2003 年 31 巻 2 号 p. 122-131
According to Chomsky (2000), the “mental” or “linguistic” aspect of the world can be investigated in the same way as any other aspects of the world, such as “electrical” or “chemical,” which have been investigated in natural sciences. In this sense, generative grammar conducts the same type of rational, empirical inquiry as in any branch of natural sciences; it “seeks to construct intelligible explanatory theories, with the hope of eventual integration of the ‘core’ natural sciences.” Chomsky refers to this thesis as “the methodological naturalism.” However, Chomsky does not specifically show to what extent generative grammar shares methodological characteristics with natural sciences. The purpose of this paper is to show that generative grammar has the crucial methodological characteristics of modern science (more specifically, modern physics), which was founded in the Scientific Revolution of the 17th century Europe and has been developed into present–day natural sciences.
