Philosophy of Science

Writing an essay on the philosophy of science is not hard as it may seem. Just like any other essay, you just have to follow the basic format and arrangement of ideas to be able to provide the message you want the readers to know. It needs to have the common features of an essay – introduction, body, and conclusion. The difference will only be in the content and how you are going to correlate all the ideas and thoughts into one single masterpiece.

So, to help you in writing a perfect essay, here are some provided guidelines on how to start and finish the best paper about philosophy of science:

Starting your essay

Before a writer can properly start writing their essay, they will have to make an outline and a thesis statement first. The best way to efficiently create a paper regarding this topic, or any other topic for that matter, is to lay down first all the topics that he would want to discuss and combine them in one simple yet detailed sentence.

How to create an outline

In writing an outline, one just has to list down every possible issue that he may think of that is related to the specific philosophy of science he/she is writing about. So for example, the philosophy of science topic is about the battle between religion and science, and the author can provide information on both separately, and then include some mixed ideas such as comparing and contrasting both the subject matter to each other. Here is an example of an outline for this specific topic:

Outline sample

I. Introduction

• Common misconceptions about religion and science.
• Why religion and science should not be confused with each other.

II. Body

• Definition and explanation of religion
• Definition and explanation of science
• Difference and similarities between science and religion
• What most scholars and philosophers say about the misconceptions on religion and science

III. Conclusion

• Summary points on why religion and science should not be intertwined
• What people need to know about religion and science as individual and combined entities

How to write a thesis for an philosophy of science essay

After creating the outline, the writer may now write their thesis statement. For some people, however, it is easier for them to write the thesis statement first and then break it down into parts and come up with an outline. Whichever way the writer may choose, these guidelines still can be helpful in making the thesis statement:

• If one chooses to make the thesis statement first before the outline, he/she must try to be very particular on the issue that he wants to talk about. After that, he can now break it down into parts so he can make an outline.
• If one chooses otherwise, she just has to combine all the ideas in the outline and select the most important one and make it his thesis statement. Usually, the things that a writer would like to emphasize and the topic which is related to almost every thought in the essay is the most important one.
• A writer should not make long thesis statements. A one-liner sentence would suffice, but it should be detailed and specific. She/he shall make it comprehensive and understandable enough to make the readers realize his stand.

How to write your introduction

After having written the thesis statement and the outline, the writer may now start to write his introduction. It must be noted that introductions are really important because it is the first thing that is read in an essay. Therefore, it is in the introduction where the reader shall decide whether he will continue reading the paper or not. In making the introduction, here are some tips that might help:

• One must create a catchy and captivating introduction. Some writers use quotes from great philosophers and some use their own quotes to make their point.
• One must keep in mind that the introduction must already make his viewpoints obvious.
• Introduction should not be written in long sentences. It is the body’s duty to explain the writer’s opinion and thoughts. The introduction will only provide the things that are to be learned by the readers in the succeeding pages.
• The introduction should be related to the body of the paragraph itself. No reader would like to be confused on what she is reading. Having different thoughts on the introduction and the body will surely make the reader lose his interest to continue reading. Thus, there must be a connection between the introduction and the body.

How to construct body paragraphs

For most writers, writing the body is easier than actually writing the introduction and the conclusion. The reason is that because in the body, they just actually need to provide all the information that they want their readers to know. However, such is not the case for all people. So here are some strategies that might help in writing the body paragraphs:

• Align the paragraphs based on the thesis statement and the outline. After all, the latter was made beforehand as guidelines for the writer to be able to write his/her essay easily and smoothly.
• Unnecessary information is immaterial, so it should be kept simple but still informative. One should practice excluding facts which are not really relative and significant to the main point of the paper.
• Avoid using complex and obscure languages. The essay aims to provide information. Therefore, the usage of words should be kept simple and understandable.
• The paragraphs should be interconnected with each other. If not, then the readers would be confused on what the writer is trying to point out. The preceding paragraph should have a relation to the next one, strengthening the main point of the author.
• Do not make it boring. A philosophy of science essay is usually an informative one. Hence, there would be a lot of uninteresting facts and data. And to engage the readers, the paper should be written in an exciting and fun way.

