Social Scienes and the Presence of Philosophy

Abstract

The main claim of the article is that what counts as the contribution of philosophy is present in the sciences (and humanities) on two levels. The first one can be described as the level of paradigmatic achievements. It includes the most general theoretical conditions, notions, and methods delimiting object of the science, what counts as a relevant fact and what are the fundamental research problems. Examples of such achievements are modern science (Gallilei), modern social philosophy (Hobbes) and philosophies of history (M. Weber, C. Schmitt). Characteristic of paradigmatic achievements is the instantaneousness (coincidence) of science and philosophy which precisely excludes the very possibility of a planned and controlled “encounter” of science and philosophy because at the very moment of the origin of the new paradigm “that” science and “that” philosophy do not yet exist (e.g. at the beginning of XVII century). The second level concerns the internal problems in sciences in moments when theories cease to be effective research tools or when the research questions are pushed beyond limits of existing approaches. And these are the situations which make place for philosophical reflection. A detailed analysis of two examples shows what exactly the contribution of philosophy might be in such a situation.