The subject and functions of philosophy: briefly about the main thing. Features of each function of philosophy

Why is philosophy needed? What role does it play in human life and society? To clarify the role of philosophy means to answer the question: what are the functions of philosophy? The functions of philosophy are manifold.

Let us dwell on the characteristics of some functions that are mentioned in the domestic literature.

Worldview function .

Worldview - a system of views that determines a person's understanding of the existing world and his place in it, his attitude to the surrounding reality and himself. As a complex spiritual phenomenon, it includes beliefs, ideals, goals, motives of behavior, interests, value orientations, principles of knowledge, moral norms, aesthetic views, etc. All these elements of the worldview in their totality determine the spiritual appearance and life position of not only individuals but also social groups, classes, nations, society as a whole. Worldview is the starting point and an active spiritual factor in the development and change of the surrounding world by a person. Actually, they acquire ideological significance only through philosophy, while the level of awareness of this process is of fundamental importance.

The worldview is formed not only by philosophy, but also by scientific (natural, technical, social) disciplines, as well as by all forms of social consciousness - political, religious, art, etc. However, only philosophy gives it a holistic and complete look, which unites and generalizes all worldview attitudes formed in the human mind from various sources.

Worldview exists on two levels: 1) sensual - as a perception of the world, spontaneous perception of the surrounding reality, and 2) rational - as a worldview, the rationale for processes and phenomena. The worldview at the rational level is the deepest understanding of the world. It is based on the theoretical substantiation of the laws of development of objective processes. But it can be carried out only on the basis of their sensory perception (of their own or other people), therefore, the worldview understanding of the world must be considered in the unity and interaction of the sensory and rational levels of consciousness.

Philosophical worldview was formed historically in connection with the development of philosophical knowledge itself. Worldview attitudes at the pre-philosophical level of primitive man were presented in the form of myths, legends, tales, etc. In the later period of primitive society, a religion arises that, from its own positions, formed worldview attitudes in connection with ideas about the divine principle in the creation of the world, the origin of people and animals, life and death, etc. However, both myths and religion continue to exist to this day. They did not go down in history along with primitive society, when there was no science yet, but there were only practical skills, individual guesses and illusory ideas about the essence of ongoing processes. . The mythological-religious worldview continued to accompany social development at all its subsequent stages, but not as the only forms of worldview, but as those left over from the past, existing along with the philosophical form.

A variety of myths in the field of social processes were utopias as ideas about an ideal society, state, socio-political system, etc. At the moment, utopias are arguments about the possibility of returning to capitalism or socialism, about building a democratic society based on a market economy through universal privatization, etc. In these utopias, there is an acute shortage of a scientific worldview. The reform of society, which is not based on either science or modern philosophy, is devoid of strategic certainty, which today should be associated with worldview positions focused on the formation of a society of social justice on a labor basis and democratic forms of organization in all spheres of public life.

In modern society, there are different types of worldview: materialistic, idealistic, scientific, everyday, religious, utilitarian, nihilistic, etc. In their essence, they are divided into progressive, contributing to the creative process of development of society; everyday-utilitarian, connected with everyday life; reactionary, aimed at the destruction of social principles. The content of the worldview is determined by the practical results of people's activities based on it. Worldview is inextricably linked with practice. Practice forms a worldview, determines its content in connection with the goals of an individual, social group, class, etc. But if the worldview does not correspond to objective realities, then its correction is required. The currently emerging information civilization can only correspond to a scientific and materialistic worldview, based on the modern scientific picture of the world and taking into account the content and direction of new social processes. Only it is able to ensure the organization of the creative principle in society and oppose it to chaos.

ontological function . The word "ontology" (Greek ontos - being, logos - teaching) is used in various senses: 1) "first philosophy" as the doctrine of being, 2) the doctrine of the supersensible world, 3) the doctrine of the world as a whole. At present, the ontological function of philosophy is understood as the ability of philosophy to describe the world with the help of such categories as "being", "matter", "system", "determinism", "development", "necessity and chance", "possibility and reality" and etc. Philosophy widely uses the achievements of all sciences to describe the world, strives to make generalizations and, on this basis, raise new concepts to the level of universality. The ontological function is expressed, therefore, in creating a philosophical picture of the world. Creating a picture of the world, philosophy summarizes the achievements of modern science. When creating a picture of the world, as already emphasized, the anthropic principle necessarily works. In the center of the picture is a man, his many-sided connections with the world. Therefore, ontology is closely connected with both axiology and anthropology. When creating a philosophical picture of the world, the initial postulate is important: what is primary, initial in understanding the world. Consequently, the ontological view contains the original philosophical credo.
Social philosophy and sociocultural function of philosophy. In philosophy there is a section called "Social Philosophy". Social philosophy studies society as an integral organism, the relationship and role of all its components (economy, politics, social structure, culture, etc.), the role of objective and subjective factors in the change and development of society, considers the problem of historical stages, stages of development of society, the emergence global problems and prospects of human civilization. The socio-cultural function of philosophy follows from the content of this section, which is to help a person comprehend the course of human history, understand more deeply the current state of society, the multifaceted relationship between culture and personality, realize their place in society and their opportunities for self-development in the course of modern events. .
Cultural and educational function of philosophy . One of the functions of philosophy is cultural and educational function. Knowledge of philosophy, including the requirements for knowledge, contributes to the formation in a person of such essential features of a cultural personality as an orientation towards the search for truth, beauty and goodness. Philosophy can protect a person from the superficial and narrow framework of the ordinary type of thinking; it dynamizes the theoretical and empirical concepts of the natural, social and human sciences in order to reflect as adequately as possible the contradictory, changing essence of phenomena. In other words, philosophy forms a high culture of thinking in a person, polishes his intellect, develops the ability to adequately comprehend the world. One of the indicators of a high culture of thinking is the ability of the subject not to bypass cognitive contradictions, and even more so not to avoid them, but to strive to resolve them, overcome them, actualizing the available scientific information, philosophical categories and at the same time showing independence, non-standard approach. Dialectically developed thinking, not admitting formally logical contradictions, always strives to solve the real contradictions of the object, and in this way reveals its creative, anti-dogmatic character.

