Volume 3,Issue 8
Challenges to Classical Empiricism by Modern Cosmology and Astronomy
This paper explores the clashes between classical empiricism and modern cosmology, focusing on the epistemological challenges posed by the study of dark matter. Classical empiricism states that the production of knowledge relies on direct sensory experiences, including observations and experiments. It features testability, repeatability, and falsifiability, as argued by Locke, Hume, and later by Popper. However, contemporary astronomy and cosmology are increasingly dependent on indirect observations and mathematical modelling and simulations. Dark matter and dark energy, constituting around 95% of the total mass-energy of the universe, epitomizes the tension between classical empiricism and progressing cosmology. Dark matter’s existence could be inferred from its gravitational effects on the surroundings and anomaly in galactic rotational curves, despite its invisibility. This paper argues that such evidence by essence satisfies the empiricist view of scientific inquiry. The synthetic analysis concludes that modern cosmology reveals the refinement of traditional empiricism in real-life practices, transcending sensory experiences through technological advancement and logical inference. Hence, the boundaries of empirical evidence have been extended in the philosophy of science.
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