Some unusual events happened in petroleum industry in 2020, such as the negative WTI oil price, price soaring of melt-blown nonwoven fabric, Exxon Mobil Corp.(NYSE:XOM) removed from Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the oil demand peak theory proposed by BP Energy Outlook 2020 Edition. These events have made profound impact on petroleum exploration. Prospecting is at the forefront of petroleum industry chain, and prospectors have great influence on petroleum industry. The responsibility of petroleum prospectors is to find oil, which calls for the correct way of thinking as well as scientific and technical means, both of which are indispensable. When it comes to the cognition of petroleum exploration, we should draw lessons from predecessors' philosophy of finding oil from a development perspective. It is necessary to define the relationship between subject activity and objective structure, as there is an inherent tension between the two and a dialectical relationship that complements each other. It is also essential to illustrate the logic of initiative and decisiveness, as between the two is the dual logic of active logic that changes the world and deterministic logic based on science and technology. The strategic breakthrough in the Gulong shale oil exploration in Daqing is a typical example. Our knowledge and practice of oil exploration has overthrown the Hubbert Curve. The new curve may have more than one peak, which means hopes are always there for finding oil. Climbing to the top of a mountain must start from the foot. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Looking forward to the future, prospectors have the wisdom, ability, and methods to find more, cleaner, and more affordable oil to drive the progress of human civilization. This is the duty of petroleum prospectors.

2020年石油行业发生了一些不寻常的事件，如WTI油价为负，熔喷非织造布价格飙升，埃克森美孚公司（NYSE：XOM）退出道琼斯工业平均指数，石油需求高峰理论提出BP 能源展望 2020 版。这些事件对石油勘探产生了深远的影响。探矿处于石油产业链的前列，探矿者对石油产业的影响很大。石油勘探者的责任是找油，这需要正确的思维方式和科学技术手段，两者缺一不可。对石油勘探的认识，应该借鉴前人的从发展的角度找石油的理念。有必要界定主体活动与客观结构之间的关系，两者之间存在着内在的张力，是一种相辅相成的辩证关系。主动性和果断性逻辑的说明也是必不可少的，因为两者之间是改变世界的主动逻辑和基于科学技术的确定性逻辑的双重逻辑。大庆古龙页岩油勘探的战略突破就是一个典型例子。我们在石油勘探方面的知识和实践已经推翻了哈伯特曲线。新曲线可能有多个峰值，这意味着寻找石油的希望总是存在。登上山顶，必须从脚下开始。千里的旅程，必须从一步开始。展望未来，勘探者有智慧、能力和方法去寻找更多、更清洁、更实惠的石油来推动人类文明进步。这是石油勘探者的职责。