Science as Philosophy

In our introductory lecture, we explore the philosophy of science by examining the extraordinary dominance that science has achieved in contemporary culture, where it has become the benchmark for truth and reality. We trace scientific thinking from ancient Greece, where Thales and Anaximander replaced myth with natural explanations, to Aristotle’s emphasis on observation and reason. The lecture concludes by challenging Stephen Hawking's claim that "philosophy is dead," arguing instead that science remains fundamentally a branch of philosophy and that philosophical inquiry is essential for understanding science's methods, foundations, scope, and limitations.