Is cosmology a science, religion or philosophy?

Question asked by: knowitall

Cosmology is often said to be more of a religion or philosopical pursuit than it is a scientific practice.

The motivation for this is that, many things posited by some cosmologists, could never be verified or proved true or false by empirical pursuits.

Therefore they ultimately come down to faith or belief rather than knowledge; and hence many say that they are the stuff of philosophy where we look to see what facts mean and about facts, rather than trying to discover facts in the world itself.

Of course, a lot of cosmology is indeed empirically verifiable, and some that we do not think is may well be too.

However some theories held such as string theory look set to remain like a religion that you either have faith in it or not, and nothing seems to be able to prove through empirical science whether string theory is true or false - the entities it posits, strings, are so tiny that there seems no chance they could ever be viewed or isolated.

Similarly some bizarre forms of energy and matter, if they never interact with normal matter, would also seem to render themselves out of being observed and hence these theories may fall to the same charge.
By: Unknown
star

Average rating for this answer is 2.5 / 5

Rate Answer

Comment or provide your answer to this question
No comments have been added to this question "Is cosmology a science, religion or philosophy?".

Ask a New Question

Find out more about Physics

Physics Questions and Answers

cosmology Questions and Answers

Next question: What is the measurement problem in physics?

Become a Member! It's Free >>>

Share on Facebook: On Twitter: Twitter Tweet this!

Question Keywords

religion philosophy science cosmology

More Questions:

Calculate The Acceleration Due To Gravity, G.
Is The Momentum Of Fire And Gun Is Same Before And After The Trigger Push?
Which Will Be More Effetive In Knocking A Bear Down (1)a Rubber Bullet Or(2) A Lead Bullet Of The Same Momentum?
What Happens When A Charge Is Placed On The Surface Of A Bubble
Northseeking Gyro-compass