To what extent is Philosophy considered a science?

Question

I need to know this in full details before proving to people. WRITE IN FULL DETAILS PLEASE.

Answer 1

Science is a subset of philosophy, not the other way around.

The easiest way to describe science is as whatever is produced by using the scientific method. This is a process founded principally upon objective measurement. Something is objective if it doesn't matter who does it, where, or when, as long as the correct steps are followed in the production and observation of the phenomenon. And this requirement of being objective is actually a pretty strict one.

Requiring measurement against objective references is essentially what differentiates science from some other forms of philosophy. There is no yardstick by which we can measure 'ethics' or 'divinity' or the 'best way to live'. If we ever develop one, those fields will probably just be tucked into the science. This is actually a good proof that all sciences are philosophies - if you go back far enough, there were times when all of them lack the proper tools to be objective, and all of them were universally considered to by philosophies at that time. Many institutions STILL refer to science as 'natural philosophy'.

Both science and philosophy have another characteristic that can differentiate them from other pursuits: they try to be useful and add to or correct the total of human knowledge. Thus new philosophies tend to replace - or at least elaborate on - the old. Arguement and peer review are considered essential in both, and even philosophers tend to consider idea which cannot possibly ever be falsified as belonging more to the realm of fiction writers than actual philosophy.

Art (as an example of a non-philosophical study) may attempt to outshine other art, but each piece is still valid in its own way. You cannot refute the Mona Lisa - that's a non-sequitur. Nor can there ever be a 'perfect' cake. Different people like different things and different formulations serve different purposes.

Answer 2

I was under the impression philosophy was considered an art, not a science. Sciences involve things that can be "proven," while arts involve emotions and thoughts.

Answer 3

phi·los·o·phy

phi·los·o·phy [fi lóssəfee]
(plural phi·los·o·phies)
n
1. philosophy examination of basic concepts: the branch of knowledge or academic study devoted to the systematic examination of basic concepts such as truth, existence, reality, causality, and freedom
2. philosophy system of thought: a particular system of thought or doctrine
3. philosophy guiding or underlying principles: a set of basic principles or concepts underlying a particular sphere of knowledge
4. set of beliefs or aims: a precept, or set of precepts, beliefs, principles, or aims, underlying somebody’s practice or conduct
5. calm resignation: restraint, resignation, or calmness and rationality in a person’s behavior or response to events
6. education the liberal arts: the branch of learning that includes the liberal arts and sciences and excludes medicine, law, and theology (archaic)


[14th century. Via Old French filosofie from, ultimately, Greek philosophia , from philosophos “philosopher” .]


sci·ence

sci·ence [s ənss]
(plural sci·ences)
n
1. study of the physical world: the study of the physical world and its manifestations, especially by using systematic observation and experiment (often used before a noun)
2. branch of science: a branch of science of a particular area of study
the life sciences

3. knowledge gained from science: the knowledge gained by the study of the physical world
4. systematic body of knowledge: any systematically organized body of knowledge about a specific subject
the social sciences

5. something studied or performed methodically: any activity that is the object of careful study or that is carried out according to a developed method
treated me to a lecture on the science of dressing for success



[14th century. Via Old French from Latin scientia , from scient- , present participle stem of scire “to know,” ultimately “to discern,” from an Indo-European word meaning “to cut.”]

blind somebody with science to confuse or overwhelm somebody by giving an impenetrable explanation using technical terms and concepts
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Answer 4

Only as far as the definition includes 'study of.' It isn't really a science.