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What science and philosophy have in common - Magical Realist - Mar 12, 2026
Too often we hear about the many ways science and philosophy conflict with each, including their empirical vs introspective methodologies and their seeming conflicting conclusions about the nature of reality. But what do they have in common? The main thing they share is an ability to or even an art of asking really good questions. Questions so germane and cogent that they have the effect of opening us up to new ways of interpreting the world and our experience. Dangerous, subversive, paradigm-shifting questions! One cannot overestimate the power both culturally and individually of posing a question that leaves us doubting some if not all aspects of our accepted worldview. Asking good questions cannot be taught. It is an insightfulness and creativity innate to the individual mind. Einstein is a perfect example of this interrogative attitude to the conventional theories of his day, coming up with a whole new theory of spacetime, gravity, and matter. Chalmers is a great example of posing an enigma about consciousness that continues to beleaguer both scientists and philosophers to this day. So remember this any time you encounter a scientific theory or a philosophical system purporting to have all the answers. It's not about the answers. The answers come and go. It is the questions that endure and drive these two grand enterprises of cognitive exploration.