Philosophy Versus Science

[Alan V]

When it comes to philosophy vs. science, the thing is that a philosopher in the past had the same role in the society that a scientist has today. For example, in Shakespeare's "King Lear," there is a line where Lear says: "First let me talk with this philosopher. What is the cause of thunder?"

Lear, inspired by the still rumbling storm, is asking the question concerning thunder, hoping that the philosopher has a scientific answer. They were kind of experts on everything.

But today, of course, he would ask a scientist that question. Or if you want to know about any topic and decide to read a book about it, you will rarely read a book by a philosopher, but you would likely take a book from an expert in the field you are interested in.

So I guess the question is, what role does a philosopher or philosophy have today?

Just as you say, philosophers have much-reduced roles today because scientists have answered so many previous philosophical questions. That is the "versus" which some posters wish to deny.

Borders Bookstores may have hoped there was no competition between them and Amazon at one time, but we all know how that worked out.