Philosophy Argument
According to the article, Steven Hawking argues that ‘philosophy is dead.’ The first premise is that most of the fundamental questions about the nature of the universe cannot be explained without hard data (Matt, 2011). The premise is excellent since it is clear that science provides evidence while answering such questions providing the required proof. For instance, Hawking highlights that the data collected by space research is an example of an institution that dedicates its time and resources to acquire such information. However, philosophy fails to provide adequate data to prove its facts.
Argument Two
Hawking’s second premise is that philosophy has failed to catch up with the new science developments. Over the years, science has made various scientific breakthroughs that have changed the perceptions of people on various things. Technological advancements have also contributed to these discoveries, and philosophy has indeed failed to catch up with them (Matt, 2011). Hawking argues philosophy can hardly explain any of these discoveries, which gives an upper hand and reliable as well. The premise does not justify his conclusion since it appears to focus on a specific branch of philosophy, leaving out the rest.
Potential Problems
The first argument highlights that data is vital in science, and philosophy fails to observe it. However, in some cases, data could be unreliable, which would, in turn, affect the results of the findings.
The second argument highlights that philosophy is dead because it fails to catch up with science developments, especially in physics. Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that deals with understanding nature, and this is the branch that has failed to keep up with the scientific developments based on Hawking’s argument. Therefore based on the argument, it fails to address other branches of philosophy like ethics, epistemology, and logic. As a result, Hawking’s argument could be wrong since what could be dead is metaphysics only, which does not make the other branches dead as well.