Often times, the search for life in the universe is left to science. And often times, the search for meaning in the universe is left to philosophy. Are the two fields much different from each other? The field of philosophy often examines the natural world, posing questions in hopes of finding answers. Science does the sames. The field of philosophy also changes over times, as new discoveries and questions arise from previous answers. The same can be said for science. So why is it that the two areas of study are often disassociated from one another? Why must the two be separated?

Philosophers and scientists are one and the same

Both philosophy and science share a common goal: to better understand both the universe and humanity’s role in it. But there seems to be a divide in one aspect; philosophy often uses questions to find more questions, while science uses answers to find more answers. Philosophy searches in the infinite, while science exists in the finite world. Yet these studies are not as divided as one might think. In fact, philosophy can be used in the scientific world to help keep the scientists’ perspectives in check, so that they might have a sense of morality as they begin their experimentation. And philosophy can also benefit from science because it allows for the philosophers to pose new, in-depth questions to what has been found in the physical world. Even though these two fields can often be regarded as opposites, they share more in common than one might think.

A comic on science and philosophy

In the end, both science and philosophy promote both questioning and personal exploration. Both contain answers, and both contain questions. While they are not exactly the same, they contain many similarities, and can be used together to form a better understanding of life in the universe.

Image Sources:

http://undsci.berkeley.edu/images/us101/philo_sci.jpg

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/300/8/6/science_vs_philosophy_by_dye882003-d4e5n4k.jpg