批判性思维在科学与教育中的重要性

批判性思维在科学与教育中的重要性

在人类追求真理的历程中，哲学与科学都扮演着至关重要的角色。它们为我们提供了认识世界、解释现象的工具与方法。然而，无论是哲学理论还是科学理论，都不是普遍适用的“万能真理”。每一种理论都建立在特定的前提与条件之上，因此具有自身的适用范围和局限性。若把任何理论视为“放之四海而皆准”的绝对真理，就违背了科学精神的本质，也阻碍了思想的进一步发展。

毛泽东的《矛盾论》和牛顿的第二定律之间的对比，恰好揭示了这一点。

在《矛盾论》中，毛泽东指出，事物发展的根本原因在于其内部的矛盾——内因，而外因只是促成变化的条件，必须通过内因才能起作用。例如，鸡蛋在适宜的温度下可以孵化成小鸡，而石头在相同条件下却不会发生变化。这个比喻生动地说明了“内因决定事物能否发生转化”的哲学思想。

然而，当这种原则被应用到物理学领域时，就失去了适用性。牛顿第二定律F = ma 指出：

力， 质量，加速度，三个因素，相互关联，同等重要，例如，物体的加速度由外力和其质量共同决定，与内因（物质的性质）的不同没有关系。在任何条件下，所有物体都遵循这个规律， 没有内因和外因之分，也没有主从关系。

这说明，《矛盾论》的哲学概念无法描述物理世界中的可测量关系。反过来，牛顿定律虽然在经典力学的宏观范围内几乎普遍适用，但在相对论或量子力学条件下却会失效。由此可见，没有任何理论可以解释一切现象。

哲学理论提供了思考的深度，但缺乏可经验验证性；科学理论能够精确描述规律，却受限于特定条件与范围。理论的真正价值，不在于被“崇拜”，而在于理解其适用范围，并以批判的态度加以运用。

因此，在学习与研究的过程中——尤其对于青年学生和科学工作者而言——批判性思维是不可或缺的。批判并不意味着否定，而是指以理性分析的方式去理解理论、比较观点，并以证据加以检验。只有具备这样的独立思考能力，我们才能真正把握知识的精神实质，而不被任何权威、教条或“伟大理论”所束缚。

科学的发展，正是通过怀疑与修正不断前进的。尊重理论而不盲目崇拜，是科学精神的核心，也是每一位求知者应有的态度。

特别值得注意的是，在中国，几乎每个学生在中学阶段都学习过《矛盾论》，并记住那句“石头不能孵出小鸡”的比喻。然而，自该理论发表至今已近一个世纪，却没有任何学生、科学家甚至哲学家对其提出质疑或进行批判性重新审视。这一现象暴露出中国教育、哲学研究与科学精神的深层问题——我们被教导去相信，而不是去批判性地思考，这也是为什么在现代中国不可能出现原创性科学理论或者有影响力的哲学学说。

The Importance of Critical Thinking in Science and Education

In humanity’s pursuit of truth, both philosophy and science play vital roles. They offer us tools and methods to understand and explain the world. Yet, no theory—whether philosophical or scientific—is universal. Every theory is based on specific premises and conditions and thus has its own scope and limitations. To regard any theory as an absolute truth, valid “everywhere and forever,” violates the very essence of scientific spirit and hinders intellectual progress.

The contrast between Mao Zedong’s On Contradiction and Newton’s Second Law clearly reveals this point.

In On Contradiction, Mao asserted that the fundamental cause of development lies within—the internal contradictions of things—while external causes are merely conditions that act through the internal ones. For example, a chicken egg can hatch under suitable temperature, but a stone cannot. This metaphor vividly illustrates the idea that internal factors determine whether transformation can occur.

However, when this principle is applied to the field of physics, it loses its applicability. Newton’s Second Law, F=ma , shows that force, mass, and acceleration are interrelated and equally important. For example, an object’s acceleration is determined jointly by the external force and its mass, and it has nothing to do with internal factors (the characters of the material). Under any conditions, all objects obey this law; there is no distinction between internal and external causes, nor any hierarchy of importance.

This shows that the philosophical concept of On Contradiction fails in describing these objective relationships in the physical world. Conversely, Newton’s law—though nearly universal in classical mechanics—breaks down under the conditions of relativity or quantum mechanics. Thus, no theory can explain everything.

Philosophical theories offer depth of reflection but lack empirical verifiability; scientific theories provide precision but are bound by conditions and limits. The true value of a theory lies not in worship, but in understanding its scope and applying it critically.

Therefore, in learning and research—especially for young students and scientific thinkers—critical thinking is essential. To be critical does not mean to deny; it means to analyze rationally, to compare perspectives, and to test ideas against evidence. Only through such intellectual independence can we grasp the true essence of knowledge, rather than being confined by authority or dogma.

Science advances through doubt and correction. To respect theories without worshipping them is the core of scientific spirit and the proper attitude of any seeker of truth.

It is particularly noteworthy that in China, every student learns On Contradiction in middle school and remembers the metaphor “a stone cannot hatch a chicken.” Nearly a century after its publication, however, no students, no scientists, nor even philosophers have ever questioned or critically re-examined it. This phenomenon exposes a deep issue in Chinese education, scientific and philosophy culture — We are taught to believe rather than to think critically — and this is precisely why it is impossible for original scientific theories or influential philosophical ideas to emerge in modern China.