科学家则倾向于渺视哲学的作用，如美国著名的物理学家、1965年诺贝尔物理奖得主理查德·费曼（Richard Feynman）对科学哲学对科学家的作用的话述如下：“Philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds. ”想必大家都知道的。此外，遗传学家约翰﹒史蒂芬﹒琼斯（John Stephen Jones）说过这样的话：“Philosophy is to science as pornography is to sex: it is cheaper, easier and some people prefer it.”德国化学家尤斯图斯·冯·李比希（Justus von Liebig）甚至说自然科学的进步是人类进步的唯一原因，而道德、宗教或哲学无预焉。他说：“The progress of mankind is due exclusively to the progress of natural sciences, not to morals, religion or philosophy.”

文科学者倾向于夸大哲学对科学的作用。如德国作家、1929年诺贝尔文学奖获得者托马斯·曼（Thomas Mann）说：“Science never makes an advance until philosophy authorizes it to do so. ”俄裔美国哲学家、小说家艾茵·兰德（Ayn Rand）说：“Science was born as a result and consequence of philosophy; it cannot survive without a philosophical base. If philosophy perishes, science will be next to go.”

美国哲学家、逻辑实证主义的主要代表卡尔纳普（Rudolf Carnap）从分析哲学角度说：“Logic is the last scientific ingredient of Philosophy; its extraction leaves behind only a confusion of non-scientific, pseudo problems. ”