Science vs. Philosophy: Two Alternate Approaches to Life
The division that shapes the world, society and the way we live.
Through recent years of my life, I’ve come to realise two domains in everyday life that function in crucially different ways. They glue together how we perceive the world, yet remain distinct and unable to interact. They govern how society operates but equally play a role in our personal lives.
These two fundamental approaches to living your life loosely correlate with the disciplines of science and philosophy.
Let’s see how these two components formulate the material world and how you can apply these approaches to your own life.
Perceiving The World
There are two fundamental ways of perceiving the world.
First, there is the analytical approach, dealing with fixed values, categories and sets. In mathematics, we see measurements relying on fixed values and data sets that give us detailed information on how the world works. In geography, we map our rough, wriggly world into neat boxes. In society otherwise, we define people by set characteristics: ‘introverts’, ‘extroverts’, ‘vegetarian’ etc.
But then comes the second, more fluid approach of viewing the world. This approach focuses on the infinite, inexact nature of our number system in mathematics; waves over particles in physics and viewing traits on a continuum rather than giving them fixed labels: ‘ambiverts’, ‘flexitarian’.
These real-world oppositions are only the beginning of this great divide, and shortly we’ll be looking at how you can identify and incorporate them in your own life.
Science vs. Philosophy
This division of interpretations broadly maps on to the subjects of science and (particularly Eastern) philosophy.
To further emphasise the differences between these two areas, we can consider the following comparisons:
- Science covers the known. Philosophy covers the unknown.
- Science is cohesive and definite. Philosophy is fluid and open-ended.
- Science deals more with knowledge. Philosophy relies more on intuition and experience.
Science vs. Fate
Perhaps the underlying feature of these oppositions is the analytical, thorough method of living by the scientific approach and the open-ended, flexible approach of living by the philosophical approach.
Your mental and physical state of being is one great example where this applies. If physically unwell, following the scientific approach of exercising, eating nourishing, non-harmful foods and taking advice from studies seems helpful.
This can become overwhelming though if applied to mental health — not just mental illnesses — wellbeing in general and the state of happiness apply here. There is no fixed formula for happiness, and reading through academic literature on how to be happy seems a painful idea.
This is where the philosophical approach comes in, notably the reliance on fate over the Known, or the Known vs. the Unknown. Zen Buddhism in particular reinforces the power of the Unknown. For enlightenment or true peace to occur, a detachment from labels is encouraged. Those experienced in meditation will know this.
Just as one will unlikely succeed in vigorously planning out how you’re going to have a wonderful day today, the philosophical approach diverges from analysis and thought. Similarly, time-blocking the events of a party or planning the elements of a great conversation prove to be impractical.
If you find the above examples interesting, you may wish to explore the Taoist Philosophy of wu-wei
With illness again, getting caught up with diagnoses and dosages will likely cause harm, but trusting in fate and the fascinating ability of the body to heal itself resonates with the philosophical approach.
Living Your Way
The fluid nature of philosophy is evident when considering areas reliant on intuition; astrology, metaphysics, theories of consciousness and concepts science can’t explain.
But for either approach, we have the choice of which domain we make the focal point of our experience.
You may find success living by the scientific approach benefiting from specialised exercise routines or eating only the most accredited health foods to maximise your physical state.
But sometimes living your life by graphs and statistics can become overwhelming, and the methodological approach to instances like ‘how to successfully persuade anyone’ or ‘how to attract the perfect partner’ begin to crumble as the world of intuition opens up.
Through the philosophical lens, rules don’t exist; one must forget everything they thought they knew to achieve greatness. As the famous Zen saying goes:
“The Zen mind is a beginner’s mind”
Logic vs. Emotion
This fundamental difference between what we know and what remains mystical leads us to another critical comparison:
- Science operates on logic; philosophy operates on emotion
Logic and emotion are two elements that further define this division. What’s surprisingly apparent is how these forces counteract each other in various aspects of our society:
- Logic fuels cars, trains and technology; emotion drives climate change.
Logic lies behind some of the greatest technological inventions known to mankind. We have developed incredibly advanced technology and transportation systems all with the help of profound mathematics. Yet on the flip side is a global, communal effort to stop the damage we are doing to our planet through our inventions.
- Logic defines the law; emotion presents its holes.
Court cases always abide by the logic of the law. There are cases however when the procedural decisions taken juxtapose a judge’s true emotional intent. Following a fixed rule book is a great scientific approach but leaves little room for the subjectivity of opinion, emotion and morality.
- Logic governs the financial and hierarchical structure of our society, emotion accelerates social structure.
This is evident when rules and regulations are combated by petitions driven by emotion. Protests also demonstrate the force of emotion — a social action against the strict rules of politics.
The scientific and philosophical approaches dominate life as we know it. Be open and see if you can identify these domains functioning in different areas of your life. There is no single right or wrong approach to take, but ultimately you have the power to invite these viewpoints into your life and shift the way you experience the world.
