What is Science

Philosophy & Science

The Subjectivity of Science: The role of philosophy in explaining the nature of science

James L. Christian, in his book "Philosophy," centers his discussion in providing a philosophical perspective to the nature of science. In his discussion of science in a philosophical context and its relation with human society, Christian asserts, " ... In general there is so much mathematical inconsistency to our experience of nature's operations that we have arrived at the point of accepting a naturalistic world-view of nature." In this passage, the author elucidates on the point that despite science's objective nature, its root and origin is still determined by human nature, which is inherently objective. This thesis is reflected in the works of Carl Hempel, Bertrand Russell, and Richard Feynman, men of philosophy and science, who have expressed their understanding of science's nature as human society experiences it in the contemporary society.

Carl Hempel's discourse, "Explanation in science," looks into his theory of science, wherein he proposes the concepts of "explanadum" and "explanans" through the deductive-nomological model. In discussing these concepts and model of scientific philosophy, Hempel illustrated how they are vital to the formulation of natural laws, which become the foundation of science, such as, for example, the law of gravity. His discussion on statistical probability reflects Christian's thesis, wherein the truth of a premise or law is validated through the individual's analysis of the explanans and explanadum. From this explanation, it becomes apparent that despite the scientific analysis involved in studying a law or premise of fact, the individual's subjective judgment is the primary factor through which humans are able to explain their realities in life.

In a similar vein as Hempel, Richard Feynman's analysis of the philosophy of the nature of science is elucidated in "Seeking new laws of nature," wherein he posits that humanity's knowledge of the physical world is based on human intuition, or 'guessing,' an activity that requires subjective judgment of the individual. Despite his strong subsistence to the benefits of science to human society, he also illustrates in his discourse how, without humanity, specifically the human capability to guess and listen to his/her intuition, science would not be conceived and develop as it is at present. In the same way Feynman acknowledges the wonders of science, he also acknowledges the genius of humanity, which is the original creators and developers of the principles and philosophies that science lives by.