Difference Between Science and Philosophy

The main difference between Science and philosophy is that science deals with hypothesis testing based on factual data while philosophy deals with logical analysis based on reason. Science is conceived from philosophy and, therefore, depends on its theories, to begin with.

Science is the stream of knowledge that deals with testing a hypothesis related to a natural phenomenon and encompasses the empirical reasoning of hypothesis testing. Science was originally a branch of philosophy known as “natural philosophy.”

Science comes from the Latin word “Scientia,” meaning “knowledge” it was initially found evolving in Egypt and Mesopotamia, later merging with the current of natural philosophy that emerged in Greece around the same time. Subjects initially related to mathematics, medicine, and astronomy collaborated with the Science of natural phenomena to create what is now called Modern Science.

Modern Science is an enterprise consisting of four streams: natural sciences, social sciences, formal sciences, and applied sciences. The natural sciences deal with the study of nature and consist of physics, chemistry, and biology. Formal Science deals with the study of abstract concepts encompassing mathematics, computer science, and logistics.

Applied sciences are concerned with applying the natural and formal sciences combined and consist of medicine and engineering. The social sciences are part of the reasoning and analysis of our society as a whole and its peers. Includes psychology, economics, and sociology.

What is philosophy?

Philosophy comes from the Greek word “Philosophia,” which means “love of wisdom.” The origins of this intellectual enterprise are rooted in basic questions regarding human existence and the realities around us. Philosophy is also concerned with the relationship between our existence and our realities.

Philosophy deals with logical analysis based on reason. It is a broad term that relates to logical reasoning about the nature of our reality, ethics and aesthetics, the limitations of our thinking, and many more. The people, who are experts or utilitarians of such theories,
are called Philosophers.

Traditionally, Western philosophy in the ancient and medieval eras was dominated by religious thoughts and church dictates. However, modern philosophy freed itself from such obligations and emerged as a stream of more rational and logical reasoning from varied theories.

The main branches of philosophy include epistemology, metaphysics, mind and language, value theory, logic, Science and, mathematics, and the history of philosophy. The growth of philosophy is a constant uphill battle to find the truth, and its progress is measured by how one theory replaces another with the changing times.

Main difference between Science and philosophy 

  • The main difference between Science and philosophy is that science deals with hypothesis testing based on factual data while philosophy deals with logical analysis based on reason.
  • Science differs from philosophy as Science is concerned with testing and proving the hypothesis related to natural phenomena. In contrast, philosophy is a broad question about human existence and the realities around us.
  • Another difference is that Science comes from the Latin word “Scientia,” which means “knowledge,” while philosophy comes from the Greek word “Philosophia,” which means “love of wisdom.”
  • Modern Science is an enterprise consisting of four streams: the natural sciences, the social sciences, the formal sciences, and the applied sciences. At the same time, the main branches of philosophy include epistemology, metaphysics, mind and language, the theory of values, logic, Science and, mathematics, and history of philosophy.
  • Science was originally a branch of philosophy known as “natural philosophy,” while philosophy deals with the relationship between our existence and our realities.


Conclusion

Both science and philosophy deal with the complexities of logic and reasoning, but they differ in how each perceives and treats the knowledge in question. Philosophy is the oldest concept of relation to knowledge, and Science is a branch of it that was originally called “Natural Philosophy.”

Another difference is that Science comes from the Latin word “Scientia,” which means “knowledge,” while philosophy comes from the Greek word “Philosophia,” which means “love of wisdom.” Science also differs from philosophy because it tries to prove hypotheses related to natural phenomena. In contrast, philosophy is a broad term that includes questions regarding human existence and the realities around us.

Modern Science is a stream of education comprising natural sciences, social sciences, formal sciences, and applied sciences. At the same time, the main branches of philosophy include epistemology, metaphysics, mind and language, value theory, logic, science, mathematics, and the history of philosophy.

Courtesy: Queens College of Vocational Education

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