Lecture 7. Philosophy of science and technology. Theme 1. What does science mean?

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Astana IT University
Philosophy
Lecturer: Ainur Abdina - Doctor of philosophical sciences,
Associate Professor

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Lecture 7. Philosophy of science
and technology
Theme 1. What does science mean?
The purpose of the lecture: to consider the
definition of science, to get acquainted with the
classification of science in the history of
philosophy, as well as the place and role of
science in culture.

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Topics:
1. Science as a cognitive activity, system
of knowledge, and social institution.
2. Classification of sciences.
3. Scientism and anti-scientism.
4. Internalism and externalism.

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Basic concepts:
• Science, cognitive activity, system of
knowledge, social institution,
classification of sciences, "liberal arts",
scientism and anti-scientism, internalism
and externalism.

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What does science mean?
• What is science?
• Science is a cognitive activity
• Science is a system of knowledge
• Science is a social institution

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Science as a cognitive activity
• Science is a special type of cognition,
specifically aimed at acquiring new
knowledge, having the status of
reliability, truth.
• What is a purpose of science?
• To bring benefits to humanity.
• To achieve the truth.

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Science as a system of knowledge
• Science is a system of knowledge about
the laws of functioning and
development of objects.
• The system of scientific knowledge
includes scientific facts, laws, theories,
methods of observations, experiments,
calculations, proofs.

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Science as a social institution
• Science is inherently a social system.
• Science involves individual scientists
working in social groups in social
institutions, exercising social values and
activities.

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Components of science
as a social institution
Combination of knowledge and scientists;
• The existence of specific cognitive goals
and objectives;
• The performance of certain functions;
• Availability of specific means of learning
and institutions;
• To develop forms of monitoring, review
and assessment of scientific advances;
• The existence of certain sanctions.

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Classification of sciences
Classification of
sciences is a way
of ordering
multiple sciences
to identify the
interrelationship
and systemic
integrity of science.

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Classification of sciences
Aristotle divided
the Sciences into
three groups:
theoretical (philosophy,
physics, mathematics),
practical (ethics,
politics), and poetic
(poetry).

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Classification of sciences
Al-Farabi (870-950)
classified the sciences
Into four sections:
1 – the science of
language;
2 – logic;
3 – mathematics, star
science, physical geography, etc.;
4 – natural science and metaphysics.

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Classification of sciences
A system of sciences
developed in medieval
Europe –"liberal arts" –
"trivium" and "quadrium“
of sciences, above which
towered the
“Supreme Science" –
theology.

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Classification of sciences
In Modern times
Francis Bacon (1561 –
1626) took as a
basis classifications
the following criteria:
1) the object of study;
2) cognitive human
abilities.

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Classification of sciences
G.V.F. Hegel (1770-1831)
believed that "real
philosophy“ is divided
Into "philosophy of nature“
and "philosophy of spirit".

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Classification of sciences
• Currently, the most recognized classification
of Sciences is based on the subject of
research: the science of nature, the science of
society, the science of artificially created
objects, the science of human health, the
science of quantitative relations of the
objective world.

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Scientism
• From the perspective of scientism, scientific
knowledge is the highest cultural value and
sufficient condition for human orientation in
the world. Ideal for scientism are the results
and methods of natural sciences. At the same
time scientism downplayed or even denied by
the social sciences as having no cognitive
value and rejected the humanistic nature of
science itself.

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Scientism
Ernest Rutherford: "All sciences are divided
into physics and stamp collecting."
Richard Dawkins "The Selfish Gene" (1976).

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Anti-scientism
• Anti-scientism underlines the limitations of
science, and in its extreme forms, interprets it
as a force alien and hostile to the true essence
of human virtue, destroying culture.
Methodological basis of anti-scientism is
absolutisation negative results of science and
technology (the aggravation of the ecological
situation, the danger of war, etc.)

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Anti-scientism
Herbert Marcuse is the author of OneDimensional Man.
Bertrand Russell talks about the
hypertrophied development of science.
Michael Polanyi is the author of the Concept
of Personal Knowledge.

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Internalism
• Internalism asserts that the factors
influencing the development of science
are related to the inner nature of
scientific knowledge.

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Internalism
• Philosophers, close towards internalism
are
Descartes Hegel
Popper Husserl

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Externalism
• From the point of view of externalism,
the emergence of science is due to
external circumstances for it – social,
economic, political.

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Externalism
• The most famous adherents of the
externalist approach are
Kuhn
Lakatos
Feyerabend

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Control questions
What is science?
2. What is the purpose of science?
3. When did science arise?
4. What classifications of sciences in the history of
philosophy do you know?
5. What are the "liberal arts"?
6. What is included in the modern classification of
science?
7. What is the difference between scientism and
anti-scientism?
8. What factors influence the development of
modern science?
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