# Thought Experiments

> 【EN】Thought experiments are basically devices of the imagination. They are employed for various purposes such as entertainment, education, conceptual analysis, exploration, hypothesizing, theory selection, theory implementation, etc. Some applications are more controversial than others. Few would object to thought experiments that serve to illustrate complex states of affairs, or those that are used in educational contexts. The situation is different, however, with respect to the appropriation of imagined scenarios to investigate reality (very broadly conceived to include things like electrons, tables, rain, beliefs, morals, people, numbers, universes, and even divine beings). It is this use of thought experiments that attracts most of the attention inside and outside of philosophical discourse. … 【中】词条指出思想实验本质上是想象的工具，用途广泛。用于说明复杂情形或教学的较少引起争议，但把想象情境用于探究实在——包括电子、桌子、雨、信念、道德、人、数、宇宙乃至神——则争议不断。词条梳理思想实验的重要特征、类型学与历史，并评述基于直觉的说明、论证观、概念建构主义、实验主义与心智模型等理论解释。

- ID: m13325
- Category: culture
- Domain: 哲学

## Definition

思想实验是借助想象力构造的推理装置，被用于娱乐、教学、概念分析、探索、提出假说、理论选择与理论落实等多种目的，其争议程度随用途不同而有很大差别。 脚手架作用：- 直觉探测：构造极端情境，引出对某概念或原则的直觉反应。 - 反例检验：设想可能情形，检验某理论的必要条件是否被满足。 - 变量隔离：只改动一个条件，看清后果由哪个因素导致。

## How it works

思想实验之所以能给出关于实在的结论，是因为想象情境被视为按自然规律或概念必然性运行：我们从设定前提出发，借助直觉或概念把握推出后果，再把它迁移到现实世界。争论在于这其中的知识来源，究竟是先验的概念把握、经验性的直觉，还是心智模型的模拟结果。

## Practice

1) 明确构造该情境要检验的命题或理论；2) 检查情境设定是否融贯、是否隐含地预设了待证结论；3) 判断由情境得出的判断是概念性的还是经验性的；4) 检验结论能否迁移到现实情形。

## Use

- 直觉探测：构造极端情境，引出对某概念或原则的直觉反应。 - 反例检验：设想可能情形，检验某理论的必要条件是否被满足。 - 变量隔离：只改动一个条件，看清后果由哪个因素导致。

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