title: Can there be science without philosophy?
abstract: Over the last few decades, philosophy has gained an increasingly bad reputation among working scientists. Prominent researchers have suggested, in various forms and degrees of mockery, that philosophy has little or nothing positive to contribute to science. This essay provides a response to these allegations. We begin by examining, and ultimately questioning, an influential argument purporting to undermine the significance of a philosophical approach to science. Next, we offer some biomedical examples where philosophical speculation plays a prominent role. We conclude by arguing that, when understood in the appropriate context, philosophical reflection is an important-indeed, integral-ingredient of healthy scientific inquiry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Marco J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nathan
authors.affiliation: Renal Unit Simone Martini, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brancaccio
authors.affiliation: IFC Epidemiologia Clinica delle Malattie Renali e dell' Ipertensione Arteriosa , c/o, Ospedali Riuniti, Reggio Cal, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zoccali
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010684:Philosophy; D012586:Science
keywords: Causality; Demarcation; Philosophy; Precision Medicine; Science