The philosophy of science studies the problem of demarcation, which involves defining the differentiation between scientific knowledge and that which is not.
The philosophy of science is a philosophical branch that analyzes scientific practices and methods . Its purpose is to reflect on what science is and what the consequences or effects of its activities are.
It should be noted that the idea of philosophy refers to knowledge that aims to rationally determine the meaning of people's actions and the principles that make it possible to know reality. The idea of science , meanwhile, refers to the knowledge that is generated through reasoning and observation , is structured in a system, can be verified empirically thanks to experimentation and allows general laws to be deduced that are used to make predictions. .
History of the philosophy of science
The history of the philosophy of science begins in the mid- 19th century from the work of leaders of empirio-criticism and critical positivism . However, its antecedents are much more distant.
In Ancient Greece , Aristotle and Plato had already alluded to the nature of science. Later, René Descartes from rationalism , Francis Bacon from empiricism and Auguste Comte from positivism also reflected on these types of questions.
The philosophy of science, in this framework, emerged as a discipline when a critical reflection on scientific work was consolidated, valuing its impact and examining its multiple dimensions. In this way, it went beyond the analysis of hypotheses and theories, testing methods, the scientific paradigm , the language of science and other issues that were already studied.
With the philosophy of science, deliberation on the link between knowledge and reality and on scientific rationality , for example, was systematized.
Paradigm change is an issue examined by the philosophy of science.
Its characteristics
It can be said that the philosophy of science studies how scientific knowledge is produced, contemplating different aspects. In this framework, it focuses on what distinguishes science from other human activities , observing the logic behind its statements and the link between empirical data and theoretical constructions.
It is often said that all scientific methodology has its origin in philosophy. What philosophers of science do is examine these methodologies and their theoretical principles to develop a narrative about them.
Due to its characteristics, this philosophical branch not only helps to understand the limits that exist, or do not exist, between the different scientific fields. It also makes it possible to understand when a supposed science is, in reality, a pseudoscience .
Philosophy of science, on the other hand, helps guide empirical research. In this way, it provides resources to promote scientific progress and, ultimately, to deepen human knowledge .
Another contribution of this specialization of philosophy is that it contributes to the unity of science . Their contribution allows us to find bridges between the natural and exact sciences and the social sciences (or humanities).
The philosophy of science analyzes scientific activity in all its complexity.
Philosophy of science, truth and falsehood
The philosophy of science investigates the connections between evidence and theories . Although scientific models are intended to provide an explanation of facts that can be observed, their value is determined by their ability to undergo empirical testing and to make accurate predictions.
In this way, the philosophy of science investigates the verificationism and falsificationism of scientific laws. In other words, it inspects the development, evaluation and testing of hypotheses to define their falsity or truth based on evidence .
Differences with epistemology
It is common for confusion to arise between the philosophy of science and epistemology . As we already indicated, the philosophy of science reflects on scientific activity in a broad way and addressing numerous issues.
Epistemology , on the other hand, focuses on the knowledge obtained from reality. That is why it studies the nature, validity and types of knowledge. Another linked notion is the idea of epistemology , also mentioned as a theory of knowledge and aimed at reflecting on knowledge itself.
The philosophy of science in particular
Just as there is a great philosophy of science that revolves around science in general, there are also philosophies of specific sciences. That is why we can talk about philosophy of physics , philosophy of biology , philosophy of psychology , philosophy of chemistry and philosophy of mathematics , among others.
In these cases, analyzes of concepts and practices are carried out and reflection on the ethics of science is promoted. If we focus on the philosophy of biology , to mention one case, the social and ethical scope of biological research is considered, something similar to what happens in medicine.
The philosophy of physics , meanwhile, inspects the nature of energy, matter, time and space and observes how physical theories affect the knowledge that human beings have of the universe.