The form of rational knowledge is the kind of thinking

When a person wants to know the world, at first his ideas are made up of the first contacts with him. This sensual perception of reality is extremely important. However, it only gives signals about the facts that we see, feel, hear. But these are the necessary sources of knowledge, not it itself. And what if we want to understand what we are facing? Then we need other, more perfect compared to sensory reflection types of perception. Such a higher type or form of rational cognition is the kind of thinking.

This process of comprehending the connection between facts has activity - after all, we ourselves are trying to understand what is happening. It is also mediated by mediation. This process is characterized by the search for the essence and the desire for generalization. In addition, it is a systematic approach to reflecting reality and solving its problems in specific clear forms. They are three forms of rational cognition.

The first of these is often called the concept. This is the main "brick" in the activity of thinking and rationalizing reality. In terms of the essence of the described or observed object is expressed, and also necessary explanations are given. To better understand what kind of form of rational knowledge is the concept, let us also recall that this kind of thinking tells us, first of all, about the general and natural. The folding of these representations occurs in the process of practice, because only in this way can you determine which aspects of reality are significant. When our knowledge changes, very often other concepts are developed, or the content of the former is refined.

The next form of rational knowledge is judgment. This is a kind of logical thinking that involves some statement or denial about the object being studied. In the judgment a connection arises between concepts. Thus, their content is specified, and more complete definitions are given. It can be said that judgments systematize thinking, operating concepts.

Another form of rational knowledge is inference. As a result of this logical process, several judgments "generate" a new statement or denial. It, in turn, represents the next stage of our knowledge about the object or phenomenon. Therefore, it is customary to divide the inferences into several types. These are, first of all, inductive processes (when thinking moves from concretized judgments to more generalized ones). There are also inferences when logic works in the opposite direction. That is, there is a transition from general judgments to concrete (deductive processes). Distinguish also inferences "by analogy." In this case, on the basis of similarity and similarity of some elements or processes, conclusions are drawn about others.

So, we have considered the basic forms of rational knowledge: concept, judgment, and, of course, inference. However, many philosophers believe that in gnoseology as such, and in the functioning of consciousness play a huge role of the category. These are special, universal forms of rational comprehension of reality, which reflect the basic connections, regularities and properties of material things, spiritual phenomena and various processes. The specificity of categories is that if concepts and their judgments can be different for each science, then these universal terms have worldview and methodological significance for virtually any discipline.