de Haro, Sebastian (2013) Science and Philosophy: A Love-Hate Relationship. [Preprint]

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Abstract

In this paper I review the problematic relationship between science and philosophy; in particular, I will address the question of whether science needs philosophy, and I will offer some positive (if incomplete) perspectives that should be helpful in developing a synergetic relationship between the two. I will review three lines of reasoning often employed in arguing that philosophy is useless for science: a) philosophy’s death diagnosis (‘philosophy is dead’) and what follows from it; b) the historic-agnostic argument/challenge “show me examples where philosophy has been useful for science, for I don’t know of any”; c) the division of property argument (or: philosophy and science have different subject matters, therefore philosophy is useless for science).

These arguments will be countered with three contentions to the effect that the natural sciences need philosophy. I will: a) point to the fallacy of anti-philosophicalism (or: ‘in order to deny the need for philosophy, one must do philosophy’) and examine the role of paradigms and presuppositions (or: why science can’t live without philosophy); b) point out why the historical argument fails (in an example from quantum mechanics, alive and kicking); c) briefly sketch some domains of intersection of science and philosophy and how the two can have mutual synergy. I will conclude with some implications of this synergetic relationship between science and philosophy for the liberal arts and sciences.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID de Haro, Sebastian s.deharo@auc.nl
Keywords:	science & philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of nature, paradigm, method, presuppositions, ontology, EPR, quantum mechanics
Subjects:	General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Science Education
Depositing User:	Dr Sebastian De Haro
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2013 05:44
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2013 05:45
Item ID:	9864
Subjects:	General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science General Issues > History of Science Case Studies Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics General Issues > Science Education
Date:	15 June 2013
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9864

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