In this regard, the considerations presented by the outstanding Soviet philosopher E.V. Ilyenkov in his remarkable work On Idols and Ideals. The upbringing of a dogmatist, he notes, consists in the fact that a person is taught to look at the world around him as a reservoir of examples illustrating the validity of one or another abstract general truth, carefully guarded from contact with facts that speak in favor of the opposite view. When faced with the contradictions of reality, the individual comes to skepticism, which is the reverse side of dogmatism. Dogmatism and skepticism are two mutually provoking positions, two dead and unviable halves into which the living human mind is cut by wrong education. The attitude towards contradiction is an exact criterion of the culture of the mind, since for a truly logically cultural mind, the appearance of a contradiction is a signal for the emergence of a problem that cannot be solved with the help of strictly stamped intellectual actions, a signal for turning on thinking - an independent consideration of the thing in the understanding of which an antinomy has arisen. And the mind from the very beginning must be educated in such a way that contradiction does not serve as a reason for hysteria for it, but as an impetus for independent work, for independent consideration of the thing itself, and not just what other people have said about it. To teach dialectics means to teach the ability to strictly fix a contradiction, and then find a solution to it through a concrete consideration of a thing, reality, and not through formal verbal manipulations that gloss over contradictions, instead of solving them. In other words, dialectics must be taught, which, as a result, allows a person to have a flexible mind capable of reflecting a changing reality and making decisions adequately. Showing how it is expedient to build the pedagogical process at school so that students master dialectics, E.V. Ilyenkov rightly believes that dialectics is by no means a mysterious art peculiar only to mature and chosen minds, and that dialectics can and should be educated from childhood.

The cultural and educational function of philosophy is to form such valuable qualities of a cultural personality as self-criticism, criticality, doubt. The development of doubt is not, however, the development of skepticism, which develops into skepticism, since doubt is one of the active means of scientific research. Doubt, criticism and self-criticism are not the opposite of faith or firmness of convictions in the correctness of someone's (or one's) position. On the contrary, philosophy offers a person a powerful methodological and epistemological basis for the consistent transformation of doubt into scientific certainty, for its harmonious combination with faith in overcoming errors, delusions, in obtaining more complete, deeper, objective truths.

The cultural and educational function of philosophy also lies in the fact that it gives the community of individuals a common language, develops in it and each individual common, generally valid ideas about the main values of life. In this case, it acts as one of the important factors that contribute to the elimination of "communication barriers" generated by the narrowness of specialization, which turns a person into a "partial personality". The significance of the cultural and educational function of philosophy is manifested in the fact that philosophy gives a person a colorful, panoramic view of the social and natural world, allows him to penetrate into the depths of his inner world, to master his boundless psychocosmos.

