The relationship between science fiction and science popularization has long been a controversial issue. Based on a brief historical review of the development of science fiction and science popularization in China, this paper analyses related literature and concepts and argues that the science–literature dispute can be somewhat lessened in that science fiction can be incorporated into science popularization under the framework of general science popularization.
探索复杂科学问题已经进入大科学时代,信息技术发挥着越来越关键的作用,并催生了科学计算和科学数据两种以计算技术赋能的科研范式.科学研究在向更基本、更复杂问题的突破上仍然面临着巨大挑战.一是应用基本规则的理论方程导致模型过于复杂而无法求解,二是建模摆脱不了低效的"试错"和"穷举"的研究模式.为了应对上述挑战,国际前沿研究正在探索以数据和智能驱动的科学智能范式.本文探讨从信息技术赋能角度看科研活动中的信息流,阐述发展科学智能范式的挑战性问题,提出建设面向科学智能的新型科研信息基础设施的几点建议.
中国医药行业面临自身发展困境和全球性行业瓶颈的多重压力,需要以颠覆性技术重新构建研发范式."计算技术"在药物研发领域从辅助提升为驱动力的变化,为范式创新提供了新机遇.这一转变的关键在于对生命大数据的解读,通过对多尺度生物数据建模,产出对人类疾病机制和药物疗效机制的理解,引导药物研发决策.当前正处于范式转变的关键时期,需要加快推进新技术、新范式的落地应用.本文以"计算医学"新技术体系为切入点,从技术演进和应用进展两个角度梳理了药物研发变革过程,并提出加快计算科学与生物医学领域协同创新的具体建议.
人工智能技术正在席卷各行各业,为人类的生产生活带来了翻天覆地的变化.科学家也正在积极探索各类新型的AI工具在科研上的应用前景,从材料研发、药物筛选到天气预测,从微观体系到宏观预测,这些领域的各个难题正在被AI逐步消解.这其中有近期大热的基于大语言模型的各类通用人工智能,也有为了特定问题特制特训的专用类人工智能,这些新技术的出现势必会对传统的科研范示产生冲击.本文从人工智能的历史沿革入手,介绍传统的科研范式与现代AI技术的融合与突破,分析以GPT类模型为代表的大语言模型如何改变现有科研方法和各类小而精的AI模型.呼吁以全新的姿态拥抱科研新范式,探索更深更广的科学领域.
2023年8月11-13日,第九届全国科学社会学学术会议在安徽合肥成功举办.本次会议由中国科学学与科技政策研究会科学社会学专业委员会、中国自然辩证法研究会科学技术学专业委员会、《科学与社会》编辑部、《自然辩证法通讯》杂志社、中国社会学会科学社会学专业委员会联合主办,由中国科学技术大学新时代科技创新思想研究中心、中国科学技术大学人文与社会科学学院科技哲学系、安徽大学哲学学院、安徽省自然辩证法研究会共同承办.
关注人工智能的公众态度不仅有利于智能技术的可持续发展,也可以为有效开展人工智能的科学传播和风险沟通提供实证基础.本文归纳已有实证研究关于人工智能公众态度的概念界定,梳理人工智能公众态度测量指标设计,并基于当前的概念界定和指标设计的局限性,进一步讨论已有的验证研究工作在数据收集、比较研究方面存在的不足,思考未来人工智能公众态度实证研究可能的探索方向.
默顿命题探讨了近代科学兴起的外在影响因素,引领了科学编史学中的科学外史研究范式.自20世纪60年代,霍尔最早针对默顿的科学编史学视角进行了尖锐批评.霍尔基于其科学观念论或其内史论立场,批评了默顿关于清教伦理与科学以及经济、军事与科学关系的研究,进而批评外史论传统,否认科学的外部解释能真正地理解科学.而后,库恩、亚伯拉罕、夏平等人分别从不同视角为默顿命题进行辩护,加深了对其中内外史之争的理解,同时也扩展了新的研究内容与方向,即"科学革命"问题的编史学纲领.
