Mathematical Characteristics Of Modern Western Science Research

Three philosophical meanings of the mathematical characterisitic of modem science are revealed by means of metaphysical history, teleological history and ontology.The interpretations on these philosophical meanings and their problems are clarified.Metaphysical history considers that mathematical characterisitic of modem science has the meaning of the truth and of the instrument.The meaning of the truth,which is often veiled by the meaning of instrument,is the foundation of the mathematical essence of modem science.Metaphysical history has four interpretations on those meanings,which is a theory of objective truth,Instrumentalism,an ambiguous theory about truth and instrument,a theory of truth.The theory of objective truth considers that mathematical nature is objective,the role of the modem science is to reveal the mathematical principles of the nature.scientific theorys ,which come from experiment and are confirmed by experiment,is objective truth.the instrumental mathematics is the result of the need of the objective mathematics.Instrumentalism considers that modem science has three characteristics,that it is factual,experimental,mathematical science,and the meaning of the mathematical characteristic is that mathematics is a necessary tool in the research of modem science.Though the ambiguous theory about truth and instrument and instrumentalism have the same opinion on the three characteristics of modem science,they disagree on the nature of the mathematics.The instrumentalism looks mathematics as the tool of modem science while the ambiguous theory about truth and instrument doesn't distinguish the instrumental nature of mathematics from the truthful nature of mathematics and uses them ambiguously.Both the ambiguous theory about truth and instrument and instrumentalism only reveal the surface meaning of the mathematical characteristic of modem science.They can't touch or explain exactly the metaphysical meaning of it.The theory of objective truth avoids this disadvantage and gives a full explanation of the meaning of the mathematical characteristic of modem science.The theory of objective truth had being covered by the those two kinds of popular instrumentalism for a long time.The subjectivism considers mathematics is not objective truth,but fiction.The foundation of it had being threatened by the appearance of the problem of epistemology and the bankruptcy of the theory of objective mathematical truth.Such condition of the theory of objective truth tell us to reconsider itself and its justification.Teleological history also considers that mathematical characteristic has two meanings,that is the truthful meaning,the instrumental meaning.The instrumental meaning is that mathematics is not only a tool of modem science which instrumentalism holds,but also the nature of modem science,ie a helpful tool in our lives.Husserl considers there are three interpretations about the meanings of mathematical characteristic,that it is objectivism,subjectivism and transcendentalism.Objectivism and subjectivism has the similar main points with that of metaphysical history.Transcendentalism which Husserl holds to,considers that both of objectivism and subjectivism are unilateral.Mathematics is objective truth which is based on the life-world.Husserl demonstrates this characteristic of mathematics by revealing the process of producing and evolvement of the meanings of mathematics.Husserl thinks that the naive characteristic of scientific objectivism results from modem scientists'ignoring the researching the origin of the objectivity of mathematics,Descartes's obtrusive interest in objectivism is the reason for the naive characteristic of philosophical objectivism.These two naive characteristics is the reason of the conflicting between objectivism and subjectivism,the reason of the popularizing of positivism and irrationalism, of the crisis of science.The crisis of science doesn't mean the abandoning the rationalism,but means the correct use of it.Transcendentalism is regarded as the real way which can lead the European out of the crisis.According to ontology,Besides the truthful,instrumental meanings,mathematical characteristic has beingness.Heidegger thinks the theory of objective truth and instrumentalism is correct,but superficial.The main points of his ontological interpretation are as follows:As mente concipere,a project of thingness which,as it were skips over the things,The mathematical is the consequence of a mode of Dasein,is the nature of the mathematics and modem science;modem science is based on the mathematical of the modem metaphysics;objective truth is not original;The debate between objectivism and subjectivism is the result of the reign of mathematical Dasein. Heidegger thinks that the mathematical nature of modem science means modern science is absent of reflection,and can't understand itself. The mathematical is also the nature of the contemporary science.The absence of reflection is an important characteristic of the contemporary era,which covers up the nature of science.All this is dangerous.Science is helpless for us out of danger.We can depend on reflection for a new road.There are seven kinds of interpretations on the meaning of the mathematical characteristic of modem science,which is Instrumentalism,the ambiguous theory about truth and instrument,The theory of objective truth,subjectivism,transcendentalism,ontology, and so on.All these theories make up a meaning-tree.The theories of metaphysical history explain the temporal foundation of modem science.Husserl's transcendentalism and Heidegger's ontology reveal that the mathematical thinking of modem science is unilateral,and try to find a new way for philosophy.It is an obvious trend that Husserl and Heidegger begin to realize the relationship between the human being'life and the mathematical characteristic of modem science.We think that their work on this field isn't enough.However, it is not a field which we can ignore,and indicates a wide field with a theoretical and practical meaning.