Well I have always wondered, how one could ever think of more than 3 dimensions. It is hard enough to visualize systems in three dimensions, let alone when groups of scientists talk about reality existing in 10 spatial dimension and 1 dimension of time. Well thats the essence of the latest version of the string theory - M theory.
I ponder and ask if this is science, philosophy or fanciful imagination, which man is so good at!! Well it is science, simply because it tries to balance the equations. Some thinkers say that science is more philosophy. Well, I would like to clarify my thoughts on how science and philosophy should and i believe inherently different. Suppose there is an equation y > 10. And some where down the road of measurement one determines y to be 6. So a scientist would quickly jump from where he is pondering and say - lo ! there is an extra variable defining this system . Lets call it 'x'. So x = 10 - y or x = 4. Then he goes on and tries to unearth the qualities of x.
Philosophy does something else. Seeing that there is an x - it starts giving out or tries defining 'x' in a logical or rather imaginative way. It says - 'x' is a map of vector z from the 7th dimension and is the sum of z and its conjugate, without going further to prove them. Well he may be right and the scientist may end up with the same result as the philosopher, but more often than not, these are figments of imagination, which as a philosopher would emphatically quote - " the spirit of truth reins in the heart of all imagination". Well, philosophy is much more deeper and profound subject only lame because it relies on arguments and logic unprovable to many relying on common sense, their sense organs and so on.
But as i venture to unearth how science and philosophy differs, I find subtle indications that all are heading towards the same direction. They both start off as a search for truth, in fact philosophy comes from the greek word - philosophie meaning "Love for Wisdom". It too aims to unravel the mysteries of the universe by asking questions on whether god exists, what is the place of each object in this cosmos, What defines reality and so on. In fact one of the main branches of philosophy is metaphysics - crudely "after physics". Both philosophy and science try to unify this entire cosmos. Science says all physics stop when it will find one energy from which all others are manifested. The science of biology stops when it would discover that very cell from which all life originated. So all also philosophy stops when one discovers the one truth, one god from which all creations are simply different manifestation (well philosophy goes sometimes beyond god and religion, but this is one central topic). Well, if there is so much of similarity where lies the difference or is our perception wrong. Is science a way of philosophy or is philosophy a way of science.
The simpler way out of this mess - philosophy and science has been coexisting from the time of ancient indians and greeks. Let us wait and watch whether both reach the same TRUTH!!