Axiological function . Axiology (Greek axia - value, logos - teaching) - the doctrine of the nature of values, their place in real life and the structure of the value world, i.e., the connection of various values with each other, with social and cultural factors and personality structure. The axiological function is manifested in the substantiation of the position that a person is the measure of all things, that it is necessary to evaluate all his actions, deeds, results of discoveries, inventions, the creation of an objective world, etc. from the point of view of the ethical categories of “good” and “evil”. The question is always relevant: what is good? The axiological function is expressed in the development of the orientation of any activity, in the development of a humanistic approach, in cognitive, scientific and technical, social, political, economic, cultural, environmental and any other activity. Man lives among people. From the point of view of the axiological principle, a person is considered as the highest value of the world, and all his actions, creations, consequences of actions are evaluated from the standpoint of this humanistic paradigm. The axiological function is the development of a system of value orientations of the individual. The most typical life orientations of a person are: hedonism (the meaning of life is pleasure), eudemonism (the meaning of life is happiness), selfishness (personal interests are above all), Machiavellianism (achieving the goal at any cost: the end justifies the means), cynicism or cynicism (nihilistic, contemptuous attitude to the achievements of culture, rejection of culture: back to the animal kingdom), rigorism (selfless service to duty: before nature, before society, before a social group, before the family, before God), altruism and philanthropy (everything in the name of not oneself, but others, desire to provide all kinds of help, support to people). All these private moral orientations of a person in his daily life are connected with a deeper philosophical problem - the problem of the meaning of life, death and immortality. Throughout recorded history, mankind has sought to unravel the mystery of life and death. Science, art, religion, philosophy seek, each in their own way, to find the answer to the question of the mystery of life and death. “Each of the civilizations known to us, each epoch, each class and social stratum filled with its content, in its own way, depending on the developed traditions and historical and cultural forms of mastering the world, posed the problem of the meaning of human existence, solved it in its own way.”
epistemological function. Gnoseology (Greek gnosis - knowledge, logos - teaching) - the doctrine of knowledge, the theory of knowledge. The epistemological function is expressed in the development of a general theory of knowledge, in the disclosure of levels of knowledge (empirical» theoretical). Gnoseology studies the forms of sensory knowledge (sensation, perception, representation), rational knowledge (concepts, judgments, conclusions). Epistemology is important in describing the general principles of the relationship between the subject and the object of cognition and in discovering the objective limitations of the subject of cognition, in describing the contradictory ascent of knowledge from relative truth to absolute truth. At every stage of its development, philosophy has sought to answer the question: what is truth? There are currently many answers to this question. This again depends on the underlying philosophical axioms. The most common definition of truth is the following: truth is knowledge about the object of knowledge, which adequately reflects the properties, features, structure, change of the object. Truth is seen as something moving. Truth is a process. Knowledge about the object of knowledge is changing under the influence of new discoveries, new ways of describing the object of knowledge, new ways of testing our knowledge. In the course of expanding and clarifying knowledge, people are freed from delusions, not suspecting that some new ideas contain new delusions. The epistemological function has a heuristic side. Scientists-philosophers, relying on the data of science and applying the methods of cognition inherent in philosophy, are able to make independent discoveries, which in turn are included in the achievements of science.
Methodological function . Methodology - the doctrine of the principles, methods of knowledge and transformation of the world. Each science uses its own methods of cognition. Philosophy also formulates its own methods of cognition. Philosophy is currently studying various forms and methods of cognition. These include: analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, hypothesis and theory, observation and experiment, analogy and modeling, historical and logical, verification and paradigm, and a number of others. The methodological function is to justify the need for general principles and methods of knowing the world, to justify taking into account the general principles of self-organization and development of the world when studying any particular objects of knowledge. This is not about imposing philosophical dogmas. It is only about the fact that the researcher does not fall into the thrall of outdated, time-rejected principles in understanding the world and the general picture of knowledge.
Integrating function of philosophy

Philosophy performs its integrating function, on the one hand, by forming a culture of thinking, due to which the dialectical nature of private scientific thinking is developed, philosophical categories are used in all scientific disciplines, the most general idea of the unity of the world is introduced into the context of research, etc., on the other hand, through a series of integrators of varying degrees of generality, when philosophy takes part in the creation of linking, synthetic, problematic sciences, private scientific pictures of the world, etc. Thus, philosophy acts as the most general integrator, including both the intrascientific integrating function and the sociocultural integrating function. After all, it is aimed at integrating disparate various spheres of social life, levels of social organization and social structures generated by the mutual alienation of material production and spiritual culture, mental and physical labor, ideology and science, art and science. The significance of the integrating function of philosophy on a global level also lies in the fact that the further development of world civilization, fragmented into a number of local civilizations, necessarily requires overcoming the disunity of mankind on economic, class, national, racial and state grounds.

Logical-epistemological function of philosophy consists, as you know, in the development of the philosophical method itself, its normative principles, as well as in the logical and epistemological substantiation of certain conceptual and theoretical structures of scientific knowledge. The production of knowledge necessary to improve the elements of the general method is combined with its application for the development of general scientific methods of cognition, for example, a systematic approach, a modeling method. The use of the principles of dialectics as logic in the construction of scientific theories means the inclusion of logical or epistemological foundations in their composition. After all, scientific disciplines do not specifically study the forms of thinking, its laws and logical categories, however, they have to constantly face the need to develop logical and methodological means that would allow, in the process of cognition, to “depart” temporarily from the object, in order to eventually “come” to him, thereby enriching his true understanding of him. Scientific disciplines cannot function and develop normally without relying on logic, epistemology and the general methodology of cognition. This function is performed by dialectics as logic, because only dialectical thinking is able to adequately "grasp" and reflect the ever-changing world. If general epistemology shows the possibility and necessity of adequate scientific knowledge of an object, then dialectics as logic, together with other logics (formal, mathematical, fuzzy logic), contributes to the achievement of this adequacy. It develops the means of the most complete, accurate reflection of the developing, continuously changing essence of the object. Dialectics sets general guidelines for cognitive activity in various areas of theoretical natural science and social science, and the development of dialectical and logical principles of cognition, carried out in close unity with the generalization of the latest achievements in the methodology of natural and social sciences, gives practical significance to the general methodological function of philosophy.

