懷念謝老師 – Remembering Dr. Hsieh

2024/10/3

Bilingual writing for dear international students and friends.

「師承、天分、毅力」是學術研究的三要素。

“Mentorship, Talent, Perseverance” are the three essential elements of academic research.

謝安田老師離開我們(2021.10.3)已3年。認識謝老師是在2010年代初，基於謝老師科學哲學(philosophy of science)的教導，今天對老師的懷念，當然是以2010年代，親身體驗與觀察的真實事蹟(reality)為主。

Teacher Hsieh passed away from us three years ago (October 3, 2021). I first met him in the early 2010s, and my memories of him today are primarily based on the real experiences and observations during that decade, shaped by his teachings on the philosophy of science.

剛認識老師，老師即勉勵我們，要做好博士研究，有三個重要因素：「師承、天分、毅力」，又說：「其中最重要的是師承」。言談之中，謝老師對我們的勉勵與用心，遠勝於其在學術界的得意。我慶幸，竟然在天涯海角師承謝安田老師。

When I first met him, he encouraged us to excel in our doctoral research, emphasizing three essential elements: “mentorship, talent, and perseverance,” and he would say, “Of these, mentorship is the most important.” Teacher Hsieh’s encouragement and dedication to us shone brighter than his accomplishments in the academic world. I am fortunate to have been mentored by Dr. Hsieh, even at the ends of the earth.

謝老師桃李滿天下，所傳授的知識早已長成一棵大樹，這是一棵老師上課常提及的「知識樹」(the tree of knowledge)。這棵樹，枝葉茂盛，包羅萬象。隨著老師的離去，記憶中老師傳授(impart)給我們的知識，是否也隨風而逝？

Teacher Hsieh’s students can be found far and wide, and the knowledge he imparted has long grown into a magnificent tree, which he often referred to as the “tree of knowledge.” This tree is flourishing, encompassing a vast array of branches and leaves. With the teacher’s departure, does the knowledge he imparted to us fade away with the wind?

一陣初秋的風吹過，拾起幾片落葉，“fact, reality, truth, outward trappings, ontology, epistemology, elaboration, spurious, falsification, organized skepticism…” ，這些老師曾用心闡釋的經典學術研究名詞，在葉脈中忽隱忽現。還好，有一片”insight”，大家都能朗朗上口。

As a light autumn breeze rustles through, I pick up a few fallen leaves, and words like “fact, reality, truth, outward trappings, ontology, epistemology, elaboration, spurious, falsification, organized skepticism…” emerge intermittently in the leaf veins, once all delicately elaborated by our teacher. Fortunately, there’s one leaf that says “insight,” a word on everyone’s lips.

不過，什麼是insight 似乎比那一堆落葉還複雜、難懂。在老師離開我們 3 年後的今天，以回憶一段老師有關 “insight” 的話來懷念老師。

However, what is “insight”? It appears to be even more complex and challenging to understand than that heap of fallen leaves. Today, three years after the teacher’s departure, let’s remember him by recalling a piece of his wisdom related to “insight.”

謝老師說：

「科學研究，指基於真實(reality-based)，以系統化的方法創造知識。如此創造出來的知識，叫做科學知識(scientific knowledge) 。一般碩士研究偏重於研究的技巧。」

Teacher Hsieh said:

“Scientific research is the creation of knowledge based on reality using systematic methods. The knowledge created in this way is called scientific knowledge. Master’s research often focuses on research techniques.”

「至於博士研究，應往方法論(methodology)及科學哲學(philosophy of science)，以追求科學本質(nature of science)，基於真實(reality-based) 的知識探索邁進。因此，博士學位稱為哲學博士(Doctor of Philosophy)。」

“As for doctoral research, it should delve into methodology and the philosophy of science, pursuing the essence of science through knowledge exploration based on reality. This explains why a doctoral degree is named Doctor of Philosophy.”

