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Philosophy of Science

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
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Thought about purpose (Knight 1998)
Thinking about what you are doing and why you are doing it
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(NB: to
love wisdom does not make one a philosopher)
Organized system of knowledge resulting from the persistent attempt of man's intellect to understand
and describe the world in which we live
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The study of questions
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Questioning and
thinking critically
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Testing thoughts against reality
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You must be able to explain why you did what
you did (why, when, how, what you did)
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Principles
driving your method of usage
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Body of information/beliefs
used to ask questions and to think
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What you know!

ISSUES INVOLVED (Knight 1998, 5)
 The nature of reality (metaphysics)
 The meaning and sources of knowledge (epistemology)
 The structure of values (axiology)
PHILOSOPHY AS AN ACTIVITY
How is this philosophy thing accomplished? How do we do it?
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It requires examination of the full range of
evidence (comprehensiveness)
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Scrutinizes logic in an argument to evaluate varying contexts
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Combining identified pieces together to make a
whole
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Speculation: (based on limitations of human knowledge) permits movement from known to unknown;
undefined alternative = doubt
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Prescription: establishing standards for evaluating values in conduct and art (e
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, mode of conduct)
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The aim is to determine the most
worthwhile actions and qualities (discovery and illumination)
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Varies
by philosopher
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PHILOSOPHY AS AN ATTITUDE: Philosophers bring certain ways of thinking to their tasks
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NO ONE IS NEUTRAL! Signification involves interpretation and
communication
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WHOLENESS!
 Penetration: a desire that leads a person to go as deeply into a problem as skill, time and energy will
allow (basic principles, issues and solutions)
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Willingness to restructure ideas in the face of
sufficient evidence and the ability to envision viable alternatives to a viewpoint
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Some of the
major questions are:
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What is ultimate reality?
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What is
true?
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Humans desire some things more than others
(preferences)
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METAPHYSICS - "beyond physics" (Greek)
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What is ultimately real?
 What is the reality of the chair on which you sit?
 Solid surface (some smooth)
 Colour (orange, blue, gray, brown)
 Composed of identifiable material (wood, plastic, nylon, metal)
 It supports your weight (limit)
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A chair is
therefore a hotbed of molecular activity
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 Aspects of Metaphysics:
 The complete verification of any particular answer to these questions in beyond the realm of human
demonstration
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 Metaphysics represents the speculative and synthesizing activities of philosophy
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 Philosophy of science underlies scientific experimentation
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 Types of Metaphysical questions:
 Cosmology - the study of theories about the origin, nature, and development of the universe as an
orderly system
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 Anthropology - the study of human beings (humanity)
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Relationships between mind and body (interaction)? Which is
more fundamental (which depends on which)? Morals? Humanity- Good vs
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Theology - the part of religious theory that deals with conceptions of and about God
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 Pantheism - God and the universe are identical - all is God and God is all
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 Theism - the belief in a personal creator God
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 Monotheism - belief in one God
Ontology - the study of the nature of existence, or what it means for anything to be
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 Composition of reality _ Matter or spirit or both
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 Fixed or stable/changeable
 Friendly, unfriendly, or neutral to humanity
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"What is truth?" "How do we know?"
 Dependability of knowledge
 Validity of methods
 Dimensions of knowledge:
 Can reality be known? Link between metaphysics and epistemology
 Skepticism - the position claiming that it is impossible to gain knowledge and that any search for
truth is vain (Eccl
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 Is Truth relative or absolute? Is truth subject to change (true today _ false tomorrow)? "Relative"
 Absolute Truth - the truth that is eternally and universally true irrespective of time or space
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 Knowers contribute something in this engagement of themselves with the world in such a way as to
be partially responsible for the structure of their knowledge (Social and Behavioural sciences)
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 Is there truth independent of human experience? (Viewed in terms of a priori and a posteriori
knowledge)
 a priori knowledge - truth that some thinkers claim is built into the very fabric of reality
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It exists prior to
human experience and is independent of human awareness (e
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, relationship between diameter and
circumference of a circle [pi])
 a posteriori knowledge - knowledge posterior to human experience of it and dependent on human
awareness (e
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being stuck with a pin and feeling pain)
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Philosophy of Science

