SCIENTIFIC METHOD¹ AND THE METHODS OF SCIENCE

译文   科研方法和科学方法

It is sometimes said that there is no such thing as the so-called ‘scientific method’；there are only the methods used in science. Nevertheless，it seems clear² that there is often a special sequence of procedures which is involved³ in the establishment of the working⁴ principles of science. This sequence is as follows： (1) a problem is recognized，and as much⁵ information as appears to be relevant is collected；(2) a solution (i. e. a hypothesis) is proposed and the consequences arising out of this solution are deduced；(3) these deductions are tested by experiment，and as a result the hypothesis is accepted，modified or discarded.

有人认为，所谓科研方法是不存在的，而只有在科研中应用的这种或那种科学方法。然而大家清楚，在制定科学研究的指导原则时，其中就包括科研工作的一套特定程序。这套程序如下：一、确定研究课题，并收集一切有关资料；二、提出解决课题的方法（即假设），并推论根据这种方法所能得出的结果；三、用实验验证推论，结果是：该假设或成立，或修正，或推倒。

As an illustration of this we can consider⁶ the discovery of airpressure. Over two thousand years ago，men discovered a method of raising water from one level to another by means of the vacuum pump. When.however，this machine passed into general use in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries，it was discovered that，no matter how perfect the pump was，it was not possible to raise water vertically more than about 35 feet. Why? Galileo，amongst others，recognized the problem，but failed to solve it.

现在我们以大气压力的发现为例来说明这个程序。两千多年前，人们发现了用真空泵提升水位的方法。到了十五、十六世纪，这种真空泵的应用已十分普遍，于是又发现，尽管这种泵已被改进得相当完善，但总不能把水位垂直提升到超过三十五英尺左右。原因何在？当时伽里略，还有其他学者，都确认这是一个研究课题，但都未能加以解决。

The problem was then attacked by Torricelli. Analogizing from the recently-discovered⁷ phenomenon of water-pressure (hydrostatic pressure)，he postulated that a deep‘sea of air’surrounded the earth；it was⁸，he thought，the pressure of this sea of air which pushed on the surface of the water and caused it to rise in the vacuum tube of a pump. A hypothesis，then，was formed. The next step was to deduce the consequences of the hypothesis. Torricelli reasoned that this ‘air pressure’would be unable to push a liquid heavier than water as high as 35 feet，and that a column，of mercury，for example，which weighed about 14 times more than water，would rise to only a fourteenth of the height of water，i. e. approximately 2.5 feet. He then tested this deduction by means of the experiment we all know，and found that the mercury column measured the height predicted. The experiment therefore supported the hypo- thesis. A further⁹ inference was drawn by Pascal，who reasoned that if this‘sea of air’existed，its pressure at the bottom (i. e. sea-level) would be greater than its pressure further up，and that therefore the height of the mercury column would decrease in proportion to the height above sea-level¹⁰. He then carried the mercury tube to the top of a mountain and observed that the column fell steadily as the height increased，while another mercury column at the bottom of the mountain remained steady (an example of another of the methods of science，the controlled experiment). This further proof not only established Torricelli's hypothesis more securely，but also demonstrated that，in some aspects，air behaved like water；this，of course，stimulated further enquiry.

尔后，托里拆利着手钻研这个问题。他拿当时新发现的水压（即流体静压）现象作类比，提出一个假设：地球是处在一个很深的“空气海洋”之中，他认为，正是由于这空气海洋的压强施加于水面，才使泵内真空管中的液面上升。假设既立，下一步就是推论根据这一假设得出的结果。托里拆利断定，这种“空气压力”不可能使比水重的液体升高到三十五英尺。且以汞柱为例（水银的比重是水的比重的大约十四倍），它只能上升到水的高度的十四分之一，即2.5英尺左右。于是他就用现在大家已知的那个实验验证这一推断，得出：汞柱上升的高度与预测一致。实验证实了假设。后来，帕斯卡又作了另一种推论。他推断，假如有这种“空气海洋”存在的话，它底部（指地球海面）所承受的压力，要大于它上部的压力。因此，水银柱的高度一定会随海拔的递增而下降。于是他带着水银管上山观察，发现随着海拔的增加，水银柱徐徐下降。而置于山脚下的另一支水银柱，高度未变（这是科研中采用的又一种科学方法，叫做对鼠实验法（注））。这再一次证明了托里拆利的假设正确无疑，同时还发现：空气的特性在若干方面和水的特性相似。这个问题，自然又将促使人们去作进一步的探索。

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Comprehension 1 What does the establishment of the working laws of science often involve?