Finishing your essay

While the introduction and the body should already have explained the main point, the conclusion must still show the strength of the argument. There must be a reiteration of the points, if needed, to toughen the opinions of the writer. To be able to do this, here are some tips that may be followed:

• Conclude your paper by making a brief summary of all the points and thoughts made throughout the essay. It does not have to be long. Just like the thesis statement, it should be concise and comprehensive.
• The writer should use his/her own words to strengthen his argument. The conclusion should provide a great impact on the readers. Whether the essay is an informative, an argumentative, or a persuasive one, the conclusion needs to be conclusive and certain.
• Make the readers realize what they should know. It is not enough to just provide a summary and a strong argument. One must convince his readers that his point is material and substantial in relation to the topic he chose to explain.

Revising your essay

It is not enough, of course, to pass or publish the paper once the writer finishes writing. It should be reviewed and proofread so the best out of it will come out. Here are some tips on how to revise a philosophical essay on science:

• Do not reread and edit immediately after writing. The best time for revisions is the day after. One shall need to have a clear and refreshed mind before he can actually see the mistakes that he has committed to writing the essay.
• Avoid being biased. It is actually best to have another person revise it, however, if there is no one available, the writer may do the revision on his own. Since it is his own work, he should be able to edit and revise it without being biased.

A one-time revision is not enough. One must try reviewing and rereading it a lot of times before she may be able to come up with a well-written essay.

You see, writing an essay about any philosophy of science is not difficult. It is just the same as writing a simple essay talking about other topics. All you have to do is believe that you can produce one. You may follow the guidelines stated above. Writing does not have to be hard. You just have to believe that you can.

A philosophy of science essay sample

Science comprises of natural and physical sciences. Sciences include biology, physics, chemistry, space science and earth science. The basic of sciences is making hypothesis which can be true or falls. From the hypothesis, scientific methods can be used to verify the hypothesis. In verifying the hypothesis, some assumptions can be made to validate the results; this assumption is mostly theoretical. For a long time scientific results, methods, assumptions, and hypothesis have not been verified as true or falls. To determine the truth in science, philosophy of science was introduced.

Philosophy of science was introduced by philosophers to try and understand the actions of the scientists and the scientific theories. The philosophers were trying to link scientific evidence with what people could observe in nature; that is, the philosophers wanted to verify to the public the truth in scientific work. The philosophers were interested in elaborating the methods scientists use in their work. The philosophers also wanted to verify the truth in scientific theories. Also, philosophy of science is concerned with how science affects activities of nonscientists and non scientific institutions.

Philosophy of science is important in explaining what science cannot explain. Philosophy explains the basics of science to help people understand science better. For example, in mathematics, mathematicians use numbers on their daily basis, and no mathematician has ever dared to explain the meaning of numbers. Lack of knowing the definition of numbers can make ordinary people take mathematics as a tough course. Therefore, it’s the work of the philosophers to explain the meaning of numbers. In other circumstances, physicist use time in their working but they cannot explain what time is; this is also left for philosophers to explain. Philosophy of science, therefore, makes scientists and the general public understand some basics in science that cannot be answered by science facts alone.

Philosophy of science is essential in the field of medicine. In the past, before the introduction of the philosophy of science, the medics believed that people were only sick at the point of visiting health facilities. The medics did not take medical history into perspective while dealing with their clients. Also, the medics did not have governing ethics in dealing with their clients. The introduction of the philosophy of science in medicine has so far changed how the medics operate. Philosophy makes medicine personnel understand the cause of a disease and the medical history of the clients. Philosophy has made it possible for medical personnel to view patients as humans and not ‘sick organs’; this has made it possible for the introduction of medical ethics. Through philosophy, medics can now predict and understand the cause of diseases.

Philosophy of science is also crucial in explaining the origin of the world. For example, science can only explain what happened during the big bang and post big bang events but cannot explain what took place before the initialization of big bang. The fact that science cannot explain some events makes people lack understanding of their world. With the introduction of philosophy, it is now possible for scientists to explain what happened before the big bang. Also, other things like the origin of man can be explained easily because of philosophy.

In conclusion, philosophy of science is essential in understanding our world. Philosophy addresses the questions of what, how and why in the science field.