Sources of Knowledge: no single source of knowledge is used
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I "know" because I see…!
 Ideas formed in accordance with observed data
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 Instruments aid in sensory perception (not dependable)
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The senses can be replicated for public examination
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This form of knowledge has
the distinct advantage of being an omniscient source of information that is not obtainable through other
epistemological methods
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 Human interpretation -- causes distortions in truth
 Must be accepted by faith and cannot be proved or disproved empirically
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 Saves time and enhances social and scientific progress
 As valid as its fundamental assumptions
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 The sensations and experiences, which we gain through our senses, are the raw materials of
knowledge
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 May lack relevance to the external world
 Based on premises
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 Immediate feeling of certainty
 Sudden flash of insight
 Personal way of knowing
 The weakness is that it does not appear safe when used alone
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How do we differentiate between false/true
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Judgment =
facts = True; if not = False
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Some criticisms are as follows:
 How can we compare our ideas with reality (we only know experiences)
 It assumes sense data to be clear and accurate
 It is inadequate - ideas are not concrete outside human thought
 Coherence Theory - states that a judgment is true if it is consistent with other judgments that have
previously been accepted as true
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 There is no such thing as static or absolute truth
 People know only their experiences
 Rejects coherence and correspondence theories
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Philosophy of Science
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 Truth is viewed as unique (one for you and one for me)
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Acceptance of a particular position is a "faith choice" - commitment to a way of life
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 Value - the notions of what a person of a society conceives of as being good or preferable
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 Conceived values - verbalized but not actualized values - "Bag of mouth"
 Operative values - values acted upon
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 Branches of Axiology
 Ethics - the study of moral values and conduct
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 Science and technology are morally neutral, but the uses to which they are put involve ethical
considerations
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 Aesthetics - the realm of value that searches for the principles governing the creation and
appreciation of beauty and art
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Worldview (definition): A set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true, or
entirely false), which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the
basic makeup of the world (Sire 1997, pp
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 It is the assumption of a worldview (whether basic or simple) that allows us to think at all
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 Few people have an articulate philosophy
 Everyone has a worldview - we use our worldview (frame of reference) when we think about
anything
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IT IS!
 The apprehension that something is there is the beginning of "Conscious Life"
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This leads to divergence in worldviews
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Our worldview is generally unquestioned
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17)
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Your worldview also helps you to accept the answers that are found in your
search (temporary or absolute)
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Thinking requires an adequate worldview, therefore thinking critically requires knowledge of your
worldview
I think, therefore I am!
Forms of thought are:
- Casual thought - thought that involves use of basic information (Where did I leave my watch?
What time is it? Did I lock my door? What am I going to do today?)
- Profound Question - thought involving deep thinking and pondering of information (it also
involves a large amount of speculation)
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We should adopt a position of "Humility" to develop an adequate worldview (p
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 Human beings tend to adopt positions that yield power (whether true or not)
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Data can be:
 Gleaned through personal experiences (daily life)
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 Reported to us from the experiences of others
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For example, there was a man who was walking through a cemetery late at night and he fell into an
open grave
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LACK OF COMPREHENSION ≈ FALSEHOOD/INADEQUACY
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An adequate worldview should explain what it claims to explain
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Evolutionists claim that life forms evolve into complex life forms; where are the fossil records of
the transitional forms (e
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human-ape) they claim exist?
 There are several critical questions that one must ask of a worldview to check validity:
 How does it explain the fact that human beings think but think haltingly, love but hate too, are
creative but also destructive, and are wise but often foolish?
 Does it explain our longing for truth or personal fulfillment?
 Why is pleasure, as we know it now rarely enough to satisfy completely?
 Why do we usually want more: money, love, or ecstasy?
 How do we explain our human refusal to operate in an amoral (lack or morals) fashion?
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Philosophy of Science
The important thing is that we either answer these critical questions or create a framework in
which these questions can be answered
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A worldview should be subjectively satisfactory
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 A worldview satisfies by being true (Truth is the only thing that will satisfy)
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Nihilism - a denial of philosophy, a denial of the possibility of knowledge, a denial that anything is
valuable
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Reference Material:
Thomas, Cleveland J
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D
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A Quest for Reality and Certainty
Sire, James W
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The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, 3rd Edition
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Knight, George R
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Philosophy and Education: an introduction in Christian perspective, 3rd
edition
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