Thesis: There is a close relationship between philosophy of mind and philosophy of science that help human beings understand naturalism.
Annotated Bibliography
Chung, M. C., & Hyland, M. E. (2011). History and philosophy of psychology . John Wiley & Sons.
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Chapter three and chapter four in “ History and philosophy of psychology," Chung and Hyland explore the philosophy of mind and science from the view of different psychologists led by Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes took a materialist approach to explore human beings' minds and how science's evolution changed human's view of the world. Hobbes argued that all matter is in motion, and it remains so until human being exercises their brain and act upon the force (Chung & Hyland, 2011, p. 63). The chapter further explores Rene Descartes's philosophy of mind and body to explain the truth of the world. Descartes aimed to secret the foundation of knowledge by explaining the world using the human mind ad science. Chung and Hyland further explore the contemporary debates on the body and mind problem through identity theory that ssert6s that human mental states and processes are identical to physical states and processes. I will emphasize on Locke's philosophy since it shows the relationship between the human mind and science. According to Locke, the human mind is born void without any ideas, and that ideas are derived from experiences through the help of the five senses (Chung & Hyland, 2011, p. 74). Through reflection, human beings generate new ideas leading to the development of science. Further, Wundt presents a concept that philosophy is science, where he based his argument on the dominant view of science as inductivism. The authors are right that induction is a major debate in the philosophy of science that needs justification. Science is based on a collection of facts, which are further used to induce a general law based on the facts. Human beings use their knowledge or mind to gather facts and develop scientific concepts that are induced based on the facts. Falsificationism philosophy of science also shows a relationship between mind and science in that human beings use their minds to develop a hypothesis, which leads to the world's prediction. The idea presents by Chung and Hyland in their book are important in supporting the thesis that philosophy of mind and philosophy of science are closely related and theta the two helps in understanding naturalism.
Heil, J. (2019). Philosophy of mind: A contemporary introduction . Routledge. https://silo.pub/philosophy-of-mind-a-contemporary-introduction.html
The book Philosophy of mind by Heil provides an in-depth understanding of the central issue in the philosophy of mind by highlighting issues in the metaphysical dimension. Heil argues that scientific philosophers pose questions that they cannot solve, hence being torn to the mind to solve the puzzle. Philosophy of mind deals with the mind's issues and nature by exploring neural activities that human beings engage in. Descartes believed that the brain, through pineal glands, acts as the interface between the mind and the body. The brain helps human beings gain more knowledge of the physical world. Heil further argues that the emerging field of neuroscience teaches about the mind, primarily the role of emotions in rational decision-making and conception of self is disrupted (2019). I agree with Heil that neurophilosophy's emerging field explores the connection between philosophy of mind and science. Human beings use sensory systems to interpret physical things and information scientifically. The book supports evidence that there is a close relationship between philosophy of mind and other empirical domains like neuroscience that help in interpreting the natural world.
Heller, M. (2019). How is philosophy in science possible?. Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce , (66), 231-249. http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.ojs-issn-2451-0602-year-2019-issue-66-article-482/c/482-483.pdf
The article “How is philosophy in science possible?” by Michael Heller shows the growth of the practice of philosophy of science. Heller shows that although many empirical studies do not exhibit professional philosophical standards, science is hugely filled with philosophical contents. Heller believed that past traditional Neo-Scholastic philosophy failed to explore science's philosophy clearly, bringing the need to explore it in a new approach. Heller's new philosophy of science harmonizes nature with the Christian faith to account for modern scientific knowledge. Heller presents several elements that must be present for science to be classified as a philosophy (2019, P. 243). First, there should be a distinction between the context of discovery and justification under conditions understood in a flexible manner paving way for gradual passage across contexts. Another important element to support science is thematic analysis, which asserts that in many concepts, methods, claims, and hypotheses. Elements like unity—multiplicity, continuity—discontinuity, symmetry, and invariance determine how new scientific ideas are developed (Heller, 2019, p. 236). Based on the article, the philosophy of science adheres to elements of time and space. Human being establishes complex ideas in their minds, which become empirical theories, and with time, the theories get developed into scientific concepts. The article is a credible source for the study since it shows that human beings use their cognitive ability to develop science and interpret nature.
