認識論 Epistemology

 認識論/知識論 Epistemology

●例句（約170 words，字源放在句首）

Epistemology, a word coined in 1854 by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier from the Greek epistēmē, meaning knowledge in the sense of firm understanding, which derives from a verb that originally described standing firmly upon something so as to master it, and logos, meaning discourse, denotes the inquiry into what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and where its limits lie, an inquiry which, so long as it was pursued as a contest between rationalists, who hold that reason alone can yield certain truths such as those of mathematics, and empiricists, who insist that every idea, however abstract, must trace its origin to experience, seemed to demand that one choose a side, but which Immanuel Kant, by arguing that experience supplies the content of knowledge while the mind supplies its form, reshaped so thoroughly that what had looked like a genuine dilemma came to be seen as a false one, though skeptics would reply that neither camp had shown that we know anything at all.

●排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Epistemology,

a word coined in 1854

by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier

from the Greek epistēmē,

meaning knowledge in the sense of firm understanding,

which derives from a verb

that originally described standing firmly upon something

so as to master it,

and logos,

meaning discourse,

denotes the inquiry

into what knowledge is,

how it is acquired,

and where its limits lie,

an inquiry

which,

so long as it was pursued as a contest

between rationalists,

who hold that reason alone can yield certain truths

such as those of mathematics,

and empiricists,

who insist that every idea,

however abstract,

must trace its origin to experience,

seemed to demand that one choose a side,

but which Immanuel Kant,

by arguing that experience supplies the content of knowledge

while the mind supplies its form,

reshaped so thoroughly

that what had looked like a genuine dilemma

came to be seen as a false one,

though skeptics would reply

that neither camp had shown

that we know anything at all.

●分解為原初的短小句

Epistemology denotes an inquiry.（主結構，4字。主詞後插入約五十個字的字源說明，必須讀到 denotes 才看到動詞。這是本句最大的難點。）

Ferrier coined the word in 1854.

Ferrier was a Scottish philosopher.

He coined it from the Greek epistēmē and logos.

Epistēmē means knowledge in the sense of firm understanding.

Epistēmē derives from a verb.

The verb originally described standing firmly upon something.

One stood there so as to master it.

Logos means discourse.

The inquiry asks what knowledge is.

It asks how knowledge is acquired.

It asks where its limits lie.

The inquiry was pursued as a contest between rationalists and empiricists.

Rationalists hold that reason alone can yield certain truths.

Mathematics offers such truths.

Empiricists insist that every idea must trace its origin to experience.

This holds however abstract the idea is.

The inquiry seemed to demand that one choose a side.

This lasted as long as it was pursued as a contest.

Kant argued that experience supplies the content of knowledge.

Kant argued that the mind supplies its form.

Kant reshaped the inquiry so thoroughly.

What had looked like a genuine dilemma came to be seen as a false one.

Skeptics would reply that neither camp had shown that we know anything at all.

●文法解析

主句：Epistemology…denotes the inquiry…。主詞與動詞之間是過去分詞片語 coined…，其中 from 帶出兩個並列的希臘字 epistēmē 與 logos，and logos 要接回 from 才讀得通。

coined in 1854 by…：過去分詞片語，修飾 a word，等於 which was coined。

meaning knowledge…：現在分詞片語，補充說明前面的字，等於 which means。meaning discourse 同理。

which derives from a verb that originally described standing firmly…：非限定關係子句，which 指 epistēmē。that 關係子句內，described 的受詞是動名詞片語 standing…。

so as to master it：so as to + 原形動詞，表目的。

into what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and where its limits lie：三個 wh- 名詞子句並列，當 into 的受詞，語序都是間接問句。

an inquiry which, so long as…, seemed…, but which Kant…reshaped：同位語 an inquiry 帶兩個以 but 對等的關係子句。第一個 which 是 seemed 的主詞，第二個 which 是 reshaped 的受詞，語序是 which Kant…reshaped，受詞前置，要讀到 reshaped 才完整。

so long as it was pursued：so long as 意為「只要」，引導條件副詞子句，插在 which 與 seemed 之間。

however abstract：讓步結構，等於 no matter how abstract it is。

by arguing that…while…：by + 動名詞表方式。while 表對比，不是「當……時」。

reshaped so thoroughly that what had looked like…came to be seen as…：so…that 表結果。what 子句當主詞，had looked 是過去完成式，比 came 更早。come to be seen as 意為「逐漸被視為」。

though skeptics would reply that…：though 表讓步。neither camp had shown 的 had shown 比 would reply 的時間更早。

●參考譯文

「認識論」一詞由蘇格蘭哲學家費里爾於1854年造出，取自希臘文 epistēmē 與 logos。epistēmē 指「穩固的理解」意義上的知識，源自一個動詞，原指穩穩站在某物之上以掌握它；logos 指論述。認識論探問的是知識是什麼、如何獲得、界限何在。只要這項探問被看成理性論者與經驗論者之爭，它似乎就逼人選邊站。理性論者主張單憑理性就能得出確定的真理，數學即是一例；經驗論者則堅持，每個觀念無論多麼抽象，起源都在經驗。康德主張經驗供給知識的內容、心靈供給知識的形式，徹底改寫了這場探問，原本看似真正的兩難，後來被視為假兩難。不過懷疑論者仍會回答：兩派都沒有證明我們真的知道任何事。

●補充說明

epistēmē 與 doxa（意見、臆測）相對，這組對比是認識論的起點。詞源說法以 Ferrier 1854年《形上學綱要》為通行說法，他以 epistemology 與 ontology（存有論）相對。

「康德化解了爭論」是常見教科書說法，哲學史上仍有爭議，所以句尾保留懷疑論者的反駁。

skeptic 指質疑知識是否可能的哲學立場，不是「愛懷疑的人」。

●長難句組合寫作練習

不看例句，用譯文與上列24個短句組合回原來的長句：

這次只寫認識論。字源部分我直接寫成英文，併入句首，成為長句的一部分，所以分解與文法解析也涵蓋字源。如果你要的是字源另置於句外，我再改。