If the only thing philosophers were able to demonstrate is that the universe doesn’t contain square circles or that nothing is both blue and not blue, then their method would be quite impotent. However, some theories are contradictory in a way that is subtle and far from obvious, and uncovering these more subtle contradictions may require the distinctive skills of the armchair philosophers—Philip Goff in Galileo’s Error.

Not only do scientists engage in philosophy daily, but the skills of armchair philosophers also come in handy when interpreting empirical findings.