Critical function . This function is to substantiate the idea of the need for a critical attitude to reality. The world we live in is contradictory. Society is woven from contradictions, and all contradictions in society one way or another find their expression in contradictions between people. Man is a multidimensional being. It is just as impossible to satisfy all human needs as it was impossible for the old woman to stop in the famous fairy tale by A.S. Pushkin. Philosophy is by nature critical. She does not recognize eternal ideals. In a certain sense, she is a disturber of the peace of the human soul. A striking example is the philosophizing of the ancient Socrates, who forced listeners to be uncompromising to their shortcomings. In the text of the manual, you can find a lot of other illustrations: Bruno, Kant, Marx, Chaadaev, and others. The critical function is manifested in the fact that philosophy sifts through its “sieve” the accumulated spiritual material, discarding obsolete teachings, views, and so on in the spirit of the times.
predictive function . This function is expressed in the development of hypotheses, "sketches", in the development of certain natural or social realities. Philosophy makes a kind of "intellectual intelligence" into the future, involving the intellectual elite of mankind in this fascinating and difficult process. Such "intellectual intelligence" helps to formulate the purpose of our activities. After all, the questions are always relevant: where are we going? What are the prospects for modern civilization? is it worth living for? In this part, philosophy is akin to science fiction literature. The only difference is that philosophy does exploration at the level of constructing theoretical models. In the predictive function, the game moment is highly developed.

To understand the essence of philosophy and its place in the system of culture, V.S. Polikarpov identifies eight facets of philosophy:

First face Philosophy is a scientific philosophy, which is due to the genesis of philosophical teachings in ancient India, China, Egypt, Ancient Greece.

Second face philosophy is an ideology that is usually considered to be extra-scientific in nature, for it is defined as reflection of social life through the prism of social group or class interests.

third face philosophy is an artistic development of reality, i.e. it is an art with its inherent specifics of cognitive activity.

Fourth face philosophy, which arose as a result of the interaction of specialized spheres of culture, philosophy and religion, is transcendent character.

Fifth face philosophy is connected with its interaction with such a specialized sphere of culture as law, which manifests itself in the form of legal consciousness.

Sixth face philosophy arises from the interaction of such specialized areas of culture as philosophy and economics, where the ratio of traditions and innovations in its development is essential for the latter.

seventh facet philosophy is a philosophy of everyday life, many threads associated with a non-specific layer of culture and specialized areas of culture.

eighth face philosophy is inextricably linked with its interaction, first of all, with such a sphere of culture as physical culture, an integral part of which is sport, which is based on game activity (we are talking about the philosophy of the game).

SOUTH. Volkov, V.S. Polikarpov. The integral nature of man. Rostov-on-Don, 1993).

For more details, see Polikarpov V.S. Introduction to philosophy. Rostov-on-Don - Taganrog, 2003. P.24-40.

Philosophy - polyfunctional knowledge

Main functions:

1. worldview

2. epistemological

3. methodological

Worldview function is manifested in the fact that philosophy offers one of the pictures of the world. In a number of worldview issues, the central problem is the attitude of man to the world. This problem is concretized as the relation of thinking to being.

Depending on the nature of the philosophical doctrine, the relationship of thinking to being may have other expressions. This may be the relation of consciousness to matter, the relation of spirit to nature, the relation of the mental to the physical, the relation of the ideal to the material. These are all formulations of the main question to philosophy.

Depending on the solution of the basic question of philosophy, all philosophers are divided into two large groups: materialists and idealists.

Materialists recognize the primacy of matter, which exists outside of human consciousness and does not depend on it. Matter in its development generates all the material diversity of the world and the ideal spiritual world. Matter is primary, consciousness is secondary.

Idealists consider spirit, consciousness, the ideal to be the primary principle, and consider matter to be a product, a product of consciousness.

Objective and subjective idealism.

Objective idealism: The ideal beginning has an objective character. It is not connected with human consciousness, it is outside of it.

Ideas exist by themselves (according to Plato)

Subjective idealism: something ideal is primary. Human consciousness is recognized as such a primary ideal. The world is a complex of my sensations.

The essence of the ideological function is to give a general picture of the world, to explain the world as a whole, to designate a person's place in the world and his relationship to this world.

Philosophy, solving the worldview function, satisfies the human need for views and beliefs of a higher order, which are associated with solving questions about the truth of the existing, about the meaning of various phenomena of this world, which determine the supreme norm of people's activity and which give the inner content (filling) of people's lives. When such needs are not satisfied, the inner world of a person feels emptiness, and the outer one loses its beauty. (c) Solovyov.

Gnoseological function

It is connected with the cognitive attitude of a person to the world. The main epistemological question is whether our thinking is able to cognize the real world and whether we can make a true reflection of reality in our ideas and concepts about the real world.

The division of philosophers into two groups:

Some philosophers deny the possibility of reliable knowledge of the world and knowledge of the essence of phenomena - agnostics.

Other philosophers are confident in the cognitive capabilities of man. They believe that a person can reveal the essence of things and present a fairly accurate picture of the world. Man can acquire true knowledge. They are called Gnoseological optimists (gnosticism).

Philosophy seeks to explain in its teachings in a rational way that which cannot be verified empirically, that which cannot be described or indisputably refuted, i.e. philosophy gives a rational explanation of those things that science cannot investigate.

Philosophy offers its own theories and hypotheses, various conceptual approaches to explaining various undisclosed or little studied phenomena, thus philosophy to a certain extent fills the unsatisfied interest in their knowledge. Leaves less room for fantasy, non-scientific approaches.

Within the framework of the epistemological function, philosophy comprehends cognitive activity itself. Fundamental epistemological problems: what is knowledge? What is the mechanism of cognition? What are the forms of knowledge? Stages and levels of knowledge? The problem of the truth of knowledge.

Methodological function

A method is a way of carrying out any particular operation, a way of cognitive or practical activity. (answer the question "how?")

