CHAPTER 6: PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Philosophy

(literally "love of wisdom") the investigation of the nature of knowledge. existence, and reality.

Deduction

refers to the process of obtaining a specific statement or theory from a more generalized model or observation.

Induction

generates a generalized statement from specific observations.

scientific method

is what differentiates science from non-science; it gives us a framework on how to approach problems as we encounter them in this universe.

natural sciences

 investigate natural phenomena: they attempt to give an explanation of how things happen or work based on the careful interpretation of empirical data. The physical sciences (e.g., chemistry, physics, earth science, astronomy) and biological sciences belong to this category.

social sciences

attempt to give insight on human behavior and societies. Anthropology. archaeology, economics, history. psychology. and sociology are considered as this.

 formal sciences

are based on a set of rules defined beforehand also known as a priori statements). From such rules, theorems that can be applied to various systems are formal sciences include formulated. Examples of mathematics, logic, and statistics.

verificationism verifiability principle

According to this principle, a discipline is scientific if it can be supported by empirical evidence. If it cannot be observed, it is regarded as meaningless

Karl Popper

According to this austrian philosopher, true science cannot be proven, only falsified; this is the falsification principle. Falsification here means that a hypothesis or idea can be tested by experimentation. As long as the experiment shows that an idea is not false, it is accepted as the prevailing explanation to the relevant phenomena.

Socrates

one of the prominent philosophers who focused about life itself; according to him, "The unexamined life is not worth living." He asked questions about moral and psychological issues and challenged existing ideas.

Plato

 student of Socrates, will later on become one of the most influential western philosophers. After leaving Athens and travelling around, he returned to Athens to found his own school, the famed Academy. he focused on metaphysics and epistemology.

Aristotle

studied at Plato’s Academy and became the tutor of Alexander the Great. He systematized logic.

Cynics, Sceptics, Epicureans, Stoics

four major schools of philosophy from the hellenistic age. 

Cynics

the purpose of life is to live in virtue. According to them, in order to be attuned with nature, people must reject all conventional needs such as power, sex, and wealth. The main figures here are Antisthenes, Diogenes, and Crates of Thebes

Sceptics

believed that people should doubt their senses, morality, and logic. Here no one can be certain about the knowledge we have

Epicureans

consider all the sensations we experience are true. emphasized the importance of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain as the innate goal of man. is a form of hedonism, a view that pleasure and pain are the two only important aspects of living. 

Stoics

posited that perfect rationality is the key to achieve moral goodness and happiness leans toward the achievement of apatheia (translated as equanimity) a state of mind wherein one is not disturbed by passions, pain, or emotions.

Eudaimonia

the term used by Greeks for happiness or good-spirited, or human flourishing. The end goal of human action and the highest human good according to Aristotle.

virtue and friendship

the two other core concept to where Aristotle related eudaimonia

virtue

the only requirement for Plato to eudaimonia

moral virtue

arises from practice or habit.

episteme 

scientific knowledge

phronesis

(practical wisdom)

knowledge and phronesis

intellectual virtues

andreia 

bravery

sophrasune

temperance

andreaia and sophrasune

moral virtues

Martin Heidegger

one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century. He mostly studied ontology or the philosophical study of being. Among his other works, his essay Questions Concerning Technology discussed the nature of technology and how it relates to human activity.

poeisis

concealment into unconcealment, it is related to as as something that brings aletheia which is the Greek word for truth.

enframing

a process where objects in earth are translated into something new. It removes the essence of poeisis in technology and changes the way humans view natural resources.

Calculative thinking

emphasises numbers and categories; it only works to satisfy our material desires.

meditative thinking

elucidates the meaning of things. In this thinking, we allow nature to reveal itself to us. Allows us to be open to the truth as nature reveals it, thus, we can approach poiesis.