Levels of Scientific Understanding

9311982汉弗莱关于不同领域的科学理论如何相互联系的“公认观点”，多年来一直是一种等级模式。基础是物理学，更准确地说，是基本粒子物理学。粒子物理学被认为是所有科学中最基础的。然后依次是化学、分子生物学、普通生物学、心理学和社会科学。科学哲学中的许多工作都致力于这门科学中相邻层次之间的关系。在这个项目中，汉弗莱斯博士试图回答人们对房产层级间关系的担忧。哲学和心理学主要关注的一个例子是心理或计算特性与其潜在的神经生物学/物理特性之间的关系。关于心理/身体问题和认知科学地位的问题直接取决于如何回答这一一般性问题。汉弗莱斯博士特别提出了一种新的方法来区分“紧急”和“非紧急”属性。例如，大脑是如何从构成大脑的神经元的特性中“显现”出来的？思想和记忆是如何从发生在这个物理器官中的化学和电学相互作用中产生的？研究这些关系的关键点是，心理学家处理的因果属性(思想、情绪、记忆)并不存在于神经生物学层面，而只是在心理学层面“显现”。本研究的主要焦点是如何正确地解读这些突现属性，并以区分内外关系为指导来正确对待这些属性。汉弗莱斯博士正在利用这些研究来扩展现有的科学解释，将新出现的特性也包括在内。***

9311982 Humphreys The "received view" of how scientific theories in different domains are related to each other has been, for a number of years, a hierarchical model. At the base is physics, or elementary particle physics to be more precise. Particle physics is taken as the most fundamental of all sciences. Then come, in order, chemistry molecular biology, general biology, psychology, and the social sciences. Much work in the philosophy of science has been devoted to the relationship between adjacent levels within this science. Dr. Humphreys, in this project, is attempting to answer concerns about the inter-level relationship of properties. An example of major concern for philosophy and psychology has been the relation between psychological or computational properties and their underlying neurobiological/physical properties. Issues concerning the mind/body problem and the status of cognitive science depend directly on how this general question is answered. Dr. Humphreys is specifically addressing a new way to characterize the distinction between "emergent" and "nonemergent" properties. How, for example, can the mind "emerge" from the properties of the neurons that make up the brain? How does thought and memory come out of the chemical and electrical interactions that occur in this physical organ? The crucial point in looking at these relations is that the causal properties that the psychologist deals with (thoughts, emotions, memories) do not exist at the neurobiology level and only "emerge" at the level of psychology. The main focus of this research is the proper way to construe these emergent properties, with the distinction between internal and external relations as the guide to a correct treatment. Dr. Humphreys is using these investigations to extend existing accounts of scientific explanation to include emergent properties. ***