Philosophy of Science Essay Examples and Topics

In Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Galileo Galilei discusses the limitations of human understanding and knowledge. The author focuses on the necessity to find an objective method of proving or disproving a certain proposition, but he acknowledges that this objectivity is often difficult to achieve. The passage that is going to be analyzed […]

Knowledge, its source and truthfulness have been under question for a long time. People have always wondered what exactly constitutes facts and if there are any defining laws that can be attributed to all knowledge or information available in the world. Many philosophers speculated on how information can be interpreted according to its falsity or […]

The work of Karl Popper on defining and analyzing what knowledge is has been considered of great importance in the current world of philosophy and psychology. This scholar tries to define what knowledge is, and holds that there isn’t such thing as object of knowledge. According to Resnick (2004, p. 89), “To know is to […]

Aristotle and Lucretius talked about the concept of motion in many ways. Their contributions to the concept of motion contributed a lot to the birth of modern science. It is noted that they differed over several ideas as regards to how the world ought to function. In this article, the nature of motion would be […]

Abstract Proponents of using quantitative or qualitative methodologies in the research process are inclined to point at advantages of their preferable paradigm while ignoring strengths of the other methods. Nevertheless, debates on the problem seem to be groundless because today researchers choose methodologies while focusing on the purpose of their studies, and they often mix […]

Definition Grounded theory is a qualitative approach to research that encompasses the use multifarious iterative methodologies to carry out systematic analysis of social phenomena. The grounded theory methodology is explicitly applied in the generation and/or development of new theories with reference to interactive social inquiries. Creswell (2012) reveals that the grounded theory is suitable for […]

Scientific revolutions can be discussed as the complex changes of paradigms, and these large scale changes are the results of crises in the scientific world which lead to altering the perspective from which the world of science is perceived by researchers. While discussing the significance and role of the scientific revolution for a scientist, Thomas […]

Thesis: In spite of the fact that the discussion of this controversial issue can be considered as open, it is possible to refer to the analysis of Quine-Duhem Thesis and to the conclusions made by the other scholars such as Thomas Kuhn and state that there are no theory-neutral observations because any observations should be […]

Introduction Throughout history, the understanding of human nature has been a complex phenomenon. Scholars, philosophers, researchers and the laymen, have been reading different scripts, concerning the real nature of human society and human thinking. Different philosophers, including Plato and Galileo, have offered insightful ideas concerning the actual nature of human mind and the society in […]

The most general explanation of the principles of scientific realism is based on the idea that science can provide the true description of the real world and details of the world’s processes. To justify the appropriateness of the philosophy, the supporters of scientific realism are inclined to promote the ‘no miracles’ argument which is discussed […]

The discussion of the nature of science is important for philosophers, scientists, historians, and sociologists because science influences the society significantly. However, there are many hypotheses which cannot be discussed as scientific in their nature because they cannot be supported with any evidence. At this stage, philosophers of science speak about non-scientific knowledge. Stating that […]

Introduction Historiography of science and scientific revolution is a broad area to which development different historians have contributed their works and studies. These historiographers examine different themes, philosophies and ideas on different subjects and context which assist them in understanding the concepts behind them. These people, therefore, explore different areas by various methods which help […]

Introduction Scientific proposition necessitates more than one insinuation to the situation in order to be analyzed practically. Through segregation, it may not be feasible to experiment any scientific hypothesis as stipulated by the problem raised by Duhem–Quine (Duhem-Quine thesis). The thesis presented by Duhem-Quine may also refer to the auxiliary hypotheses or assumptions. In essence, […]

Introduction Philosophy of science looks at the basis, approaches and connotations of science as well as the applicability and demerits of science (Williams C. , 2007). Research, on the other hand refers to the process of collecting, analyzing and consumption of data (Williams, 2007). This short essay examines Creswell’s alignment of philosophies of science with […]

Science provides a robust means through which human beings study the nature of their universe. It is every scientist’s goal to find a solution to a particular problem. There are many conventional methods of doing this. One of these methods is induction. In the inductivist method of science, generalizations are formed after examining certain particulars. […]

Popper’s theories have always attempted to draw the line between science and non-science. Popper is of the view that induction belongs to the non-science category. Therefore, Popper falls back on his best-tested theory as the best tool for scientific research. However, his views on corroboration seem to contradict his earlier dismissal of induction. According to […]

The Philosophical Revolution of the 17th century has a close link with the Scientific Revolution. It provided the foundation for the latter by stimulating it in different ways. The two were therefore intimately tied together such that the Scientific Revolution could not be described without making reference to the Philosophical Revolution. “Although philosophy was influenced […]

Introduction The history of objectivity of science can be traced back to the nineteenth century. The objectivity of science was based on the truth, facts and knowledge. It was practiced by scientific atlas founders so as to articulate the presentations of the meaning of nature. The need by scientists to restrain themselves from using their […]