「insight 即本質。」

「所謂科學哲學，包含兩大基礎(the philosophy foundation)：本質論(ontology)及知識論(epistemology)。此為方法論之母，是所有科學研究所必須遵循的兩大前提(assumptions)。」

“Insight is equivalent to essence,” Teacher Hsieh said.

“The field of philosophy of science encompasses two foundational aspects: ontology and epistemology. These are the two underlying assumptions that all scientific research must adhere to.”

「最好的知識為真理(truth)，但是真理由上帝所掌控，人類只有能力了解到真實(reality)。所謂真實是指表裡一致，為大多數人所能接受和認同的。一般而言，人們往往受外在的表徵(outward trappings)所蒙蔽。」

“The best knowledge is truth, but truth is controlled by God, and humans can only comprehend reality. Reality refers to consistency that most people can accept and agree on. Generally, people are often deceived by outward trappings.”

講到這裡，老師唱做具佳的敲著桌子說：

At this point, the teacher emphasized while tapping the table:

「表面的樹紋看起來好像實心的實木，其實只是年輪圖案的貼皮，那只是裝飾品(outward trappings)。」

“The surface wood grain may appear as solid wood, but it’s merely the veneer of a ring pattern, nothing more than an ornament.”

「看到外表或現象(facts)，以為是真實(reality)，其實表裡不一。因此，本質論就是要進一步探索所認知的事實(facts)，其深層或背後所隱涵的真正意義，亦即本質(insights)。」

“It is often assumed that a phenomenon or facts are real when we observe them. In fact, they are not always consistent. This is where ontology comes into play, allowing us to delve deeper into the perceived facts and discover their true meaning, or, in other words, insights.”

「而知識論則為基於本質論所要探索的事實，思考我們要採取什麼方法，才能得到真實的知識，解決問題，造福人群。」

“Epistemology, on the other hand, explores the methods we should adopt based on ontology to attain real knowledge, solve problems, and benefit humanity.”

「以醫學界胃潰瘍的研究為例，2005年以前，醫界都以為造成胃潰瘍的原因為壓力太大、胃酸分泌過度所致 — 此為由外表所看到的facts。於是醫界及藥界均以抑制胃酸的處方為主，然而並未治癒大部分患者胃疾。」

“Taking research on gastric ulcers in the medical field as an example, prior to 2005, the medical community believed that the primary causes of gastric ulcers were excessive stress and overproduction of stomach acid – these were the observable facts. Consequently, both the medical and pharmaceutical fields primarily prescribed acid-suppressing treatments, yet most patients’ gastric ailments remained uncured.”

「直至2005 年諾貝爾醫學獎得主Barry J. Marshall以身試菌，親自服下幽門螺旋桿菌，讓自己的胃發炎，再以對應的藥治療，胃炎終於痊癒，而發現幽門螺旋桿菌才是造成胃炎及十二指腸潰瘍的主要原因。」

“It wasn’t until 2005 when Nobel laureate Barry J. Marshall ingested Helicobacter pylori bacteria to induce inflammation in his own stomach, and then treated it with the corresponding medication, that his gastritis finally healed. This groundbreaking experiment led to the discovery that Helicobacter pylori was the primary cause of gastritis and duodenal ulcers.”

「Marshall 探索胃潰瘍表面事實的深層原因，朝事實的本質研究(本質論)，再針對所要研究的事實，以正確的方法而獲得知識(知識論)，以此基於真實的知識，研發新藥，造福人類至今。」

“Marshall delved into the underlying reasons behind the surface facts of gastric ulcers, pursued ontology in the investigation of the essence of these facts, and then, by using the correct methods for the facts he was researching and gained knowledge, which is known as epistemology. With this knowledge rooted in reality, he developed new medicines benefiting humanity to this day.”

老師的名言：「獲得諾貝爾獎者，其科學研究的知識都是科學哲學研究的結晶。」

The teacher’s wisdom told us, “Nobel laureates frequently win the Nobel Prize thanks to their groundbreaking research in the philosophy of science.”