The term “philosophy” means, “love of wisdom.” therefore difference and similarities between philosophy and science will be evaluated using the definitions drawn from the both philosophy and science.
But In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves and the world in whole, that is the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other.
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe –wikipeadia
In this article i’m going to discuss with you the difference and similarities between philosophy and Science.
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How to build home networkWe will first discuss the differences then later we will discuss the difference and similarities between philosophy and science
Below are some differences between Philosophy And Science
- SCIENCE employs emperical means such as observation, description and explaination.
- Whereas PHILOSOPHY employs Analytic means which is the method of reasoning only thus SCIENCE is emperical.
- PHILOSOPHY is interpretory
- Science is used for instances that requires emperical validation.
- while philosophy is used for situations where measurements and observations cannot be applied.
- Science also takes anwsers and proof them as objectively right or wrong.
This simpy means that science is based on observation or experience; the scientific method begins with forming questions or hyptheses and then acquiring the knowledge through observation and experiment to either support or disprove a scientific theory. - Everything is explained in philosophy in everyday words and logic that anyone with average intelligence can understand.
- On the other hand, scientific explanation requires help from concepts and equations that require proper explanation and study, and cannot be understood by someone who does not belong to science stream.
SCIENCE on the other hand is concrete because it deals with what we can feel and see or what we can have some degree of knowledge about: - In science experiments are observed to get results. By observing this experiment to get results, we look at them and sometimes feel or even taste them to get the desired knowledge from the observation which leads to scientific theories.
- Philosophical theories are not theories in the scientific sense of the word theory. They may include empirical evidence and beliefs and may include premises which may be true but are not always obvious truths.
- The premise leads to an argument which leads to a conclusion.
If you accept the premise or argument you come up with a new way of understanding.The new way of understanding may lead people to better understand the universe, time , conciousness and everything. - SCIENCE is narrow in scope than PHILOSOPHY
- Scientists attempts to contribute to the body of knowledge within their specific field and constrained by conventional method of their field and science in general.
- Science is one branch of philosophy with a very specific and effective epistemology in it’s relatively brief period of time. Other Branches includes mathematics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, and some theology, each with their own epistemology.
- Philosophers can study the specific practices, ontological structures, and epistemologies of theories in different branches, and they can also study broader questions relevant to all branches.
SCIENCE looks at a particular aspect of things, PHILOSOPHY is more holistic. - Science is very specific whereas philosophy believes that the entirety must be considered instead of considering it’s parts. Science moves from an understanding of the whole to the understanding of the parts.
- While philosophy view all aspects of people’s need, psychologically, physically, socially and even spiritually.
Table of Differences Between Philosophy VS Science
| Characteristics | Philosophy | Science |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of Inquiry | Philosophy deals with fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, ethics, and reality, often using abstract reasoning. | Science focuses on empirical observation, experimentation, and evidence to understand the natural world. |
| Methods | Philosophical inquiry often relies on logical reasoning and contemplation | Science employs the scientific method involving hypothesis testing, experimentation, and data analysis |
| Goals | Philosophy seeks to explore the underlying principles and meanings of concepts | Science aims to uncover objective truths and explanations for natural phenomena |
| Interplay | Philosophical questions can inspire scientific inquiry | Scientific discoveries can raise philosophical questions about their implications. |
| Applications | Philosophy contributes to critical thinking, ethical discussions, and conceptual exploration. | Science often leads to practical applications and technological advancements. |
| Community | Philosophy encompasses diverse schools of thought and doesn’t always follow a uniform approach | Science operates within a community of researchers who adhere to established methodologies and peer review |
| Empirical vs. Abstract | Philosophy often engages with abstract concepts and thought experiments. | Science relies on empirical evidence and observations from the physical world. |
| Progress | Philosophy often involves ongoing debates without a clear path toward definitive conclusions. | Science tends to build on previous discoveries and aims for cumulative progress. |
| Falsifiability | Philosophical ideas may not always be as directly testable | Scientific theories are often formulated to be testable and falsifiable, allowing for refinement and potential rejection based on new evidence. |
| Scope | Philosophy can cover a wide range of topics, including metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics. | Science is more specialized, focusing on specific fields such as physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy. |
| Products | Theories, arguments, and insights | Laws, models, and hypotheses |
| Subject matter | Fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, reality, and ethics | The natural world |
There are many other diffrencies between philosophy and science in which you can still add please comment them down below so that i can edit this page
Here are some similarities between PHILOSOPHY and SCIENCE.
Both (philosophy and science) are concern with increasing our understanding of the nature of Man and universe:
Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
philosophy can be seen as an activity people under take when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and each other.
Both science and philosophy seek to understand nature of both man and universe using different methods with aim at reducing the complex fact into a simpler one and bringing unknown to known.
Both are skeptical, critical and constructive:Both science and philosophy questions the reiability of knowledge claims made by scientists and philosophers.
They both organize their questioning into systematic sets of arguments aimed at raising doubts as to whether anything can be known at all or in another form claiming that knowledge of some things can only be attained with difficulty given certain precautions; this is skeptical. Science and philosophy requires critical thinking and conclusions are derived from built up premises.
Both imploy the method of logical, co- coherent and systematic reasoning:
Both science and philosophy originates from imagination, they both try to explain situations and find answers. Philosophy does this by using logical argumentation, while science utilizes empirical data.
Philosophy’s explanations are grounded in arguments of principles, while science tries to explain based on experiment results, observable facts, and objective evidence.
Both compliment each other, for instance, where as Philosophy interprete or explains the conclusion of science, Science verifies the speculation of Philosophy:
One of the beautiful thing about the relationship between science and philosophy is that while science explains how things occur, philosophy explains why things occur.
In trying to find out how things occur another question that comes to the heart of man is why things occur and this is where philosophy comes in to explain. Philosophers help interpret experiments done by scientists.
Table of Similarities Between Philosophy VS Science
| Characteristics | Philosophy | Science |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Philosophy is concerned with understanding the world around us. However, philosophy do this in it own ways. Philosophy seeks knowledge through critical thinking, logic, and reasoning. | Science is concerned with understanding the world around us. However, science do this in different ways. Science seeks knowledge through observation, experimentation, and hypothesis testing. |
| They Both Uses Evidence | Philosophy rely on evidence to support their claims. However, the type of evidence they use is different. Philosophy often relies on logical arguments and conceptual analysis. | Science rely on evidence to support their claims. The type of evidence they use is different.Science often relies on empirical evidence, such as data from experiments and observations. |
| They both use reason | They both use reason.Philosophy and Science use reason to evaluate evidence and draw conclusions. However, the way they use reason is different. Philosophy often uses deductive reasoning, which is reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions. | They both use reason.Both philosophy and science use reason to evaluate evidence and draw conclusions. Science often uses inductive reasoning, which is reasoning from specific observations to general conclusions |
| Long History | They both have a long history. Both philosophy and science have a long history that dates back thousands of years. Philosophy originated in ancient Greece, while science originated in the Middle Ages | They both have a long history. Both philosophy and science have a long history that dates back thousands of years. Philosophy originated in ancient Greece, while science originated in the Middle Ages |