Methodology - a set of methods for carrying out any activity.

Methodology - knowledge about methods and techniques.

Types of methods: 1. private scientific; 2. general scientific; 3. universal (philosophical)

Philosophy develops universal universal methods that are used in the fields of scientific and practical activities of people.

Philosophical understanding of the world poses the problem of perception of the world. Is the world surrounding a person, its objects and phenomena in a state of rest or the world changes, develops and passes from one state to another.

This question has divided philosophers into two groups: 1. motionless; 2. fluid.

With the development of the motionless gave rise to the direction of metaphysics, which gives a static picture of the world. Fluid eventually began to be called dialectics - they gave a dynamic picture of the world.

Induction and deduction are methods that have been developed and appeared within the framework of philosophy. The method of induction was defended by supporters of empirical knowledge; deduction - supporters of rationalism.

Philosophy performs a methodological function and the fact that it gives a general idea of the fundamental features of various phenomena of the world.

Other functions of philosophy:

4. Integrating function - combines various areas of knowledge, various areas of spiritual culture to solve cross-cutting common problems

Example: Anomie - the breakdown of the old value system and the absence of a new value system. Philosophers begin discussions in society, attracting public consciousness.

5. Axiological functions. Philosophy - knowledge in which there is a place for evaluating the phenomena of the world. Philosophy develops and defends various systems of values, develops various ideals.

6. Critical function. Everything is questionable. Some philosophical views criticize the value system of other views.

7. Predictive function. Philosophy speaks of possible development options based on a given state of affairs.

8. Humanistic function

9. Cultural function

In this note, the main functions of philosophy will be briefly described and the answers of philosophy to worldview questions will be briefly considered.

Functions of Philosophy

Functions of Philosophy- the main areas of application of philosophy, through which its goals, objectives, purpose are realized. It is customary to single out:

worldview,
methodological,
thought-theoretical,
epistemological,
critical
axiological,
social,
educational and humanitarian,
the predictive function of philosophy.

Worldview function contributes to the formation of the integrity of the picture of the world, ideas about its structure, the place of a person in it, the principles of interaction with the outside world.

Methodological function is that philosophy develops the basic methods of cognition of the surrounding reality.

Thinking-theoretical function It is expressed in the fact that philosophy teaches to think conceptually and theorize - to the limit, to generalize the surrounding reality, to create mental-logical schemes, systems of the surrounding world.

Gnoseological function- one of the fundamental functions of philosophy - aims at correct and reliable knowledge of the surrounding reality (that is, the mechanism of knowledge).

Role critical function to question the surrounding world and existing knowledge, to look for their new features, qualities, to reveal contradictions. The ultimate goal of this function is to expand the boundaries of knowledge, the destruction of dogmas, the ossification of knowledge, its modernization, and the increase in the reliability of knowledge.

Axiological function of philosophy(in translation from the Greek axios - valuable) is to evaluate things, phenomena of the surrounding world from the point of view of various values. Such values as moral, ethical, social, ideological and others. The purpose of the axiological function is to be a "sieve" through which to pass everything that is necessary, valuable and useful and to discard the inhibitory and obsolete. The axiological function is especially enhanced during critical periods of history (the beginning of the Middle Ages, the search for new, theo-
logical values after the fall of Rome; Renaissance; Reformation; the crisis of capitalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. and etc.).

social function- explain the society, the causes of its occurrence. Evolution, current state and its structure, elements, driving forces; reveal contradictions, indicate ways to eliminate or mitigate them, improve society.

Educational and humanitarian function philosophy is to cultivate humanistic values and ideals, to instill them in a person and society, to help strengthen morality, to help a person adapt to the world around him and find the meaning of life.

predictive function is to predict development trends, the future of matter, consciousness, cognitive processes, man, nature and society on the basis of the existing philosophical knowledge about the world and man, the achievements of knowledge.

Philosophical answers to philosophical questions

Philosophy is the theoretical basis of the worldview. Therefore, the main or fundamental problem is understanding the relationship between consciousness and the objective world in which this consciousness arose, the relationship between consciousness and matter. This problem has two aspects.
The first aspect is revealed in the answer to the question: What is the cause of everything that exists - matter or consciousness? In other words, can one of them be considered primary in relation to the other, and if so, which one?
The second aspect is related to the answer to the question: do we know the world?

Depending on the solution of the question of the first aspect, philosophers can be divided into idealists(subjective and objective) and materialists(naive, metaphysical, dialectical). Such a division, however, does not mean that between the two directions in philosophy - materialism and idealism There is an absolute contradiction. On the contrary, materialism and idealism are interrelated aspects of a single process of development of philosophical knowledge.

As for the cognizability of the world, there is no common opinion here either. Most philosophers believe that the world is knowable. But there are many philosophers who believe that a person is not able to know the world around him (these philosophers are called agnostics) either due to the limitations of their own cognitive abilities (for example, D. Hume), or due to the objective unknowability of phenomena as such (for example, I. Kant).

The role of philosophy in human life and society cannot be overestimated. Philosophy is the foundation of culture, penetrating and simultaneously synthesizing various branches of knowledge and practice. Philosophy draws all problems from life itself, all of them are a reflection of real life. The solution of these problems helps a person to comprehend the world around him, to realize his own Self, to understand his life purpose and to realize full self-realization at all stages of the life path.

