Philosophy, Science and Commonsense : Some remarks on their interrelations

概要

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Philosophy does not increase the body of scientific knowledge, nor does the pursuit of science by itself deepen philosophical insight. Yet the relation between the two is intimate. On the one hand philosophy cannot afford to ignore the results of scientific inquiry without becoming blind and narrowly provincial. On the other hand philosophical reflection can illuminate the nature and function of science and, by doing so, not only influence the progress or scientific work itself but also prevent its theoretical and practical misuse. In this talk I shall deal with two connected topics which, I think, fall clearly within the scope of this symposium. Firstly, I shall try to characterize the philosophical activities of analysis and speculation, and show their relation to scientific thinking. Secondly, I shall engage in a piece of analysis. Following in the footsteps of many thinkers, from Plato to Poincare, I shall argue that mathematics and the mathematizing sciences do not so much describe experience as idealize it. I shall then briefly discuss the logical relation between scientific idealization and ordinary commonsense thinking and draw the tentative conclusion that the results of scientific inquiry do not, as is often proclaimed, imply that responsible choice and moral responsibility are illusory.
科学基礎論学会の論文
1962-03-05