understanding the philosophy of science
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Until the 19th century, there was no distinction between scientists and philosophers, and many of the great philosopher-scientists in the West were also theologians, while in the Islamic world they were often mystics. Science gave philosophy a way of empirically testing theories, while philosophy helped develop the scientific method used today. In other words, science could not have existed without philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Avicenna, Averroes, Bacon and Descartes. [1]
The creation of science began with the split between Platonism and Aristotleism. Plato is often referred to as the Father of Philosophy and Aristotle the initiator of the scientific method. However, with the decline of the Greek Civilization and the fall of the Roman Empire, philosophy came to a standstill in the Western world for virtually 300 years—from 600 AD to 900 AD. [2] While Europe was in its dark ages of Christian fundamentalism, the Eastern world was flourishing. Islamic extremism existed only in the fringes of society, freedom of thought and expression were encouraged, and the main form of Islam practiced in countries such as Iran was Sufism, which is mysticism. It was through the appeal of Sufism that Islam had been able to spread across the globe. Therefore, Muslims picked up the baton of philosophy, and preserved the knowledge of ancient Greeks, adding to its techniques. Philosopher-scientists such as Ibn al-Haytham defined the modern scientific method, Biruni created the field of geodesy, Avicenna introduced ground breaking medical work, while Averroes commentaries on Aristotle became the major source of understanding Aristotle’s philosophy in the West. For a more complete list of Islamic philosopher-scientists and their accomplishments you can visit our philosophers page. As the Islamic world became less influential, much of this knowledge |
was taken to Europe, where it formed the basis for the first Renaissance. The recovery of Aristotle’s work posed a challenge to Christianity by providing a systematic philosophy which through the use of reason, gave voice to truths that were in conflict with religious beliefs.
Aristotle’s philosophy argued that the natural world is eternal, there is no resurrection of personal immortality, and even denied the existence of divine providence. When coupled with the philosophy of Avicenna and Averroes, it became even more rational. Avicenna and Averroes’ position had always been in major conflict with Islamic theologians, because these philosophers believed that where reason conflicts with revelation, reason must be followed. In fact, a school of Latin Averroeist developed later on which followed this line. [2] The conflict between Christianity and philosophy continued in the West but philosophy did not die down and in fact flourished through ingenious efforts of Christian scholars such as Descartes who ultimately succeeded in creating the modern science of today. However, in the Muslim world, with the attack of the Sufi theologian Ghazali against philosophers with his book “The Incoherence of the Philosophers,” and the rise of extremist tendencies, rational scientific thought was sidelined, and philosophy took refuge in Sufi and theological philosophical thought, which continues to this day. It is unfortunate that many people have not heard of the work of these great Eastern philosophers or understand how they contributed to the scientific progress in the Western world. And that many do not know that the modern scientific method is not only built upon the work of Kuhn or Popper, but also philosopher-scientists such as Avicenna, Averroes and Biruni. [1] |
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Philosophy isn’t an activity people undertake only to understand the world they live in, but to understand themselves and their relations to the world and each other. When you are engaged in studying philosophy you are asking questions about some of life’s most basic and meaningful questions, such as:
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By studying philosophy, you can enhance your problem-solving abilities, become better at looking at things from a variety of perspectives, distinguish good reasoning from those who try to manipulate you, and improve your communication skills.
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references:
[1] Martyn Shuttleworth (Sep 4, 2009). Philosophy of Science History. Retrieved Mar 09, 2018 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/history-of-the-philosophy-of-science
[2] "Chapter 6: The Transition from Aristotle to Newton." Bowling Green State University. http://physics.bgsu.edu/~gcd/Spacetime6.html
[3] "Why Study Philosophy?" Lehigh University. https://philosophy.cas2.lehigh.edu/content/why-study-philosophy
[2] "Chapter 6: The Transition from Aristotle to Newton." Bowling Green State University. http://physics.bgsu.edu/~gcd/Spacetime6.html
[3] "Why Study Philosophy?" Lehigh University. https://philosophy.cas2.lehigh.edu/content/why-study-philosophy