Home – Home – Jornals – Philosophy of Sciences 2014 number 1

The paper focuses on the structure of pseudoscience as a deviant interpretation of data which has specific cognitive features; those are an indefinite field of application, a limited evidence base, self-inconsistency, etc. The author discusses differences and similarities of pseudoscience and hypothesis as forms of knowledge. Also, he analyzes the systemacy property of scientific knowledge which is that theories and hypotheses support each other while isolation from recognized theories is to be treated as a sign of pseudoscience. Then, he argues the possibility to identify the validity of «here-and-now» hypotheses in a mature science and incorrectness of attempts to analyze pseudoscience as «research programs» (I. Lakatos). In the context of the proposed approach to definition of pseudoscience, he considers some mixed examples, such as cosmologic and psychological theories.

The article deals with explication of the conception of truth of Godelian sentence in the proof of the first Godel's incompleteness theorem. The author considers several views on establishment of truth of Godelian sentence. He shows that different approaches to the problem proposed by mathematicians and philosophers correspond to Carnap’s dichotomy of the external and the internal.

The paper presents a possible solution of the Frege–Geach problem by means of the model of ascriptive legal language. It shows that modification of modus ponens and use of ascriptive sentences as statements and inferences lead to solution of the Frege-Geach problem. Also, it disproves some Peter Geach’s critical arguments against Herbert Hart’s semantic conception.

The paper analyzes approaches to solution of the problem of semantic content of the conception of information within the semantic theory of information, the latter includes semantic-pragmatical, logical–semantic and semiotic conceptions. It shows that the semantic-pragmatical approach bases on assessment of the semantic aspect of information solely through its pragmatical component and the concept "contents of information" is coordinated with the concept "information value". Also, the paper considers the modal, probabilistic, and systemic approaches within the theories of "weak" and "strong" semantic information (TWSI and TSSI by L.Floridi) and gives critical remarks on basic positions of "the theory of strong semantic information".

The paper analyzes the famous work «Quod optimus medicus sit idem philosophus» («On that the best physician is also a philosopher»). The authors translated the original text to let using it by Russian-language scientists within the complex study of medicine of 1st–2nd centuries C.E. in the context of the history of natural science. At present, the study of natural philosophy prerequisites of the appearance of Galen’s anatomic-physiological system closely connected with knowledge in medicine is one of the most promising scientific areas in the history of medicine.

The paper deals with the search and study of rational bases in the content of ancient cosmogonical myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece in order to retrace interconnection of conceptions of the origin of the world and changes in them in comparison with views of first ancient natural philosophers (presocratics). The analysis is carried out by means of semantic unification of basic [key] concepts in the spirit of more rational Greek philosophy of nature. It makes possible to reveal the substantial structure of knowledge, as well as to find out and compare signs of transcultural evolution of the ancient cosmogonies.

The paper studies changes in Russian psychiatry which occurred from 1975 to 2010. An effort is made to analyze how scientific paradigms changed when Soviet psychiatry transited through the "hard times" in this science to its current state. The results of the analysis show that there are no cardinal changes in paradigms. Just the part of studies carried out by physiological methods as compared with those carried out by psychological ones diminished. Also, the rate of works on schizophrenia decreased.

The paper presents an analytical review of main reports delivered at the Anniversary Interdisciplinary Symposium devoted to the 150th anniversary since the first publication of «Reflexes of the Brain» by I.M. Sechenov in «Meditsinskiy Vestnik» on November, 23 (December, 6 stilo novo), 1863. This work made a cardinal turn in methodology of neuroscience. For the first time in the last 150 years the Symposium was hold at the historical place, i.e. at the Department of Normal Physiology of the I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (P.K. Anokhin Institute of Normal Physiology,). The editorial board of the journal «Neurocomputers: Design and Applications» and the «Radio Engineering Publishing House» took part in its arrangement.

The paper presents the review of discussions on science at the World Congress of Philosophy in Athens, Greece, 2013. Five themes are covered: features of modern science, methodology of science, scientific picture of the world, the role of science in the modern society, ethics of science.