Adas Li

1155062898
Year 1 PHIL
UGFN Final Essay
TOPIC 3
You are the director of your undergraduate major programme (let's call it X) at
CUHK. The university requires that you design a new general education course for
the students of your programme X. You have three choices: (1) Modern science and
X, (2) Nature and X, or (3) Nature, modern science, and X.
Choose one of the three titles and explain the rationale behind your choice and
which texts from In Dialogue with Nature you would include in the course.
Nature, modern science, and philosophy
Modern science and philosophy are inseparably related. The term science itself is
originally from Latin word scientia, knowledge.1 Philosophy is a compound of
two words in ancient Greek: Philo and Sophiawhich refers to pursuit of
wisdom2. Both science and philosophyimply knowledge, which suggests the
two share a common principle. Not only does the origin of words speak for the
fundamental relationship between the two, their common emphasis on the study of
nature also proves it to be so. The essence of science and philosophy is to study the
mechanisms of our nature, and through studying how that nature functions, we
progress in both science and philosophy. This brings out the trilateral relationship
between nature, modern science and philosophy, to explain how they are diffused in
one another in a complementary manner.
This course introduces the major scientific discoveries and asks the ultimate
question of why and how these discoveries concern our lives and our surroundings.
It challenges creationism and religion through science and brings forward the
1Originated from the Latin word scientia meaning knowledge, a knowing, expertness
2 Originated from the Ancient Greek words philo and soph () meaning the love,
the pursuit of high knowledge: learning, wisdom

controversial issues of free will and so on. The course covers all the way from the
philosophy of physical sciences, space sciences to life sciences. It aims to offer the
students a comprehensive framework of the relation between the history of modern
science, the essence of nature and the development of philosophy.
To start with, the study of nature is a common ground for both modern science and
philosophy. Aristotles theory of motion served as a stepping-stone for the further
development of investigative empiricism of motion and velocity. In The Beginning
of Western Science (Lindberg, 1992), Aristotle has formulated his philosophy of
nature and his discovery was a breakthrough for science at that period of time.
Firstly, he suggested we should acquire knowledge through sense experience.
Through a repeated study of an object 3, we are able to grasp a firm understanding
of its properties. He also put forward inductive and deductive processes in addition
to sense experience. Such processes reasoning and experimentation are the
foundation for the development of modern science. Moreover, it is important to note
that Aristotle's theory of cosmology was based on logical reasoning and observation
instead of blind religious faith. He divided the universe into terrestrial and celestial
regions which further elaborated how the different ranges of regions are made up of
various elements. It denied the the Christians Design Argument and peoples
perception on the origin of the universe. Through studying Aristotles philosophy of
nature, students are expected to learn from his epistemic and skeptic attitude in
entering the realm of true knowledge.
Moreover, modern science deploys falsification which echoes with the epistemology.
Aristotle, being a visionary in physical sciences, had a false claim about acceleration
and motion. He had a quantitative assumption two bodies of differing weight
descend, the times required to cover a given distance will be inversely proportional
to the weights. (Lindberg, 1992) This has been a widely accepted belief until
Galileo performed an experiment with a cannonball and a musket ball falling from a
tower and landed at the same time. Newton also falsified Aristotle's claim of why
objects fall - things fall due to their nature , and their need to be in contact with the
earth. Newton introduced the law of inertia and gravitational law to defuse
3 Aristotle suggested, by the repeated observation of dogs, he comes to understand the
form or definition of a dog, the crucial traits that without which an animal cannot be a dog.

Aristotles statement. (Cohen, 1960) This encourages the general perception of the
physical reality and improves mens understanding of the universe massive
examining of existential question.
Science is also the backbone for philosophy. For instance, Newtonian laws supports
deism. Newtons examining of physical objects were all predictable based on his law
of motion. And these laws and justified reasoning are adequate to believe that
existence of a creator of this universe, with the rejection of other religious factors. It
is as if we were in a computer chess game, the game programmer did not sit in
front of the computer to keep the game going; instead, he wrote a program for
computer opponents for each game player as they entered the game. Likewise,
Deists believed that God does not intervene the universe with fixed law of nature, in
response to Newtonian physics. Newton had drawn a remark on the relation
between philosophy and science as he called the separation between the world of
abstract mathematics and the world of physics philosophy. By learning the history
of Newtons and Galileos physics, students should be able to gain a clearer
understanding of existentialism and religious philosophy.
In addition, scientific discovery shapes ethical philosophy. Watson (The Secret of
Life, 2003) highlighted the dichotomy of nature versus nurture in genetics. It is a
philosophical debate per se to determine whether one success is defined by his
intrinsic genetic talent or his upbringing. Advancement in medicine arises
controversies regarding ethics and morals. For example, euthanasia is the medical
practise of intentionally ending the patients live to reduce his pain. Through
philosophy we can reflect upon the justification of this medical practise in an ethical
standpoint. Should people be given a choice to end their lives? Does the extent of
suffering outweigh the value of life? We can summarize that modern science
concerns ethical and moral issues. Watson suggested selective reproduction that it
is more preferable to breed talented beings, and less to breed ones with weaker
traits. In philosophy, we should reflect upon how justifiable is this claim on an
ethical scale. Students should also pay attention that modern science is not only
relevant to metaphysics and epistemology but also ethics which draws a tighter and
stronger tie between the two.

It is the most important to note that modern science helps to validate philosophy
theories. Kandels discovery of neurobiology defies Cartesian dualism. Dualism
suggests that mind and body are two fundamentally separate objects. Cognitive
science proves to be the otherwise. Neurobiology shows the basic link between the
mind and the brain. Scientific discovery to pose philosophical questions and one of
them is the issue of free will and determinism. Kandel (In Search of Memory,
2006) deployed the Libets experiment to prove determinism,the view that taking
actions as a result of pre-determined causes are not of our free choices; and begs
the question of free will. These were brought forward because of philosophical
questions this illustrates how scientific discoveries can spark changes in the
current of philosophical thought.
In short, the course lays out an evident relationship between universal nature,
human nature, modern science and philosophy; like vines growing on each other.
The texts mentioned previously draw remarkable linkage of all three which
strengthens the students understanding of philosophy and the universe.
Intrinsically, science and philosophy are rooted in the same pursuit, which is the
pursuit of understanding nature and understanding ourselves as humans. And for
this reason, these texts will be selected in the course for student to gain a holistic
understanding of these subjects, together to form a seamless continuum in the
study of the world and of ourselves.

Cohen, I. Bernard, (1960) Chapter 7, The Birth of a New Physics

Crowell, Benjamin, Chapter 3 Acceleration and Motion, Light and Matter
Fowler, Michael, U. Va. Physics, 9/3/2008, Aristotle
Kandel, Eric. R. (2006), Chapter 28, In search of Memory: The Emergence of a New
Science of Mind
Lindberg, David. C., (1992) Chapter 3, The Beginning of Western Science
Schrenk, Markus Andreas (2004) Galileo vs Aristotle on Free Falling Bodies.
Watson, James. D. (2003), Chapter 1, DNA: The Secret of Life