Why Philosophy Of Science Is Important For Every Student

One of the biggest factors that is derailing the current educational system in India is Coaching classes. While coaching classes systematically focused on enhancing academic learning are beneficial to many students, the current process undertaken by a majority of the coaching classes is making students cram topics and concepts with a negligible undertaking of explaining the application of the knowledge. Coaching classes aren’t just in India, these are present in South Korea, China, and other far eastern countries, and now the United States is also witnessing its burgeoning.

I still remember when I used to go to coaching classes back when I was in India and mindlessly crammed topics. Unfortunately, math wasn’t spared either. The situation wasn't any different at my high school. Where coaching class professionals stopped, high school educators encouraged me to do rote memorization. Teachers pushed students to adhere to only specific ways of doing things and any deviation from the standard approach was met with reproach and ridicule despite doing the work correctly.

I have always enjoyed reading books and literature outside of my academia for the sheer joy of reading and exploring various domains of academia or non-academia. Besides, additional literature always challenged my understanding and gave me a deeper appreciation of various topics.

Articles, journals, audio, videos, and interviews of experts and veterans from various domains, always expanded my scope of learning and gave me diverse perspectives on a singular topic. One fine day, as I was browsing through a catalog of topics, my eyes focused on a specific text that read:

“Philosophy of Science”.

I was aware of philosophy but knowing that the field had numerous other subdomains, especially one geared towards science, came as a bit of a surprise. I got curious and delved deeper to know more about it.

I learned the importance of Philosophy after I explored a few topics on the subject. The underlying principles or explaining phenomena supported by philosophy were interesting. Philosophy enables the STEM field through many frameworks, not the least of which is logic and rationality. Philosophy can also serve as an anchor for ethics when technology and science make rapid advancements and stop us dead in the tracks and allow us to take a hard look at their impact on humanity. The real appreciation of science or any field for that matter appears to stem from a philosophical standpoint. Truth, Beauty, and Wisdom are all around us everywhere and, it’s through the lens of philosophy that we recognize them.

Last year, I met someone who had a background in material science. At one time, we were discussing scientists and engineers. We both were trying to define both entities. “A scientist appears to be an observer who notes a natural phenomenon and investigates it. A scientist might ask “how”, “what”, “where”, and “when”, that phenomenon existed and occasionally ask the “why” part of the phenomenon. Whereas, an engineer appears to be aware of a framework or laws and may try to apply that knowledge to replicate the phenomenon in a lab with the hope of applying that knowledge”, this was one argument. Of course, we also discussed how definitions appear to be fluid and how they’ve evolved. Since definitions started becoming too cumbersome, we decided to provide instances. One of the names that surfaced in the discussion was – Sir Isaac Newton. But this didn’t go well. We realized that while Newton conceptualized many phenomena like a scientist, nevertheless, he also conducted many experiments like an engineer to understand the application of a phenomenon.

As our discussion progressed, I mentioned that before the word “Scientist” was around, the people who investigated phenomena were called Natural Philosophers or sometimes Natural Inquirers. The words “Natural Philosophers” give an idea of how various perspectives and frameworks are utilized to develop an understanding of natural events. Advancement of science meant that focus on philosophy required just as much or probably more to ensure the objectivity of phenomena remained consistent.

The idea behind the explication of natural events using philosophy was not only prevalent in Europe, but also across different cultures around the world in the past. Observations are a big part of science and cannot be excluded from science or philosophy. Observation is one such element that overlaps science and philosophy.

For instance, in the past, understanding climate and weather patterns to predict rainfall for the better yielding of crops meant having sharp observations in changes to wind, clouds, and atmospheric pressure, recording them, and making corrections and changes to the records based on different parameters and calculating them meant utilization of various observations and perspectives and philosophy served as a foundation for these observations and calculations.

Another instance of the usage of philosophy back in ancient times was the usage of riddles, puzzles, and cryptography. E.g., cryptic messages were often sent to allies located in enemy territory to carry out espionage acts. These were nothing but a clever application of philosophy, mathematics, and applied sciences.

When I was reading a few topics in the philosophy of science, a new feeling settled in me. The deliberate words allowed me to organize my thoughts about concepts that sharpened my understanding. The crisp words served as an excellent torch in a night of ignorance.

I once had a naive and ignorant view towards Philosophy, deeming it as nothing more than fancy expressions. This view dramatically changed once I read some concepts that were slowly shifting my understanding for the better.

Philosophy can enhance learning for the better. Most current education systems around the world appear to be making students rush to capture the concepts only to regurgitate during semesters and vomit them out during the exam. I understand we live in a fast-paced world where instantaneous results are expected, but what’s the point of quick results if they produce wrong or inefficient outcomes?

So, how can philosophy be introduced?

Here are some ways from my standpoint

Discussions

Yes, while political, social, and cultural discussions have been recommended by many, discussions of science through dialogue can also compel us to contemplate topics in detail. Discussions can also be carried out through teaching. As Einstein once said, if you’re unable to explain a concept to a six-year-old, you don’t understand the concept. When challenging questions are posed to children, they might be able to grasp concepts better.

Cartoons and Motion Pictures.

For high school students, philosophy must be introduced in a way that doesn’t feel like a burden. E.g., using cartoons and motion pictures that not only entertain but also provide an opportunity to learn better. Visual and auditory learners can get the most out of this mode of learning.

Storytelling

Teachers, educators, and academicians must create fun short stories that introduce concepts of science from a philosophical perspective. E.g., I remember back in my childhood when I was introduced to the concept of hypothesis, and to demonstrate that a simple, everyday example was used. E.g., refrigerating milk to make it last longer.

Guest lecturers

Philosophers from academia must be invited to encourage students to learn better about philosophy. Inviting experts from academia and industries allow students to know better about the field, know the application of concepts better, and develop a better appreciation for the field.

Seminars and Workshops

Intra-school seminars and workshops give students a hands-on approach to topics and concepts to enhance their learning. What better way of learning than actually seeing the application of philosophy e.g., in rationality, pragmatism, and logic?

Developing games

Monty-Hall's problem is a renowned problem that demonstrates not only the concepts of statistics but also the underlying principles of the philosophy of statistics. The introduction of similar games to the curriculum can create a better learning environment for students to absorb concepts.

Competitions

Quizzes, trivia, Jeopardy, etc., are some of the fun ways for students to learn concepts of philosophy. E.g., Kahoot is an excellent way for students to participate and demonstrate their learning in classes.

Spreading awareness

Now, more than ever in the information age, every individual must develop critical thinking and better reasoning skills. I partly blame schools and educators for never explicitly introducing and fostering these skills. Some of these skills are important regardless of a student’s interest. Every grown-up who refuses to acknowledge the basic underlying concepts of critical thinking makes mankind regress. Collective development appears to be the only antidote to this. Students can promote such awareness in their university newspapers and newsletters and share them in and around communities.

I was once attending an information session on the GMAT test. The host asked the audience: “Can you guess, students with what kind of background have their scores in the higher range for this test?” Many thought students with math or linguistic background might be scoring the most. The answer surprised everyone when the host revealed that students with a Philosophy background appear to be higher scorers on the test because of their sharp eye for an understanding of questions, contexts, and language.

In this digital age, there’s no lack of finding resources related to learning philosophy. From introductory to advanced, sites like edx, Coursera, and many MOOCs offer a good reference point to start learning about this wonderful field.

Happy learning!

If you enjoyed this, feel free to explore my other writing on education here