Philosophy and Science Need Each Other

A long time ago now, it seems, I began asking myself a rather strange question I had never pondered before. I wondered whether science was more important than philosophy or if philosophy was more important than science. I decided quite quickly that both are equally significant and perhaps even essential so that they can challenge one another. Thus, we may experience further growth and evolve as a species.

I had noticed throughout seemingly separated communities that philosophy and science had one similarity and this was in their own perceived level of importance. Many times, I’ve witnessed the scientific community poke fun at more philosophically inclined groups. Likewise, I’ve seen philosophical individuals turn their nose up at science. With that being said, I had come to the conclusion that the majority of people seemed to feel that science and philosophy absolutely shouldn’t coexist and definitely can’t mix.

Of course, what I write here and now is subjective, and I’m comfortable saying that. Everyone has an opinion, as I believe they should. If we were to all agree upon the essence and truth of all things with certainty and absolution, then we surely couldn’t evolve. With more receptiveness to possibilities yet explored, we could open up to whatever things we haven’t discovered from our teachers. And our greatest teachers in life are the ones who challenge us the most!

A Different Perspective

Personally, I have a vastly different point of view, which is that they are undoubtedly already integrated, as they always have been. Truthfully, everything begs to be opposed in some way. That is the nature of duality and of our world. Science says that there is always an opposite and equal reaction, while philosophy may refer to this as “as above, so below.” To me, it is the same message, but it is delivered differently because it is speaking to contrasting audiences.

Without philosophy, there would likely be no one to ask deeply profound questions. Without science, there would be no one to give us the answers and evidence we seek. Unfortunately, I think that many people, especially philosophers and scientists themselves, see them as separate teams playing against one another and competing for a prize.

Science evolves every day. Many times over, we prove our past findings to have actually been completely wrong. For example, we used to believe that human blood was blue until it was outside the body and not that long ago were we certain this was the case. Now, we realize it’s always red and likely has always been red.

Although science is about gaining evidence and finding proof, it doesn’t always get it right. Eventually, however, it does, but only after trial and error. On the other hand, philosophy can oftentimes be rather idealistic or non-specific. It can seemingly border spiritual and is oftentimes regarding one’s personal journey of the mind. Together, as we evolve, they answer more and more questions about our existence over time.

No doubt that there are extremely wild conspiracies out there, but theories are not always conspiracies. Theories are well-thought-out ideas, which have been heavily pondered upon within the curiously wise and quirky mind of a thoughtful philosopher. Theories must be present for science to work on either proving or disproving them. Once theories are proven to be true, they are no longer theories, but facts. Then, we suddenly call those theories’ science.

Coexist

The Sun is opposite of the Moon in many ways. Yet, both are necessary for our planet to thrive. The Sun, symbolic of fire, provides vital heat and light. The Moon, on the other hand, is symbolic of water and is responsible for the gravitational pull of the Earth’s tides. Interestingly, we orbit the Sun, while the Moon orbits us. Because of this, the Earth’s gravity is actually a balancing act between the Sun and the Moon. Both of them are needed to sustain life on our planet.

Symbolically, the Sun is the father and the Moon is the mother. The Sun is also a symbol of day, while the Moon is obviously night. Although the Moon provides no light of her own, she reflects the light of the Sun during the night. As a result, we are able to experience enough light during nighttime so that the creatures of Earth can continue to breed and find food. As you likely see, the Sun and the Moon are a team, despite being opposites.