Worldview function of philosophy

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QUESTION 1. Explain what is the ideological function of philosophy

The ideological function of philosophy is that, giving people a general, holistic view of the world, philosophy allows a person to determine his place and role in this world, makes him a conscious participant in this process, sets before him universal goals and tasks of social progress. The core of the worldview is made up of values - these are the phenomena of human culture, acting as factors of choice. They set the value attitude of a person to the world, i.e. specifically human scale of world exploration. The central place, for example, in Kant was occupied by the triad "Truth - Goodness - Beauty". It is these values that determine how a person answers himself, in particular, to the questions formulated by Kant. Philosophy uses rational forms of justification of value orientations, while religion appeals to divine authority and miracle. This is one of the reasons for the conflicts that arise between these forms of justification of the worldview.

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The main functions of philosophy.

Source 1.

The main function of philosophy is worldview. Being the theoretical core of the worldview, philosophy comprehends the ultimate foundations of culture, setting the coordinate system for everyday human activity. That is why philosophy is sometimes called the self-awareness of culture.

Synthetic function follows from the ideological function. Philosophy is the quintessence of the main ideas and values of a particular historical era, combining various forms of culture into a single semantic whole. Philosophy is a form of spiritual culture that acts as an integrator of all other forms.

Another important function of philosophy is critical. By reflecting on the ultimate foundations of culture, philosophy questions ideas and meanings that have lost their modernity and relevance. We can say that cultural progress is possible only because a person is able to question established rules and look beyond familiar horizons.

Criticality is the basis of the movement of philosophical thought. Philosophy in general began as a doubt about the reliability of the knowledge about the world offered by myth. The question "what is being?" is impossible for ordinary consciousness. The gap between the ordinary and the philosophical in Greek philosophy was expressed in the opposition of reliable knowledge - "episteme" and opinion - illusory, albeit generally accepted, knowledge - "doxa". The fundamentally critical nature of philosophy was noted by thinkers of different eras: F. Bacon, R. Descartes, D. Hume, I. Kant. They all believed that to philosophize means to doubt.

The most detailed theory, which clarifies the critical nature of philosophy, was proposed in modern times by R. Descartes. He put the principle of methodological doubt at the basis of any reflection. Without a doubt, thinking cannot begin. The only undoubted fact for a person is the fact of his own thinking. Thus, the ability to think becomes the guarantor of the existence of the individual. Starting with the principle of methodological doubt, R. Descartes came to the formulation of his well-known position Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am).

The methodological function of philosophy is to determine the general rules and principles of scientific activity. Science cannot independently reflect on its own prerequisites; the function of a "third-party", comprehending view is performed by philosophy.

Source 2.

The most significant of them are:

ideological

epistemological

methodological

information and communication

value-oriented

critical

integrating

ideological

educational

predictive

design

Worldview function

The ideological function of philosophy is considered one of the most important. It manifests the ability of philosophy to act as the basis of a worldview, which is an integral stable system of views about the world and the laws of its existence, about the phenomena and processes of nature and society that are important for maintaining the life of society and man. The philosophical worldview is able to be based on the results of the cognitive and practical activities of people. An important role in the system of the modern philosophical worldview is played by the data of science synthesized in the ideas about the scientific picture of the world.

Often in modern conditions, the worldview of individuals simultaneously combines mythological, religious and scientific ideas. These ideas give specificity to the worldviews of specific people.

worldview and worldview

In worldviews differing in form and character, the intellectual and emotional-psychological experience of people is combined in a special way, they reflect the worldview, worldview and worldview of people in different ways.

The attitude is the emotional and psychological side of the worldview. It finds expression of sensations, perceptions, experiences of people.

In the perception of the world, based on visual representations, the world appears in its reality, the images of which are mediated by a combination of emotional, psychological and cognitive experience of people.

World outlook is formed on the basis of attitude and world perception. The nature of the worldview as science develops is increasingly influenced by the knowledge it has acquired. The value of world outlook lies in the fact that it is the basis for the formation of the needs and interests of a person, his ideas about norms and values, and hence the motives of activity. The development and improvement of the worldview, worldview and worldview leads to an increase in the quality of the content of the worldview and an increase in the strength of its impact on living life.

As a system of views, the worldview of people is formed on the basis of a wide variety of knowledge, but the final form is given to it by philosophy, which, as noted earlier, generalizes the attitudes contained in it and develops extremely general principles of both knowledge, understanding, and transformation of the world. The basis of the worldview is information about normative formations that mediate its direction and give it effectiveness. Philosophy is a means of forming and substantiating the content of the most general, fundamental and therefore essential normative formations of the worldview that mediate the entire life support system of people. In this sense, it is justified to consider it as the basis of the worldview that a person uses in his interactions with the world and endow it with a worldview function.

Gnoseological function

The epistemological or epistemological function is associated with the named function. The essence of this function lies in the ability of philosophy to carry out a theoretical study of human cognitive activity in order to identify the mechanisms, techniques and methods of cognition. In other words, the theory of knowledge, developing the principles and norms of knowledge, provides a person with the means by which people get the opportunity to comprehend the world, that is, to obtain true knowledge about it and thereby have a correct worldview that meets the requirements of modernity, on the basis of which an effective practice.

