Should physicists think more deeply about philosophy?

Answer 1

Intelligent people study many fields, not just one. However, there is little cross-over from the two you listed so there would be little gain. Debating right and wrong means nothing to science of the physical world. If you studied less philosophy and more physics you would know this.

Answer 2

Personally, I do think that physicists should think more deeply about philosophy, to help them further understand their subject and its implications, and also to learn a little more about ethics, since the discoveries in physics can influence our lives in fantastic and terrible ways.

Indeed, there are some very deep connections between physics and philosophy (philosophy of quantum mechanics and relativity, for example). These areas in particular might be of interest and relevance to physicists, as I find that one of the best ways to get a full understanding of an idea or issue is to consider it from different perspectives, and so physicists may find that the philosophical perspective has something to offer them.

Also, studying philosophy in general and logic in particular, can help your reasoning skills, and hence reduce the likelihood that you would make or accept a fallacious inference. In a discipline like physics, I expect that such reasoning skills would be of great importance!

Answer 3

I know that philosophers are thinking more deeply about physics - Deepak Chopra, Gary Zukav, Wayne Dyer - so it should go the other way as well. It probably does, but I don't know many physicists off the top of my head (other than Einstein as was pointed out earlier).

The two fields are merging together; quantum mechanics is very closely tied to philosophy. Eventually (ideally) all disciplines will merge into one great answer to the mystery of life, and no discipline would contradict another.

Answer 4

It depends on what kind of physics and what kind of philosophy. They are both rather large subjects. Logic is of course necessary to physics but it is so obviously necessary that for some reason it is overlooked. (Logic is a branch of philosophy)

In any case theoretical physics is getting so strange these days that humans seem to need ANY help they can from ANY field they can in order to take that next big step in understanding the true nature of the time-space continuum that we call 'reality'.

So my answer is: yes.

Answer 5

The physicists I know are disdainful of philosophy, for the most part. Perhaps you need to ask that question of social scientists.

Answer 6

Philosophical considerations are only relevant to science when the scientist is working on applied research: ie. technology.

I don't think philosophy has any bearing on discovering and refining the laws of physics.

Naturally, everybody should be aware of philosophical concepts as part of being a rounded human being, but that was not the question.

Answer 7

The question should be; to which philosophy physics would be applied?Physics, as well as philpsophy does not represent a solution itself but may lead to solutions...Physic has its own philosophy as well as philosophy contains its own physics, so to speak.

Answer 8

Yes they should. Philosophy has alot of stuff in it, that most people don't know about. I may be young, but I'm already studying philosophy. 13 is pretty young to be studying philosophy don't you think?

Answer 9

Cosmologists do. And they are the best physicists.

Answer 10

Einstein was a master of both and was a profound individual.