Impossibility - The Limits of Science and the Science of Limits

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1、Themeaningoftheworldistheseparationofwishandfact.KURTGÖDELInmemoryofRogerTaylerImpossibilityTheLimitsofScienceandtheScienceofLimitsJOHND.BARROWAstronomyCentreUniversityofSussexOXFORDUNIVERSITYPRESS•OXFORD1998PrefaceThePrefaceisthemostimportantpartofthebook.Evenrevi

2、ewersreadapreface.PHILIPGUEDALLABothscientistsandphilosophersaremuchconcernedwithimpossibilities.Scientistsliketoshowthatthingswidelyheldtobeimpossibleareinfactentire-lypossible;philosophers,bycontrast,aremoreinclinedtodemonstratethatthingswidelyregardedasperfectly

3、feasibleareinfactimpossible.Yet,para-doxically,scienceisonlypossiblebecausesomethingsareimpossible.TheincontrovertibleevidencethatNatureisgovernedbyreliable'laws'allowsustoseparatethepossiblefromtheimpossible.Onlythoseculturesforwhomthereexistedabeliefthattherewasa

4、distinctionbetweenthepossibleandtheimpossibleprovidednaturalbreedinggroundsforscientificprogress.But'impossibility'isnotonlyaboutscience.Inthepagesthatfollowweshalllookatsomeofthewaysinwhichtheimpossibleinart,literature,politics,theology,andlogichasstimulatedthehum

5、anmindtotakeunexpectedsteps:revealinghowtheconceptoftheimpossibleshedsnewlightonthenatureandcontentoftheactual.Theideaoftheimpossibleringsalarmbellsinthemindsofmany.Tosome,anysuggestionthattheremightbelimitstothescopeofhumanunderstandingoftheUniverseortoscientificp

6、rogressisadangerousmemethatunderminesconfidenceinthescientificenterprise.Equallyuncritical,arethosewhoenthu-siasticallyembraceanysuggestionthatsciencemightbelimitedbecausetheysuspectthemotivesandfearthedangersofunbridledinvestigationoftheunknown.Attheendofeachcentu

7、rythereseemstoariseastock-takinginscience.Weshallseethatattheendofthelastcenturytheissueofthelimitsofsciencebecamealiveoneandattemptsweremadetopickoutproblemsthatcouldneverbesolved.Theseproblemsstillmakeinterestingreading.Butwhatwillpeoplesayaboutourconcernsinahund

8、redyearstime?Asweneartheendofthetwentiethcenturywelookbackonanextraordinarycenturyofprogress.Yetitisprogressthatpossessessomeextraordinarycharact