Methodological function

Philosophy, being a means of developing the principles of human attitude to the world and the custodian of knowledge about these principles, is able to act as a methodology, that is, as a doctrine of the methods of cognition and transformation of reality. This means that philosophy has a methodological function. The term "methodology" is used in the scientific literature in two senses: firstly, the word "methodology" denotes the doctrine of the norms, rules of human activity; secondly, methodology is understood as a set of certain norms that mediate cognitive and practical actions in order to optimize them. It can be argued that methodology as a set of principles and norms of activity acts as a manifestation of the worldview in action. The fulfillment of a methodological function by philosophy depends on the quality of the general principles of cognitive and practical activity of people developed within its framework, as well as on the depth of assimilation of knowledge of these principles by people who apply them.

Information and communication function

The nature of the assimilation of philosophical knowledge depends on the ability of philosophy as a system of knowledge to be transmitted from one person to another and to inform the latter about its content. This is the information and communication function of philosophy.

Value Orienting Function

Philosophy as a body of knowledge about the most general principles of a person's relationship to the world is at the same time a system of criteria for evaluative activity, in the role of which these principles act. Evaluative activity, which is possible on the basis of people's awareness of the criteria of optimality proposed by philosophy, the usefulness of a particular set of phenomena and actions, acts as a means of orienting these people in the world. Philosophy as a means of developing knowledge about values and a carrier of this knowledge, from the point of view of axiology, or the theory of values, is capable of performing a value-orienting function.

Critical function

With this direction of realization of one of the purposes of philosophy, the manifestation of its other purpose, expressed in the performance of a critical function, is connected. Within the framework of philosophy, an assessment of what is happening in the world is carried out on the basis of the general ideas contained in philosophy about the norm and pathology of the phenomena and processes of reality surrounding a person. The critical attitude of philosophy to what is negatively evaluated in spiritual and material life contributes to the development of measures aimed at overcoming what does not suit a person, seems to him pathological and therefore worthy of transformation. The critical function of philosophy can manifest itself not only in people's attitudes to the world, but also be realized in the course of self-assessment by specialists of its own content. Thus, the critical function of philosophy can be realized both in terms of stimulating the development of knowledge about the world and updating the world as a whole, and in terms of improving the content of philosophy itself.

Integrating function

As you know, philosophy generalizes the knowledge accumulated by mankind, systematizes and integrates it into a single system, develops criteria for its subordination. This allows us to speak about the integrative function of philosophy in relation to knowledge.

In addition, philosophy formulates the most general principles of the world order, as well as the requirements for a person's relationship to the world, society and himself. Being assimilated in the course of education, becoming the property of different people, such principles provide them with the formation of positions that are close in content, which contributes to the integration of the social community into a single whole. This shows another plan for the realization of the integrating function of philosophy.

Ideological function

In close connection with these functions, philosophy is able to fix and promote the interests of social strata and groups of society, that is, to act as an ideology, to perform an ideological function. This function may be specific depending on the interests of which social groups this philosophy expresses. As you know, the interests of groups can be progressive or reactionary. Depending on this is the orientation of the implementation of the ideological function, which is able to have a great influence on the manifestation of other functions of philosophy. Reactionary ideologies are able to slow down the development of philosophy, deform and distort its content, reduce its social value, and reduce the scope of its application in practice.

educational function

An important role is played by the educational function of philosophy, which follows from the ability of this discipline to have, as knowledge about it is acquired, a formative effect on the human intellect. Mastering the knowledge of philosophy by a person, the formation of the beliefs and skills of activity corresponding to it, are able to induce a person to an active, creative and productive activity that is useful for people. In the event that a person masters a reactionary philosophy, then this can give rise to a passive attitude towards affairs, alienation from people, from the achievements of culture, or turn into activity directed against society or part of it.

predictive function

Along with the above functions, philosophy is engaged in forecasting, performs a prognostic function. Many philosophers of the past acted as prophets, predicting the future. Some of the predictions were utopian, far from reality, but sometimes the prophecies of individual prominent thinkers reached great adequacy. Of course, it is difficult to foresee the future, but the value of philosophers' warnings about imminent dangers, for example, generated by the thoughtless and predatory consumption of natural resources, within the framework of the rules that the world economy uses today, is extremely high. For this sets the task of improving the norms that regulate the relationship between society and nature in order to ensure the survival of people.

design function

With the considered functions of philosophy, another one is connected - design. In view of the fact that philosophy reveals the mechanisms and the most general tendencies in the development of nature, society and thinking, reveals the requirements, the observance of which ensures the operation of these mechanisms and tendencies, it is able to become the basis for influencing natural and social processes. Such an impact must be organized in order to ensure its clear direction and obtain certain results. Preliminary design of the social environment, for example, in the context of the development of territories, urban planning, construction of factories and factories, requires the participation of philosophy, which, together with other sciences, is called upon to develop the most general principles and norms that make up the regulatory framework for the creation and functioning of objects used to organize the life of people in an urbanized and other environment. Philosophy is called upon to play the same role in the organization of economic space. In a narrower sense, the design function of philosophy is realized in the formation of models of cognitive and practical activity. Consideration of the functions of philosophy is an illustration of its large-scale role in public life, in organizing people's activities aimed at understanding and transforming the world.

