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82. Scientists Aren’t Philosophers… And Vice Versa

It seems as though we have trouble delineating between different means of understanding the world and how those should be used. I’ve seen philosophers make for bad scientists and scientists make for bad philosophers. The reason, I believe, is they require different ways of searching for Truth.

“Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.”

-Will Durant

Science tells us about what we can measure.

Philosophy tells us about what we can work through with reason.

Science and philosophy can inform each other. The scientific method is rooted in philosophical ideas. And many philosophers use science in deepening their understanding.

Abortion is a discussion about values that can be informed by science. We can see the evolution of thought around abortion as the science has improved.

Climate change is a scientific question- and so is any solution to combat its effects. However, assigning values and making the tradeoffs is a philosophical discussion.

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