If we consider the main directions of modern philosophy, is certainly one of the most prominent places in the development of philosophical knowledge holds positivism.Before turning to the analysis of the philosophical doctrine, should indicate the origins of which form the basis of this trend, which played and plays an important role in understanding the world.
At the end of the 19th century is quite widespread irrationalist philosophy, which is defined as the dominant factor of unconscious cognition, sensual, irrational.The basic cognitive resources irrationalism declared nemyslitelnye aspects - will, feelings, intuition.Not least in the list of informative sources irrationalists withdrawn unconscious, mystical insight that Schopenhauer - one of the most prominent representatives of this trend - declared the sole source of all knowledge.
further development of philosophy and natural sciences in particular has shown the limitations of an irrational approach, his inability to participate in building an adequate time the scientific world.Not able to overcome the crisis in philosophical knowledge and are the main trends in philosophy, which developed almost simultaneously with irrationalism.The philosophy of life as a philosophical doctrine, was undoubtedly a positive development in terms of the consideration of human life and society in its entirety and dynamics.But it also slips into the irrational when it comes to finding the causes which impel a person to action.Representatives of the scientists believe that life - a chaotic flow, which has the objective of expediency, and, therefore, to talk about any laws of cognition, as part of life itself, it makes no sense.
Hermeneutics made an enormous contribution to the development of scientific methodology, especially issues related to research methods of texts and their interpretation.However, there is found the influence of the irrational - any vital information is presented as a way of knowing the existence of its subject-interpreter.In short, the interpreter interprets the history and the reality on the basis of their own understanding.
Such basic philosophies of the late 19th - early 20th centuries as subjectivity and existentialism, psychoanalysis drove cognitive sphere only to the limits of life of individual human beings in the course of which it can define itself in such a way or another.
significant breakthrough in solving the problems of the philosophical crisis is the emergence and development of the principles of positivism.The starting point of this teaching is a statement about the fallacy of relying on the knowledge of general scientific principles, as suggested earlier the main directions of philosophy.Positivism asserts a fact - as the only true source of knowledge, while stipulating the condition that this fact should be completely cleared of the estimated loads and confirmed by experimental methods (verification method).
founder positivist trends in philosophy is considered the French lexicographer Auguste Comte, who has entered the history of scientific thought as the founder of sociology as a science in the classic sense of values.During its existence, positivism was four main stages in the development.This is - one of the hallmarks of positivism, if some of the main directions of the philosophy of the time or could not survive under a hail of criticism, and, in fact, turned into a disproved theory, positivism find resources and new methodological techniques justify its basic principles.For example, when an early version of the classic positivism have been questioned in connection with the rapid development of the natural sciences, they were pretty quickly critically reinterpreted by Mach and Avenarius.Machism was the second historical form of positivism, which in the first place there is a critical experience.That is why this trend has another name - Empiric.Then there were already forms of positivist philosophy as neo postpositivism and prominent representatives were Carnap, Bertrand Russell, Karl Popper, has developed a completely original methodological study of the cognitive process.
example, neo believed that the main areas of philosophy are primarily intended for the method of logical analysis of science, which is the main means of obtaining reliable information.Postpositivists went even further, the subject of their interest began to question the emergence of theoretical knowledge, the problem of scientific consensus and advance knowledge.Postpositivism more loyal to the philosophy and its role in cognition.
postpositivism most important achievement - the lack of a mandatory study the possibility of testing the reliability of conditionality scientific fact.It follows from this important conclusion about the nature of the development of modern science - it has in the development of ups and downs, but the general vector is directed towards the improvement of scientific knowledge.