ChatGPT在全球范围内的热议将奇点问题重新带入到人们的视野中,似乎改变人类历史的奇点提前来临.著名哲学家查尔莫斯对人工智能领域出现超级智能进而导致的奇点做了哲学上的论证.在没有击败者和忽略时间因素的情况下,他认为人工智能奇点是可能存在的,因为人类在制造出与其智能相当的AI以及超出人类平均智能水平的AI+之后,AI+将会通过自我改进和放大的能力制造出比自己智能水平更高的超级智能AI++.尽管对查尔莫斯的论证存在很多质疑,但均超出了哲学的界限.从哲学的角度来看,人工智能奇点会以两条截然对立的路径出现,分别是超人类主义导向和后人类主义导向的人工智能奇点.这两类奇点的区分拓展了查尔莫斯关于人工智能奇点的哲学论证.
近年来,为适应基因编辑技术的发展,欧美对各自监管GMO的法律框架做出了修正.其中,对于基因编辑植物和食品,欧美延续了宽严有别的监管取向.双方的分歧源于彼此对GMO生物风险的界定存在差异,这使得双方在风险评估取向上持不同立场,突出体现在对基因改造植物及食品的监管中.但是,双方对其它种类及用途的基因编辑生物尤其是非植物GMO的监管均表现出谨慎态度,并付之以程度不同的强化监管举措.更重要的是,随着新技术、新用途及应用场景的不断涌现,GMO生物风险的类型及作用方式也日趋多样化和复杂化.对此,现行的监管模式、经验及通行的风险评估方法已经难以满足监管需求.面对该挑战,场景化施策或具有合理性,但欧美针对基因驱动的"分阶段"治理中展现的利己导向值得我们关注和警惕.
知识与社会的关系仍算不上一个突出的哲学研究主题,根源在于客观的知识与主观的社会之间不相容.这种不相容在库恩早期哲学,尤其是受其影响的科学知识社会学那里凸显为知识论的一项关键挑战.本文通过论证知识是一种制度事实,对知识的客观性与社会性的关系做出了一种积极的替代性说明.这个论证与库恩晚期哲学的设想是一致的,为思考知识与社会的本质关联带来了不同的视野.
基因编辑对人类具有诸多利益,但也蕴藏着无限危险.刑法是否应介入基因编辑技术,在立法时各执一端,其中既有利益与风险的考量,也有刑法谦抑性价值的抉择.《刑法修正案(十一)》在此基础上确立了非法植入基因编辑、克隆胚胎罪.正确适用该罪,须考量立法过程中的争议因素,确定本罪保护的法益是人类自然生殖利益,明确罪名中的"非法"对应于"合法"的内涵,同时还要把握具体的三种行为类型的实质,对符合罪量要素的"情节严重"综合考察,实现司法过程中的准确适用.
2023年7月31日至8月4日,第四届清华STS工作坊系列课程在清华大学成功举办,美国康奈尔大学斯蒂芬·希尔加德纳(Stephen Hilgartner)教授受邀讲授《科学技术学导论》课程,近三十余位清华本科生选修该课程,百余位国内外高校师生在线上或线下旁听课程.
The establishment of the national science fund system has an important influence on the reform of China’s scientific research system and the development of science. As the predecessor of the National Natural Science Foundation of China（NSFC）, the Science Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences（CAS）, which was implemented from 1982 to 1985, profoundly changed the traditional research system under the planned economy mode from the aspects of research funding allocation and management, research organization and project evaluation. The 4-year trial has laid the philosophical, human capital and institutional bases for the establishment of the NSFC. The year 2022 is the 40th anniversary of the Science Foundation of the CAS. It is also a key year for further promoting the systematic reform of Chinese natural science fund system in the new era. The original clarification and deep reflection of this history could provide beneficial enlightenment for the current work of science fund.
Synthetic biology is one of the emerging research fields with broad development prospects,however, the risks to environment and human health brought by the wide application of synthetic biology have also caused new scientific and ethical debates, and the biosafety and biosecurity issues of synthetic biology deserve further consideration. In this paper, combined with the development status of synthetic biology, the potential biosafety risks of synthetic biology were reviewed from the aspects of bioengineering, synthetic genomics, protocells, xenobiology and gene editing, and the biosecurity issues of synthetic biology were analyzed from the aspects of biological weapons and bioterrorism, DIY synthetic biology and laboratory biosafety. Then combined with the analysis of the important policies and regulations, technology containment strategy and technology management system related to synthetic biology, countermeasures and suggestions on biosafety supervision of synthetic biology for China were put forward, in order to provide reference for the biosafety and biosecurity management of synthetic biology in China.
