Can philosophy and science harmonize?

Answer:

Absolutely. The term "philosophy" stems from the Greek meaning, "love of wisdom," including wisdom pertaining to the subjects that science studies. In fact, historically, the study of the physical world and its laws was often referred to as "natural philosophy," a branch of the broader discipline of philosophy.

What is often popularly referred to as "philosophy", a sort of deep, contemplative thinking about broad questions, is actually just a small part of what is done by professional philosophers.

Other work done by philosophers includes laying the foundations of science, most notably, "What can we know and how do we know it?"

So in one sense, science is dependent upon philosophical foundations in order to carry the weight that it does, historically speaking.

With regards to the more popular conception of what is meant by philosophy (religion, contemplation, questions of meaning), many of the great thinkers along these lines have also been great scientists, and a large percentage of scientists have at least some belief in God.

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