（注）作者在说明科研方法的同时，又举了两个科学方法的例子：一个是对照实验法，另一个就是前面所讲的、托里拆利采用的类比法。——译者

注 释

1. 把Scientific Method And The Methods of Science译成“科学方法与科学的方法”，这是混同了两个不同的概念。“的”字之差并无实际区别。Scientific method指“科研方法”，在一定上下文中也可译“科学方法”，但并非指具体的某种方法，而是泛指，注意此处无冠词。The methods of science=the methods used in science指具体的种种科学方法，或者，在科研中采用的具体方法。注意，前面要加定冠词the。2. It seems clear that… 这里不是“明显的是…”或“显然…”的意思。clear此处意为“清楚，明白”。原文意思相当于it is known that… 3. there is often a special sequence of procedures which is involved in the establishment of the working principles of science. 这句若译成“在建立科学的工作原理时，常常有一系列特殊的程序”，则意思完全错了：似乎这一系列程序是用于建立科学的工作原理的。译错的原因在于漏译了which从句的谓语部分is involved（in）被包括在…。句子的意思是：常有一套特定的程序（被）包括在制定……之中。全句可译成：在制定科研指导原则时，常常包括科研的一套特定程序。漏译是译事通病，应谨慎避免，由于对原文理解不透而略译，也不好。4. Working principles不是“工作原理”，此处把working译成“工作的”是犯了望文生义的毛病。working—词多义，working principles意为“有指导意义的原则”；又如working theory（能）指导实践的理论；working knowledge实际知识，而不是“工作知识”。5. and as much information as appears to be relevant is collected. as much （或 many）…as…… 当 as much 后面是名词时，much并不表示“多”的概念，它的数量多少由第二个as引导的部分（通常是句子）来具体表示。故本句应译成：收集一切有关资料（被动句译成主动句；第二个as引导一个定语从句，ns在从句中作主语，后面是系表结构作谓语）。所以，这句如译成“尽可能多地收集与其有关的资料”，意思上虽没有原则错误，但是不确切。比如：as many people as are present所有在场的人们，而不是“在场的许多人”；As much steel as is in the storehouse has been made use of。库存的（全部）钢材都已经用上了。不是“仓库里那么多的钢材都……”。6. As an illustration of this we can consider the discovery of air pressure. 动词consider（把…看作…）后面常用“宾语+宾补”结构，宾补前可加as或to be，但往往省去。例如：We consider the phenomenon as a chemical reaction. 我们把这种现象看作是一种化学反应。前面一句之所以把宾补提到句首，是为了使其中的this（指代“这套程序”）与上文紧相呼应。7. recently-discovered最近发现的；由于句中摘述的是过去的事，故译作“当时新发现的”。8. It was，he thought，the pressure of this sea of air which pushed on the surface of the water and caused it to rise in the vacuum tube of a pump，这是强调句，典型句式应是：It is……that……文中用which（非正式用法）代替了that；which不是引导定语从句的关系代词。9. A further inference was drawn by Pascal. 此句若译成“帕斯卡作了进一步的推论”，虽文字通顺，但统观上下文，从逻辑上分析，further此处并非作“进一步”讲，而是additional，another的意思。因为托里拆利推论的是，不同比重的液体与大气压的关系，而帕斯卡推论的是，不同的海拔高度与液面承受压力的关系。两者立论各异，并非“进一步”的说明。故此句应译成：帕斯卡又作了另外一种推论。译错多义词的情况，并不少见。译者除对一词的多义应细加辨别之外，尚须推敲原文上下文的逻辑关系。10. therefore the height of the mercury column would decrease in proportion to the height above sea-level。因而汞柱的高度将根据海拔高度成比例跑减低。译文意思含混不清。试问：成什么比例减低？根据海拔高度增加抑或降低？如译成“因而汞柱的高度将随海拔的增加而递减”，意思就明白了，但是in proportion to怎么没译出来？是的，翻译常常做不到（有时也不可能）词当句对，弄不好倒反“貌合”而“神离”。不宜勉强把词典上的释义硬搬上去，使译文费解甚至不符合原文的意思。例如：The house survived the storm。词典上survive的释义之一是：幸免于…，从…中逃生。这句子能译成“这房屋幸免于风暴”？错了。或译成“这房屋从风暴中逃生”？不通。正确的理解与译法是：这房屋（虽）遭到了风暴袭击，幸未倒塌。

（待续）