Home – Home – Jornals – Philosophy of Sciences 2013 number 2

The paper reconstructs the transition from theological symbolism of unity to naturalistic one in British philosophy of 17–18th centuries. It reveals the specific of this process in comparison with continental philosophy and shows how the meaning of the concept «nature» transformed in Hobbes's and Locke's works in the light of the problem of solidarity.

The paper presents a new periodization of the development of science. The author regards the antique science as a starting point (“thesis”) in formation of the modern natural science; he treats the classic stage of the development of science as its opposite (“antithesis”); and he considers the future science to be a special “synthesis” of antique and modern conceptions. Also, the author developed the method of “controllable growth of scientific knowledge” which makes possible to foresee what main features science will possess in future.

The paper considers the evolution of ideas of philosophy of science with a regard for the development of concrete sciences. The research is aimed at trying to answer the question if it is possible to create a single unified philosophy of science.

The paper discusses the problem of elimination of unconfirmed theories out of scientific knowledge as Paul Feyerabend’s objection to known rational scientific methodologies. To solve the problem, the author suggests to rank scientific knowledge according to its cognitive significance basing on the principles of rational skepticism which he introduces. One realizes ranking with the help of a procedure which the author suggests as a universal method and criterion of demarcation of scientific knowledge.

In the authors’ opinion, the main thing in Ramsey’s transcendental argument is still the fact that one treats the axiom of infinity as a tautology. Extensional functions really do not play a demonstrative part but serve just as an instrument to realize the program of logicism. However, it is not the most important thing in the transcendental argument. The most important thing is right that one may present the axiom of infinity as a tautology. And it is the possibility to write it down as a tautology in various presentations that is evidence of its transcendental truth.

The paper presents results of the study aimed at revelation of the methodological basis of the standard cosmologic model. Its revelation makes possible to specify the nature of relationship between cosmology and physics and to forecast a general trend in the development of cosmologic conceptions.

The post-non-classical science studies the evolution of complex self-developing systems. The third paradigm, viz. the synergetic one, as a research program underlies the post-non-classical philosophy. It should become a methodological foundation in creation of the modern theory of biologic evolution.

The paper considers the problems of the unity of structure and development of the Megasystem where the Earth being its small part plays a strictly subordinate role of a component. In the context of general scientific (cosmological) problems, the authors show the significance of geological research and identify its function in solution of fundamental problems of natural science including cosmology.

The author proposes an approach to interpretation of a technical object. She suggests treating it as a form of synthetic knowledge in which mathematical, logical, physical and aesthetic pieces of information integrate as a functioning system. In such a form, knowledge should meet conditions of paradigm consistency and praxeological admissibility. The paper considers epistemological aspects of direct and reverse construction and extraction of information about a subject and socio-cultural context from a technical object.

The paper deals with revelation and study of rational basis in the content of ancient cosmogonical myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. The purpose is to retrace correlation of conceptions of the origin of the Universe and their change in comparison with views of the earliest antique natural philosophers (Presocratics).The analysis is carried out by semantic unification of main concepts in the spirit of more rational Greek philosophy. It makes possible to reveal an substantial structure of knowledge as well as to find and compare signs of transcultural evolution of ancient cosmogonies.

Article is devoted to an actual problem of history of natural sciences – to physiophilosophy and medicine interference in the III century. This period of history of antique natural sciences is characterized by huge importance of the processes happening in medicine: at a boundary of the II–III centuries in medicine there is an important change – Galen's anatomo–physiological system is formed. In article the special place and value of the Alexandria school in natural sciences development within which the synergy of ancient philosophy and Christian theology was provided is also in detail analyzed.

The paper recounts and analyses philosophical views of Archimedes, the great ancient Greek scientist. The specific attention is paid to methodological criteria which Archimedes used when solving mathematical, physical, astronomical and cosmologic problems. Also, the author considers factors which determined Archimedes’s choice of the picture of the world.