过去――将一些科学家当作英雄，但判断标准却与他们所关注的事情全然无关。如果我们由于阿那克西曼德（公元前6世纪）在倡导水是四大元素的根本时，认为生命起源于海洋，并且多数的课本也肯定了他的这一观点就将他认定为一名生物进化论者，那我们就太愚蠢了。

[ 本帖最后由 Dorothy 于 2008-10-31 18:37 编辑 ]

Cinderella

如果我们由于阿那克西曼德（公元前6世纪）在倡导水是四大元素的根本时，认为生命起源于海洋，并且多数的课本也肯定了他的这一观点就将他认定为一名生物进化论者，那我们就太愚蠢了

这里原文是：We are simple foolish if we call Anaximander (sixth century BC) an evolutionist because, in advocating a primary role for water among the four elements, he held that life first inhabited the sea; yet most textbooks so credit him.
在yet之前是分号，表示前面是作者自己的观点，但是作者自己的观点与大多数课本上的观点相悖。

所以译文应该是：

仅仅由于阿那克西曼德（公元前6世纪）提出水是四大元素之中最基本的元素，并因此指出生命始于海洋，而匆忙认定他是个进化论者，就太愚昧了！但大多数教材都对他冠以“进化论者”的头衔。

整篇很不错！！

Dorothy

哦~~~ 明白啦！
Thanks <3

Cinderella