What is science: definition and basic characteristics

What is science? Throughout our life, we have come across this concept many times. However, not everyone can give a clear answer to this question. Science is the defining value of modern culture, its most dynamic component. In the modern world it is impossible, discussing social, anthropological and cultural aspects, not to take into account the achievements of science.

In formulating the question "what is science?", We believe that the main goal of the activity of a person or an intimate community is the direct receipt of new, original scientific knowledge. To consider this concept is complex: a) as a social institution, b) accumulation of knowledge as a process, c) as a result of research in a certain branch of knowledge.

Science as a social institution

Scientific institutions (academic, research, design and technology institutes, laboratories, libraries, reserves, museums ...) constitute the main potential of the bearers of scientific knowledge. A huge part of scientists is concentrated in professional educational institutions, especially in higher education institutions. Moreover, modern schools and various lyceums are increasingly inviting candidates and doctors of science who are able to develop interest in innovation among students. Accordingly, schoolchildren also join in the comprehension of search methods in research activities.

Science in this context can fully perform its functions only if there are qualified personnel. Scientific growth is carried out through the creation of scientific schools (usually around a highly intellectual person, a large scientist or a new, promising idea), through the search for the scientific degree of a candidate, doctor of science, through graduate school, through the training of professionals of the highest qualification in the magistracy.

Employees of higher educational institutions, which have confirmed their scientific and pedagogical qualifications, are awarded not only academic degrees, but also academic titles - associate professor, professor.

Science as a process

Defining what science is, at this stage, it is necessary to pay attention to the different goals, methods and content of the activity of an individual scientific employee. They in science, as a rule, are strictly individual, unique in their basic parameters, differ from specialists, at first glance, of similar professions, such as a psychologist-practitioner and a psychologist-researcher. If a practical worker has the main goal of obtaining high results of activity in providing an individual promo, then the aim of a psychologist-researcher is to analyze the accumulated information about mental states, gain new knowledge.

Individual scientific activity has a number of features:

• Clear definition of the purpose of the work.

• Scientific activity is built on the experience of predecessors.

• Science requires the mastery of a certain terminological apparatus.

• The result of scientific activity must be registered in strict compliance with the established regulatory requirements.

Thus, answering the question "What is science?", It can be stated: it is a specific process, the main purpose of which is the search for regularities, and the distinctive feature is the confirmation of phenomena and processes through experimental checks or new, original knowledge.

Science as a result

The answer to the question "What is science?" At this level is revealed with the help of reliable knowledge about man, society, about nature. Accordingly, here science is represented by a set of interrelated knowledge on all issues known to mankind. A necessary condition here is the availability of completeness and consistency of information. Therefore, we can talk about obtaining extremely reliable knowledge at the modern level of achievements that can be different from everyday and everyday knowledge of an individual.

Some of the properties of science are distinguished at this level:

1. The cumulative nature. The amount of knowledge is doubled for every ten years.

2. Differentiation. A huge amount of accumulated knowledge led to the need for fragmentation of sciences. For example, applied sciences begin to be divided into more specific areas, new industries or intersectoral cycles appear at the intersection of different scientific directions (bio-physicochemical aspects of the methods of developing medical equipment).

In relation to practice, the following functions of science are distinguished:

• Descriptive (accumulation, collection of factual material). It is with her that the formation of any science begins, for example, the cycle of "economic sciences".

• Explanatory (identification of internal mechanisms, explanation of the features of various processes and phenomena).

• Generalizing (the formulation of laws and regularities).

• Prognostic (foresight of previously unknown processes, which became evident due to scientific knowledge).

• Prescriptive (allows to develop optimal options for recommendations and state standards).