Introduction A first person perspective refers to a personal view over a subject, whether in singular or collective consideration. Self knowledge on the other hand is the information that an individual holds over himself or herself. This paper seeks to discuss the acquisition of self knowledge. The paper will defend the first person acquisition of […]

Introduction Lying about one’s credentials is indeed a violation of societal norms and contradicts principles of integrity. Therefore, such kind of conduct will not be justified. Instead, it is actually necessary to offer a valid explanation of why the phenomenon occurs. This issue is highly context specific and actually occurs as a result of certain […]

Abstract Is education necessary? In line with Dewey’s writing regarding education, (39) there is a large notable distinction between inanimate things and living, in that lifeless things react from forces, which have to be grater than the resistance involved. They are not able to react against the forces to change the outcome. Living things have […]

This paper looks into four major ideas that are at the centre of Kuhn’s ‘Structure of Scientific Revolution’. The four basic concepts are paradigm, normal science, crisis and Inconsumerability. Through discussing the given concepts, the paper will delve into Kuhn’s belief with regards to progress in science. Kuhn is credited for having changed the general […]

Introduction In his work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn uses conceptual ideas to describe scientific revolutions. Even though Kuhn’s work has come under intense criticisms, he expounds his ides in a compelling style that makes them sensible. To understand Kuhn’s ideas, one would want to analyze some issues like the nature of ideas […]

Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn and many philosophers argue that astrology is a pseudoscience, although they have different explanations as to why it is considered a pseudoscience. Arguments vary from issues of Popperian’s variability and falsifiability, to questions of progress and Kuhn’s normal science, to the different sorts of tests raised by the scientific community. However, […]

Introduction Demarcation of science and non-science is exceedingly complex because both are integral in generation of scientific knowledge. General definition of science is the study of the physical world using systemic observation and experimentation skills. Thus, key to science is observation and experimentation of infinite manifestations of the physical world to generate scientific knowledge. In […]

Hume argues that we study history in order to understand our origin and satisfy our human curiosities. He says “in an effort to make us bound to the truths we discover” (Hume, 1920, p.23). Hume further argues that the only way to understand human nature and to be contended with our roots is to know […]

Introduction Knowledge and understanding are two ways through which humans gain information and experiences about life. By gaining information and experiences, a person accumulates wealth of knowledge, while understanding enhances rational utilization of information and experiences. Hence, it suffices to say that knowledge is necessary because people require information and experiences for them to utilize […]

John Locke’s “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding” This essay was one of the pioneering educational works that promoted the empirical method of understanding, also known as empiricism. Completed and published in 1689, the essay was revolutionary since it was in direct opposition to the traditional understanding of knowledge at the time. It was directly opposed […]

Plato and Aristotle are some of the most important figures in the development of philosophy of education (Morgan 43). Although Plato taught and inspired Aristotle, their views on education show a number of differences. Arguably, Plato and Aristotle’s views of education differ in that Aristotle considers education as a ‘virtue by itself’ that every person […]

Introduction: Where the Argument Stems from Years after the era of debates on whether scientific investigation or a prior method should be used as a cornerstone of philosophy and the means to obtain a crystal clear truth, it seems that the concepts of Peirce have considerably more longevity and are more tied with the modern […]

Doubt is the key to knowledge, which is a Persian proverb, has its own meaning and connotation. From an individual viewpoint, doubt materializes as the state of observance amid skepticism and certainty. Often, doubt permits any apparent notion to be questioned. It invokes one to instigate an inquiry besides compelling given truths to be reviewed. […]

Introduction It is more imperative to discover new ways of thinking about what society already know than to discover new data or facts because new ways of thinking about pre-existing knowledge are precursors to discovery of new data; they facilitate the latter process. Furthermore, new ways of thinking cause breakthroughs in various areas of knowledge […]

Introduction The pursuit of knowledge has been the order of most working scientists as well as philosophers of science in the past years. This knowledge referred to is treated as synonymous with natural and physical science. However, there have been different schools of thought in the field of science and during the pursuit of the […]

Introduction Plato and Descartes contributed immensely to the subject of knowledge. Today, the epistemological themes derived by Descartes continue to drive the modern education. On the other hand, Plato’s thinking has influenced many modern philosophers in respect of the concept of knowledge and ignorance (Wilson 135). Plato approached the concept of ignorance with an authoritative […]

Augustine is concerned about the certainty in knowledge claims especially of knowledge in things that he has never seen or things that were enacted beforehand by predecessors. He confesses ignorance in terms of what can be asserted about the substance of God. However, he believes that God would not have given scripture if it were […]

Background Monism refers to a philosophical ideology that holds that physical beings as well as the universe is made up of a single entity. The concept of monism asserts that the world and the body are made up of a single entity that is unified by a particular substance (Doubestein). On the other hand, the […]