How are cosmology and philosophy related in their pursuit of knowledge?

AI Thread Summary
Cosmology and philosophy both explore fundamental questions about the universe's origin, yet they remain distinct fields. Physical cosmology is classified as a science, while philosophy encompasses broader inquiries, including metaphysics and ethics. The relationship between the two is complex; while cosmology can be viewed as a subfield of science, some argue that science itself is a branch of philosophy. Historically, philosophy encompassed all knowledge, with science emerging as a method for empirical study. The current academic separation reflects teaching practices rather than a fundamental difference, as both disciplines utilize reason and logic in their pursuits. The discussion emphasizes that the distinction between cosmology and philosophy may be more arbitrary than substantive, as both contribute to our understanding of knowledge and the universe.
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Why haven't cosmology and philosophy been formerly combined? They both deal with the beginning of the universe and what it happened, at least one certain field of philosophy.




So why not?
 
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Physical cosmology is science, philosophy is not.
 
Cosmology is a subfield science. Science is a subfield philosophy. Ergo, Cosmology is a subfield of philosophy.
 
Hurkyl said:
Cosmology is a subfield science. Science is a subfield philosophy. Ergo, Cosmology is a subfield of philosophy.

The philosophy of science is a subset of philosophy, but science is no such thing. Philosophy deals with metaphysics, ethics, epistemology etc. Science does not.
 
Moridin said:
Philosophy deals with metaphysics, ethics, epistemology etc. Science does not.
And with the study of nature and the universe. Scientific methods proved to be very effective in the study of nature and the universe; that's why science has become its own subfield of philosophy. That philosophers are also interested in these other topics simply means that philosophy cannot be considered a subfield of science. :-p
 
Hurkyl said:
Cosmology is a subfield science. Science is a subfield philosophy. Ergo, Cosmology is a subfield of philosophy.

Agreed.

Historically philosophy was the pursuit of knowledge in general.
Science grew out of that, as the empirical study of the world.
Science is a way of studying knowledge.

Distinguishing between them, as universities do, is somewhat arbitrary, but mainly reflects the way they are taught. 'Philosophy' today is mainly taught as the 'history of ideas', thus it gets lumped in with other kinds of 'History' as one of the humanities.

To imply that they are separate in some real way, is to imply that scientists don't use reason and logic, and aren't interested in gaining knowledge. Something that is obviously false.
 
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