科学用語の定義について(方法論の問題)

概要

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The definition of scientific terms is essentially connected with the scientific procedures. This general aspect will be illustrated by such terms as "element" or "affinity" used in the field of chemistry. The definition of the chemical element first given by Robert Boyle (1661) and later extended by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1789) is a definition of the operational character based on the experimental procedures, while the definition given by John Dalton (1808) is a definition of the conceptual character based on the atomic hypothesis. The definition of the chemical element in modern chemistry such as given by Linus Pauling (1950): "A kind of matter consisting of atoms which all have nuclei with the same electric charge is called an element" - is essentially the development of the conceptual definition of Dalton. However, if we examine the process of the development of this definition, we find therein an intricate interplay of the operational and conceptual procedures. The same feature of scientific terms is also exemplified by the term "chemical affinity". The fundamental postulate expressed by Joachim Jungius in early days (1642): "The scientific truth can only be obtained by the natural combination of experience and logic" should be the basis upon which the modern science has been developed.
東京女子大学の論文
1965-03-01