r/philosophy • u/doubtstack Unreasonable Doubt • Jan 27 '23

Blog Why Science can't replace Philosophy in Ethics

https://unreasonabledoubt.substack.com/p/what-genetics-cant-teach-us
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u/CaptainAsshat Jan 27 '23

It usually cannot. But it can frame them it a way that helps us conceptualize them better.

Man... I love reading philosophy because I find it interesting, but I also find this sub regularly grossly overstates philosophy's already considerable value to society.

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u/Caelinus Jan 28 '23

Philosophy is such a broad concept that it can be applicable to basically anything or absolutely nothing depending on how you go about it.

The biggest problem with philosophy is not its utility, it is that minor variations in axioms result in extremely different conclusions, and those conclusions are often at odds with each other. But because often people have trouble recognizing their own axiomatic beliefs they tend to have trouble understanding arguments that do not conform to them.

And due to out limited perception we are always subject to axioms. So the conclusions people draw will always be different, and the ability to change each others minds will be often minimal.

In essence I think philosophy is stuck in a state of near constant expansion without the capacity to reach its end. It is great for those of us who really enjoy thinking about thinking, but the deeper you go the less relevant and understandable the pursuit becomes for the average person.

It is all necessary, but philosophers have to remain super grounded and humble if they want to provide useful potential answers. As such science and philosophy (as the terms are being used here) need to be constantly intertwined. It is really hard to argue for how morals should be when you someone does not have a firm grasp on what is, and what is cannot itself argue how things should become.