The Philosophical cosmology Is a branch of theoretical philosophy that studies the universe taking into account that it is formed by a set of finite beings, their essence, intelligence, origin, laws that govern them, their elements, most important attributes and their destiny. The philosophers studied this branch in order to establish the origin of the universe.
This discipline is constantly expanding. It is based on the fundamental concepts of cosmology and the philosophical perspective of the universe.
It employs fundamental theories of physics such as thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and special and general relativity.
In addition, it is based on some branches of philosophy as the philosophy of physics, science, mathematics, metaphysics and epistemology.
Philosophical cosmology arises from the division of philosophy into different disciplines. Thus, from the philosophy of nature, which consists of the philosophical study of the beings that make up the physical world, psychology emerges, which studies living beings, their mental processes and behavior; And philosophical cosmology, which studies physical beings without distinction: all have in common movement, space and time.
It is also known as the philosophy of cosmology or the philosophy of the cosmos. Its main questions are directed to the limits of the explanation, the physical infinity, the laws, especially those of the initial conditions of the universe, to its effects of selection and to the anthropic principle, to the objective probability, the nature of the space , Time and space.
The concept of philosophical cosmology tends to be restricted by understanding it to the study of inert moving entities.
Aristotle Was one of the first philosophers to pose questions concerning the universe, including its form. For this reason, his contributions range from the philosophy of nature to philosophical cosmology.
Origin of the term philosophical cosmology
Philosophy is an activity of the human being that creates numerous concepts and reflections on life.
By covering so many reflections, over time it has been divided into two great branches: theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, both apart from logic.
The theoretical philosophy studies the realities that can only be contemplated. From it arises the philosophy of nature that consists in the philosophical study of the beings that make up the physical world.
This in turn is divided into: psychology, which studies living beings, their mental processes and behavior; And in philosophical cosmology, which studies physical beings without distinction: all have in common movement, space and time.
Different philosophers dedicated themselves to thinking and deducing the origin of the Universe. Among them, Aristotle, exponent of the philosophy of nature, contributed his studies on the round shape of the Earth and the geocentric system.
So too Tales de Milet Or raised that the origin of everything could be water. Thus, other philosophers tried to pose the origin of things beyond a mythical or magical explanation.
It is not until 1730 that the term cosmology , Used by the German philosopher Christian Wolff, in General Comology.
Thanks to the philosophical activity, man has learned to think in a coherent way, therefore, it became inevitable to apply in the questions about the universe, questions that are purely physical as well as philosophical. In this way philosophical cosmology would emerge.
Objectives of philosophical cosmology
Among the questions that are tried to answer with the studies of the philosophical cosmology are:
- What is the origin of the cosmos?
- What are the essential components of the cosmos?
- How does the cosmos behave?
- In what sense, if any, is the universe perfected?
- What is the quantum state of the universe, and how does it evolve?
- What is the role of infinity in cosmology?
- Can the universe have a beginning, or can it be eternal?
- How do physical laws and causation apply to the universe as a whole?
- How do complex structures and order come into existence and evolve?
In order to explain the union of cosmology and philosophy, it is necessary to ask this question: has the beginning of the Universe become a rigorously scientific question, so much so that science is able to solve it by itself?
Science proposes that the Universe was created from"nothing". The concept of nothingness and the assumption that it is possible is a philosophical concept that goes beyond what can be established by a scientific search.
The concept of emptiness approaches the one of the nothing, nevertheless, they are different in the philosophical sense. What is understood as emptiness in physics and cosmology is distributed with essential physical properties, and deserves rather the name of space or space-time than of nothing.
This shows that theses of the creation of the Universe from nothing, such as"the tunnel of nothingness","fluctuation of nothingness", among others, are not purely scientific theses.
If one omits energy, mass and even geometry as characteristics not of nothingness but of active (dynamic) space-time, it must be recognized that"at the beginning"there must be laws of nature, according to which"Nothing creates The world,"which also assumes the existence of something that can be called the world of logic and mathematics. In this sense in the explanation of the origin of the Universe is necessary some structure of rationality.
This conception inevitably leads to philosophy. Physics can explain the origin, order, and content of the physical universe, but not the laws of physics itself.
From the philosophical point of view, the conception of the non-existence of boundaries of time and space shifts the problem from the source of the initial conditions to the question of the origin of the physical laws, according to which the Universe has no boundaries.
The limitations of our scientific knowledge about the Universe to its observable part (called the horizontal Universe) mean that we are not able to scientifically verify the correctness of a rule for the initial conditions (or its lack) for the whole Universe.
After all, we observe the results of the evolution of only a part of the initial state.
References
- Agazzi, E., (2000) Philosophy of Nature: Science and Cosmology. F, Mexico. Retrieved from: books.google.co.ve
- Anderson, R., (2012) What Happened Before the Big Bang? The New Philosophy of Cosmology. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: com
- Carrol, S., (2014) Ten Questions for the Philosophy of Cosmology. Preposterous Universe. Retrieved from: preposterousuniverse.com
- Jason, C., (2011) What is Cosmology . Bright Hub. Recovered from: brighthub.com
- Lopez, J., (2014) Wolf and the Utility of Philosophy . Journal Siglo XXI. Recovered from: diariosigloxxi.com
- Molina, J., (2010). Christian Wolff and the Psychology of the German Enlightenment. Person, (13) January-December, pp. 125-136.
- Such, J., (s.f) The Origin of the Universe and Contemporary Cosmology and Philosophy . Boston University. Retrieved from: bu.edu.