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Introduction
Frankly, the relationship between Philosophy and Science, is not hard to say. Through the ancient time to modern life, Science is always base on Philosophy. Philosophy, the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. Science, the study of nature of knowledge. The answer is quite clear, but the truth is not as simple as definition.
Main
What is science
Under our cognition, Science should answer those real problem but it is really hard and current cannot relate our daily life. Science is a method to tell you how does things work, how does substance move. It does not care any personal ideas and any subjective ideas. It is totally objective.
When we observe a hydrogen atom, we do not care what is hydrogen, what is the composition of hydrogen and how does it form. We only need to know that hydrogen atom have one electronic. Even that is not totally convinced because Quantum mechanics prove that the hydrogen atom have the possibility that do not have one electronic. It can be said that Science comes from observation, and it is to find a basic law in the observation of samples.
A famous Greek philosopher Aristotle gave some Scientific theory, like: Force is the only factor to maintain the motion of substance. But it already proved wrong because Force is the factor of change of motion. How did we proved it? Imagine there is a cube, it does not subject to any force or the net force on it is zero, the cube will be rest or constantly moving. But there is no any situation like that, and all the factor is based on imagination so the result is from our imagination, too. And those imagination based on those laws, it is a rational inference.
So Science, is the law of nature from observation, it is also the rational inference. It is more like a combination of empiricism and rationalism. It need the experience of daily life and also need the precise analyzing and calculating.
Science and Philosophy
Since the civilization of ancient Greece, the word science appeared as Greek φυσικός, same to the word Physic. In Greek it means nature. In the Greek era, philosophers were doing scientists, and Aristotle had a lot of research in the field of science.
There is Greek a word called metaphysics. Meta, means beyond something, so metaphysics means beyond physics. This is an independent subject and Aristotle called it “the first philosophy”. From the Greek philosophy’s definition, Science is a branch of philosophy, Science is nature and Philosophy is nature of nature.
After Renaissance, the developing of Science, make the Science more and more important and even some people appealed let those scientist replace philosopher. For example, the same phenomenon, an apple drop down to ground. An ancient Greek Philosopher might say, because apple love to keep close with ground. Newton stand up and say: because Apple have weight, earth have gravity!
Well, seems in the development of Science, philosophy could not help more. So, does the philosophy worth to exist? Maybe we could think something not exist. But Some naturalist appeal to not think anything not existing, like God and Cthulhu. Because it is not ‘scientific’.
The answer is, yes, definitely yes.
There are two question in the world. One, I know what exactly it is, I know how to do, we called it problems. Second, I do not know what exactly it is, I have no idea to treat that one, we called it mysteries.
The first question is more like: Does this medicine could heal the disease? Does the Goldbach conjecture correct? Science could solved those questions, because science could bring some hypothesis and wait to prove it correct. Scientist based on the condition they already knew, they could bring up with countless hypothesis, but prove it by logic and fact is taking time.
The second question is more like: What is the dark matter? Nobody have ever seen the dark matter, but the only thing we could make sure that the dark matter is existing. Without dark matter our universe would collapse, is the inference from conservation of energy. Science exactly could not help answer those question, because we do not know what is dark matter so we do not know how to observe the dark matter! Even though the scientists spend lots of time to bring with so many hypothesis, it will be useless. There is no way to observe, to prove.
So there the philosophers might can help. Maybe a new definition from another perspective would come out. Sounds like a little bit weird, but it is just like the example I given above. Ancient Greek philosopher considered the apple would drop off to gravity is because apple love to keep close with ground. If there is no answer, the only true answer is the right answer, because people need a answer. So philosopher would give definition, as a temporary solution in the field of science.
The right is not same to correct, but after thousand years Newton appeared and he solved the problem. So there I predict, scientist will bring with a definition and wait for a nice chance to solve the question: What is the dark matter?
Science and Essence
We already mentioned that science is the law of nature from observation, it is also the rational inference. Basically, Science do not care any essence problem. So if science do not care any essence problem, who will? Does philosopher can answer what is the original form of world? If yes, the answer would just like the Greek philosopher thoughts of dropped apple. So only Scientist would think about the essence, if they need to know an object, the best way to know is from the composition: atoms. Scientist would research essence for science.
Developing of Science, include lots of quest of essence. But Science is not a subject of essence, law of nature. And the law of nature is from observation and inference. Could it really have the quality to know the essence? Essence is not like any law, essence is essence. Use a method of observing and inferring might be the best choice of humanity. But it also means that you could only touch the essence and never hold it entirely.
Work Cited
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