Lecture 1 哲学思想
Word Tips
foundationalism n.基础主义 solid adj.结实的
valid adj.有效的，有根据的 essentially adv.本质上，本来
blank slate 白板；空白状态 methodological adj.方法的；方法论的
deceive v.欺骗
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-4.
1）A.The importance of Locke’s view to modern philosophical thought.
B.How Descartes’ view of knowledge influenced trends of Western philosophy.
C.How two philosophers viewed foundational knowledge claims.
D.The difference between foundationalism and methodological thought.
2）A.to explain an idea about the organization of human knowledge
B.to illustrate the unreliability of our perception of physical objects
C.to clarify the difference between two points of view about the basis of human knowledge
D.to remind students of a point he made about Descartes in a previous lecture
3）A.knowledge of one’s own existence B.knowledge acquired through the senses
C.knowledge humans are born with
D.knowledge passed down from the previous generations
4）A.To discover what can be considered foundational knowledge claims.
B.To challenge the philosophical concept of foundationalism.
C.To show that one’s existence cannot be proven.
D.To demonstrate that Locke’s view were essentially correct.
听力原文
Okay.So，uh，to continue our discussion...When philosophers talk about the basis of knowledge，they don’t mean the source of information about any particular subject.They mean how we know what we know.Let’s start with one philosophical view—foundationalism.
Foundationalism is the view that our knowledge claims，what we think we know，that is，they need to have a base.And think of knowledge as a house，you need a solid foundation on which to build your house.And if you have a strong foundation，your house is more likely to be solid.Well，foundationalists think the same thing is true of knowledge.If you have a solid base for your knowledge claims，then your knowledge structure is more likely to be strong，valid，true.
First，you need some good foundational knowledge claims，and then the rest of the knowledge claims can be based on these.Now，as to what kinds of knowledge claims are foundational ….well，that’s where this gets particularly interesting，it may sort of depends on which philosopher you ask.Take John Locke for instance.Locke’s viewpoint essentially was that when humans are born，their minds are like blank slates，that is，we don’t have any kind of knowledge when we are born.We get our knowledge from our senses，you know，taste，touch，smell，sight，hearing.So，when we look at the world，first as babies and then as we grow，that’s where our knowledge comes from.Our senses，our experiences serve as the foundation for our knowledge.Now，for a very different view，let’s turn to another philosopher — Rene Descartes.Descartes thought that you have to go much deeper to find the foundations.He believed that our senses are not to be trusted，so he wanted to find a more solid foundation for knowledge.He began with what has come to be called methodological doubt.
And when we say methodological doubt，well...Descartes believed that everything should be questioned，that is，approach it with doubt.And if you could find one thing that cannot be false，that one thing would serve as a foundation for all other knowledge claims.So unlike John Locke，Descartes doubts that knowledge comes to him from his senses.He points out that at some time or another，everyone has been deceived by their senses.
Questions：
1.What is the lecture mainly about？
2.Why does the professor mention a house？
3.What did Locke believe to be the most basic type of human knowledge？
4.According to the professor，what was Descartes’purpose for using methodological doubt？
参考译文
好，我们继续讨论……当哲学家在谈知识的基础时，他们不是指某个特定学科的信息来源。
他们是指，我们是怎样知道我们所知的东西的。我们先讲一个哲学观——基础主义。基础主义的观点是，我们的知识主张，即我们认为我们知道的事物，需要一个基础。把知识当作房子，你的房子要建在一个坚实的地基上。如果你有个坚实的基础，你的房子就可能比较坚固。基础主义认为这也适用于知识层面。如果你的知识主张有个坚实基础，你的知识结构就很可能比较坚固，有效，真实。
首先，你要有基础的知识主张，剩余的知识主张立足于此。至于什么样的知识主张才是基础性的，这就是特别有趣的地方，因为这得看你说的是哪个哲学家。例如约翰·洛克。洛克的观点基本上是，人刚出生时，他们的思想就像白板，即我们出生时是没有任何知识的。我们通过感官获取知识，味觉、触觉、嗅觉、视觉和听觉。当我们观察世界，一开始作为婴儿，然后我们长大了，我们的知识就是这样来的。我们的感官，我们的经验，都是知识的基础。来看看另一位哲学家——勒内·笛卡儿提出的不同观点。笛卡儿认为，要找到基础，你要更加深入。他认为我们的感官是不可信的，所以他想找出一个更可靠的知识基础。他开始提出所谓的“怀疑方法论”。
说到怀疑方法论……笛卡儿认为，所有事物都值得质疑，也就是说，带着怀疑心去接触事物。假如你能找到绝对真实的事物，这就是所有其他知识主张的基础了。与约翰·洛克不同，笛卡儿对他通过感官获取的知识感到怀疑。他指出，总有些时候，大家都被感官欺骗了。
参考答案
1.C 2.A 3.B 4.A