Correspondence: Philosophy and Science

Dr. Bronwell's premises are quite unrealistic in his article “Is Philosophy Off Limits?” (May issue, page 110.) Modern philosophy appears to be in the same onanistic circle with the other academic circles he criticizes. Philosophy is busy analyzing the (deep) meaning of its words, in a way very analogous to the way science is busy analyzing the meaning of its measurements. Each thus feels itself to be fundamentally limited by the state of the art of measurements. It is by no means self-evident, or even truly provable, that refinement of tools cannot lead to new worlds of knowledge and accomplishment. It can only be said that almost everyone interested in the arts and sciences spends most of his time this way, at least partly for the reason that he hasn't an idea for something better to do, and such activity has social approval and earns one a living.