Philosophy of Science PDF

Philosophy of Science  Introduction Philosophy is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on its own methods and assumption...

Philosophy of Science  Introduction Philosophy is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language. It is a rational and critical inquiry that reflects on its own methods and assumptions The Philosophy of Science explores the foundations, methods, and implications of science. It examines what distinguishes science from other forms of knowledge, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ethical dimensions of scientific practice.  The aim of philosophy of science is to understand what scientists did and how they did it, where history of science shows that they performed basic research very well. Therefore to achieve this aim, philosophers look back to the great achievements in the evolution of modern science that started with the Copernicus with greater emphasis given to more recent accomplishments.  What is science? It originally came from the Latin word scientia which meant knowledge, a knowing, expertness, or experience. By the late 14th century, science meant, in English, collective knowledge. But it has consistently carried the meaning of being a socially embedded activity: people seeking, systematising and sharing knowledge. Science is a strict systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the world. Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. Science generally defined as ‘a systematic body of knowledge relating to a definite department of nature. This definition implies that: 1. Science gives systematic and well-organized knowledge. Scientific knowledge is claimed to be exact and certain. 2. It has a limited field. It deals with a particular phase of nature or experience rather than with the whole. 3. Its methods are generally accepted as analytic. 4. Science aims at the formulation of general laws in order to explain events in nature. 5. Science yields quantitative results. 6.In brief, science is a method of objective investigation with the purpose of describing and interpretation of the world in exact and quantitative terms.  Characteristics of Science Science is based upon observations and experiments Science is based upon reason Scientific knowledge is objective knowledge In science observations needs no proof. Causation is an important concept in science. Factuality is the basis of scientific results. There is certainty in scientific results. Science is a systematic study of knowledge.  How do we know that scientific knowledge is true or reliable? The definition of science implies that its sole focus revolves around getting closer to truth by rejecting what is false, which can be reinforced by reproducible and more accurate results. However, the reliability of scientific knowledge is only as dependable as the observer’s perception and the accuracy of the interpretation of the data they collect. Our perception of the world is relative to the capabilities of the human senses and subject to error and science can also be misinterpreted by misinformed scientists, journalists and the public.  The purpose of science is to create an improved overall understanding of the physical world, by observing predictable relationships that occur in constructed representative models. A model allows a scientist to make repeatable observations, without needing to wait for natural phenomena to occur and to test for a correlation in a specific environment. It also allows the observer to measure data with tools that  Science and Philosophy Science was closely tied to philosophy, aiming to explain the natural world through reason. Before the development of modern science, “natural philosophy” referred to the objective study of nature and the physical universe, and is considered the precursor of what is now called natural science, especially physics. Both are critical in nature. Philosophy integrates sciences and examines scientific assumptions. Scientific research influences philosophical progress. Philosophy guides the future course of scientific process. Bertrand Russell said that the difference between philosophy and science is of the degree not of kind. Prof. Dewey also said that the roots of philosophy and science are the same. Here we will study the relationship between philosophy and science.  Philosophy critically analyses the results of all sciences and present a synoptic view of the life and world. Both Science and Philosophy are engaged in the search of truth. Philosophy examines scientific method. Both are critical in nature. Philosophy integrates sciences and examines scientific assumptions. Scientific research influences philosophical progress. Philosophy guides the future course of scientific process. Philosophy provides a constructive criticism of sciences. Difference between Philosophy and Science Philosophy and Science have different scope and problems. The attitudes of philosophy and science are different. Science and Philosophy differ in their methods. Philosophical Conclusions are different from these of sciences. Philosophy and science are engaged in different  Philosophy and Science has much in common. Both grew out of the reflective, inquiring and are prompted by an impartial love of truth. Both attempt at understanding the world. But their approaches are different. Science has its goals-description, prediction experimentation and control while philosophy aims at interpretation, in finding the purpose and value in life.