Hitchcock, C. R. (2004). Introduction: what is the philosophy of science. https://authors.library.caltech.edu/44793/1/hitchcock-2004.pdf
The article by Hitchcock explores the meaning of the philosophy of science and its application in solving scientific problems. Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein argued that the primary aim of philosophy was to clarify the meaning of words and information to understand nature. Philosophers examine arguments from both sides to understand the structure of the argument, its validity, and its method, whether deductive or inferential. The philosophy of science comprises ethical issues that govern the freedom of the will and nature of personal identity (Hitchcock, 2004, p. 2). Ethical issues usually arise within the scientific context, especially those that deal with technical innovations hence creating new possibilities whose moral status requires evaluation. For instance, ethical issues have risen on the scientific concept of human cloning and technological aided production. When answering these questions, scientists refer to the moral theories of past philosophers like Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. The article further explores the philosophy of mind based on Rene Descartes' concept (Hitchcock, 2004, p. 14). I agree with Hitchcock that psychologists need to understand the mind-body problem to understand the nature of the mind and how it leads to the philosophy of mind. The interface between the mind and body, which is the brain, gives people more knowledge of the physical world, leading to scientific inventions. The article will be useful for the thesis since it clarifies the philosophy of science and its relationship with the philosophy of mind.
Rosenberg, A (2005). Philosophy of Science: A contemporary introduction . Routledge. https://is.muni.cz/www/rostanek/041534316X.pdf
The book explores the philosophy of science and mind as a major issue of concern among philosophers and scientists and their application in understanding natural science. Contemporary scientific findings and theories show there exists a close relationship between philosophy and science. The book explores philosophy in science from a historical perspective, starting from ancient Greek where science began. Rosenberg asserts that philosophy deals with questions that science, physical, biological, behavioral, and social cannot and may never answer. The second question is why science cannot answer the above questions (Rosenberg, 2005, p 4). Philosophy of science answers questions of nature by challenging and defending the normative view that human beings hold. The idea presented in the book that scientists endlessly pursue answers that philosophy fails to answer, like "When it's noon GMT, what time is it on the Sun?" helps explain science's philosophy. Most questions regarding nature required cognitive and intellectual reasoning to develop facts and evidence. Since continue to be a powerful source of philosophical inspiration since its revolutionary success to contemporary times. René Descartes asserts that the mind is distinct from the body (physical thing) and is understood from a perspective different from natural science ( Rosenberg, 2005, p. 11). The article is crucial for the thesis since it analyses the philosophy of science from the past to contemporary and shows the difference between the philosophy of mind and science. Rosenberg concludes that the mind is non-physical and beyond natural science's reach and may be an obstacle to intellectual progress.
Summary
In conclusion, science's philosophy deals with assumptions, foundations, methods, and implications of science. Philosophy of science seeks to find the truth to science's central problems in mathematics, chemistry, biology, and physics. Sciences rely on conducting an experiment and getting evidence through empirical verification and induction ( Chung & Hyland, 2011 ). For instance, scientists like Newton conducted several testings of evidence to arrive at Newton's Third Law, which is considered universally true. On the other hand, the philosophy of mind explores the connection between mind and physical matter and the correlation between consciousness and the physical brain. Rene Descartes developed the mind and body concept to explain the distinct nature of the human mind and body. Descartes argues there is evidence of the mind over body; however, scientific discovery is required to justify the connection that the human mind is difficult to comprehend even for the individual who holds the mind. Most questions regarding nature required cognitive and intellectual reasoning to develop facts and evidence (Rosenberg). Heller believes that human beings establish complex ideas in their minds, which become empirical theories, and with time, the theories get developed into scientific concepts (2019). The interface between the mind and body, which is the brain, gives people more knowledge of the physical world, leading to scientific inventions ( Hitchcock, 2004). Based on the information derived from the five sources, it is evident that the philosophy of mind and philosophy of science are connected. The two play a crucial role in interpreting and understanding natural matter.
References
Chung, M. C., & Hyland, M. E. (2011). History and philosophy of psychology . John Wiley & Sons.
Heil, J. (2019). Philosophy of mind: A contemporary introduction . Routledge. https://silo.pub/philosophy-of-mind-a-contemporary-introduction.html
Heller, M. (2019). How is philosophy in science possible?. Zagadnienia Filozoficzne w Nauce , (66), 231-249. http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.ojs-issn-2451-0602-year-2019-issue-66-article-482/c/482-483.pdf
Hitchcock, C. R. (2004). Introduction: what is the philosophy of science. https://authors.library.caltech.edu/44793/1/hitchcock-2004.pdf
Rosenberg, A (2005). Philosophy of Science: A contemporary introduction . Routledge. https://is.muni.cz/www/rostanek/041534316X.pdf