The technology, knowledge, user tendencies, regulations, cultural connotations, market structure, infrastructure network and other elements are coordinated to form the socio-technical system.This paper compares the historical process of replacing horse-drawn carriages with automobiles and the current cases of replacing the internal combustion engine automobiles. It uses the framework of the phases in the multi-level perspective theory to conceptualize the description, and draws a roadmap of socio-technical transformation. The research shows that the struggles and alliances in the interaction of social groups bring uncertainty to the transformation, and technological transformation is contained in the transition between regime adaptation and niche replacement of the socio-technical system.Technological transformation itself is not shaped by accidental factors or simple linearity, but a complex dynamic process.
In the second half of the 20th century, the development of gene recombination technology and its application in genetic breeding and other fields, combined with the emergence of safety issues associated with pathogenic microbial research laboratory, not only have caught the attention of the scientific community to biosafety, but also promoted the establishment of a series of biorisk measures and management system. Since the 21st century, the development of synthetic biology has brought new solutions to the fields of resources, energy, health, and the environment. However, the uncertain risks associated with biosafety/biosecurity in its technology, products and applications have brought new challenges to biosafety and biosecurity governance. On the basis of sorting out the formation and evolution of biosafety/biosecurity concepts and corresponding regulatory policies, this article discusses the underlying causes and governance strategies of biosafety/biosecurity risks in synthetic biology, and provides practical for the construction of biosafety and biosecurity governance system in China.
As a cutting-edge multidisciplinary scientific research field based on biology and engineering technology, synthetic biology has broken new ground in the artificial design and transformation of life systems. However, with the improvement of research and development efficiency and application scale of synthetic biology, there come debates and concerns about the biosafety issues.First of all, this paper analyzes the risks of synthetic biotechnology from three major risk subjects:researchers, managers and technology. Secondly, based on the core data set of synthetic biology in Web of Science from 1900 to 2021, this paper uses CiteSpace bibliometric analysis and Meta-analysis methods to sort out the main development context of synthetic biology, and analyze the biosafety hot spots in the field of synthetic biology research. Eight related risk factors were summarized, including:technology abuse, ethical issues, benefit distribution, technology safety, human injury, accidental leakage of synthetic organisms, lack of supervision, and laboratory biosafety. The eight risk factors were classified into three risk types. Finally, corresponding countermeasures and governance suggestions for different types of risks are proposed. This study systematically analyzes the risks related to biosafety of synthetic biology, providing an important basis for regulatory governance.
The diverse understandings and argues were triggered off by the development of citizen science. The original and fundamental inquiry is the macro-interpretation of implementation of the good community and social and natural sciences. Simultaneously, the meso-interpretation of settlement of problems of data bias and the related puzzles of organizational process and education/training, project procedure and control of date quality are required. Accordingly, the support and viable approaches with the forms in accordance with the internet platforms and computing technologies are the microinterpretation of citizen science. This is the framework of comprehensive and integrative interpretation of citizen science and the conclusion has unfolded that citizen science is the revolutionary fruit of ongoing scientific paradigm and social progress.
The ternary theory of science-technology-engineering demonstrates the differences and relations among science, technology and engineering from the philosophical level, but the discussion still stays at the speculative level, and lacks of more subtle analysis and demonstration from practice.Based on the theoretical perspective of actor network theory, this study analyzes the large science project of large high altitude air shower observatory（LHAASO）, describes and demonstrates the topological relation among science, technology and engineering from the practical level, and points out that human actors play key roles in the formation, change and stability of the relation.
As a default configuration in contemporary biomedical laboratories, animal models are widely used in experiments to understand human behaviors. However, while the use of animal models has been challenged for its reductionist assumptions, few studies have explained how scientists justify such use. Drawing upon extended ethnography, the author of Model Behavior presents not only a highresolution picture of scientific laboratories, but also provides the analytical vocabulary for describing the behavior of scientists. While classical STS works tend to reveal the process of eliminating the uncertainty in daily experiments, this book argues that researchers may also emphasize and embrace complexity and uncertainty in their justifications of the use of animal models. This book sheds new light on our understanding of laboratory life as well as the communication between scientists and the public.
