Thought for the Week: A philosopher looks at science

Reg Naulty reflects on philosophy and science

by Reg Naulty 10th January 2014

What would they know about it? Quite a bit, actually. Scientists have replaced philosophers as gatekeepers of the real and, as a result, philosophers study science and scientists with the punctilious chagrin of the unemployed watching other people doing their job. Scientists, for their part, are usually unaware that philosophers exist, and when they are, they are surprised, a response which turns into fierce indignation when they discover that philosophers compete with them for research grants.