Human beings, from the stone age to this modern society, have constantly been subject to evolution. As they started exploring their surroundings, they questioned every minute particle of the universe. They developed the urge to gain knowledge of the things that are believed to be universal mysteries. When they pondered over nature, they unlocked the doors to substantial intelligence. The in-depth knowledge of nature helped man to move from caves to castles. That was the time when foundation of philosophy was laid down by some versed people of that age. Through their deep thinking and rumination, philosophers indoctrinated mankind with some basic principles of life and ways to live in a society that is of immense importance even in the contemporary age. Here are the details of how philosophers impacted modern society.
Who is a philosopher
According to the definition, a philosopher is a person who practices philosophy and investigates the depth of knowledge. They are the people who seek wisdom and enlightenment. The current development of modern society is greatly based on the philosophies of the philosophers of ancient Greece, specifically. History has produced some remarkably lambent philosophers who introduced new dimensions in the study of life. Some of the famous philosophers of the ancient Greece included Aristotle, Socrates, Confucius, Plato and many more. Their philosophies have been a guide for mankind to exist in different social setups.
Role of Philosophers in the Development of Science
All the advancement in modern science, without a shadow of a doubt, is based on the early philosophies that provide the basis for the development of contemporary scientific theories which were further researched and studied by the scientists to discern the laws of science and nature. Some of the philosophers who contributed to science are as under:
Anaximander
Anaximander was a scientific philosopher who came up with the discovery about the shape of the Earth. He introduced the concept that Earth is spherical not flat. Which is now accepted as a major astronomical fact throughout the world. He was an astronomer and inventor of the maps. He was the first person to measure day by hours. If we see the contemporary knowledge of astronomy and time measurement it has probably got its roots from the discovery of Anaximander.
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David Humes
David Humes was a German philosopher and scientist who first introduced the concept of human senses. He gave the concept of perception of everything through five basic senses. He claimed that whatever is in human knowledge, it is based only on sense-data. Whatever we come to know is only through the activity of senses. This was a useful hypothesis in the world of basic life sciences which was later proved after experimentation and scientific processes. Today, there is a consensus of the scientists and biologists on the relation between the perception through senses and response to a particular stimuli. This could not have been possible without taking Humes philosophy as a reference.
Galileo Galilei
Galileo was an Italian philosopher and one of the founders of the concept of mathematical universe. He proved his mettle in astronomy. He was the first one to invent a telescope with which he saw the stellar bodies that were previously unknown to human beings. In present times astronomy has developed as a continuously thriving discipline and indeed its foundation was this major invention by Galileo.
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Alfred North Whitehead
Alfred North Whitehead was an English Mathematician who became a philosopher. He wrote on Algebra, philosophy of Physics, metaphysics and education. Modern Physics and metaphysics are based on his philosophies. Physicists still use his theories as the basis for many concepts of Physics.
Philosophers and Ethics in Modern Society
Human beings are social animal. Ethics and moral values hold great importance to survive in a society. All the philosophers taught the humanity about the social norms, ethical considerations and moral values through their enlightening philosophies. Nations rose to the heights of glory by adopting these philosophies as their dogmatic principles. Philosophers have a great impact on the social system of today’s age.
In the present day world, humanity is faced by many questions which need logical reasoning and moral justification. All these question concerns the Philosophy and only philosophers have the right knowledge about certain things which should be addressed according to the combined knowledge of religion, science and social ethics. People nowadays, are driven by their desires and act without reflection or contemplation letting their instincts decide their behavioural responses. This has led to the animalistic tendencies in humans that cause harm to the structure of a society. Whereas Philosophers guide us all to be more humans and to elevate the concept that how a person should react based on logical reasoning rather than acting according to how we feel.
It can be considered that ancient Greek philosophy had played a pivotal role in conditioning today’s society. For example, they presented and provided much to the field of arts, behavioural and moral science. For instance, In 16th century, Muhammad Birgivi, a Muslim philosopher gave the philosophy that if you want to heal and preserve your own from evil and inferior character it is imperative to rigorously follow moral values along with constant travail to inherent good aptitude which will ultimately help you in the configuration of satisfactory character.
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Conclusion
It can be concluded that surprisingly, none of the philosophers or historians analyzed or found a particular kind of philosophy that can be plethora of historic associations. Related that why, for example, Hugo Grotius wrote about international law in particular. We would be unable to define Adam Smith’s philosophy of economy if we don’t go through the wealth of nations. Adam Ferguson can not be called sociologist because he was into jury consult, psychology and Anthropology. They were all moral philosophies with difficult interest in the practices and cadres of man. In the 21st century, about social scientists and philosophers, it was empirical that they had the practice of correlating philosophy with Ethics. It is not about philosophers in specific, who impact the society, but anyone who contemplates on that critical thought that’s inculcated in a society, can leave a long drawn effect.