In the activity of an economist, the functions of the acquired philosophy are realized not only in the content of his professional practical and theoretical activity. The embodiment of the worldview, epistemological, methodological and other functions of philosophy is carried out both in terms of understanding macroeconomic problems, and in their implementation at the level of microeconomic relations. At the same time, it becomes possible both to generate innovative ideas, to make informed decisions on their implementation, to successfully implement them in economic activity, and to perfectly follow the requirements of economic relations accepted for execution in society. In other words, philosophy, having become the property of an economist as a component of his professional training, is able to act as the foundation of his practical activity. The success of this activity will depend, among other things, on what philosophy the economist has learned and how skillfully he can apply it in practice.

Source 3.

1. The general concept of the functions of philosophy.

The functions of philosophy are the main areas of application of philosophy, through which its goals, objectives, and purpose are realized. It is customary to single out:

worldview,

methodological,

thought-theoretical,

epistemological,

critical

axiological,

social,

educational and humanitarian,

predictive

functions of philosophy.

The ideological function contributes to the formation of the integrity of the picture of the world, ideas about its structure, the place of a person in it, the principles of interaction with the outside world.

The methodological function lies in the fact that philosophy develops the main methods of cognition of the surrounding reality.

The mental-theoretical function is expressed in the fact that philosophy teaches to think conceptually and theorize - to generalize the surrounding reality to the maximum, to create mental-logical schemes, systems of the surrounding world.

Gnoseological - one of the fundamental functions of philosophy - aims at correct and reliable knowledge of the surrounding reality (that is, the mechanism of knowledge).

The role of the critical function is to question the surrounding world and the existing meaning, to look for their new features, qualities, to reveal contradictions. The ultimate goal of this function is to expand the boundaries of knowledge, the destruction of dogmas, the ossification of knowledge, its modernization, and the increase in the reliability of knowledge.

The axiological function of philosophy (translated from Greek axios - valuable) is to evaluate things, phenomena of the surrounding world from the point of view of various values - moral, ethical, social, ideological, etc. The purpose of the axiological function is to be a "sieve" through which to pass everything that is necessary, valuable, and useful, and discard what is inhibiting and obsolete. The axiological function is especially enhanced during critical periods of history (the beginning of the Middle Ages - the search for new (theological) values after the collapse of Rome; the Renaissance; the Reformation; the crisis of capitalism in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, etc.).

Social function - to explain society, the reasons for its emergence, the evolution of the current state, its structure, elements, driving forces; reveal contradictions, indicate ways to eliminate or mitigate them, improve society.

The educational and humanitarian function of philosophy is to cultivate humanistic values and ideals, instill them in a person and society, help strengthen morality, help a person adapt to the world around him and find the meaning of life.

The prognostic function is to predict development trends, the future of matter, consciousness, cognitive processes, man, nature and society, based on the existing philosophical knowledge about the world and man, the achievements of knowledge.

Philosophy and private scientific knowledge.

Source 1.

A) A particular scientific picture of the world is a way of seeing the world, which is provided by the cognitive means of a certain science (physical, chemical, biological and other pictures of the world). A generalized characteristic of the subject of research is introduced into the picture of reality through representations:

1) about the fundamental objects from which all other objects studied by the corresponding science are supposed to be built;

2) about the typology of the studied objects;

3) about the general patterns of their interaction;

4) about the space-time structure of reality.

All these representations can be described in the system of ontological principles, through which the picture of the studied reality is explicated and which act as the basis of scientific theories of the corresponding discipline.

For example, principles: the world consists of indivisible corpuscles; their interaction is carried out as an instantaneous transfer of forces in a straight line; corpuscles and bodies formed from them move in absolute space with the passage of absolute time - they describe the picture of the physical world that developed in the second half of the 17th century and later received the name of the mechanical picture of the world.

The basis of the biological picture of the world of classical natural science was the Darwinian theory of the evolution of species based on the mechanism of natural selection, which included chance as an essential element.

What is the role of a particular scientific picture in the structure of scientific knowledge? It sets and authorizes as a true certain categorical type of vision by a specific science of its empirical and theoretical (idealized) objects, harmonizing them with each other. What is its nature? Certainly, it does not appear as a result of generalization of theoretical and/or empirical knowledge. A particular scientific picture of the world is always a concretization of a certain (more general) philosophical ontology.

Source 2.

The first philosophical teachings arose more than 2500 years ago in India, China, Egypt, reaching their classical form in ancient Greece.

Philosophy was formed on the basis of the contradiction between the mythological worldview and the rudiments of scientific knowledge, which required for their explanation not regular myths, but an appeal to natural, causal relationships. The comprehension of a fundamentally new orientation of the subjects of cognition led to the emergence of cognitive subject-object relations in the structure of the worldview, and the growth of natural scientific information about nature led to the maturation of universal scientific ideas about the world, gradually replacing the mythological picture of the world. Over time, the main question of the worldview (the question of the world as a whole and the relationship of man to the world) and the answer to it, as well as to many related questions, acquired a scientific form, and the worldview, new in content, turned out to be relatively independent, separated from the mythological, and religious outlook.

The history of the development of philosophy, if you get acquainted with it in terms of the relationship between general and particular scientific knowledge about nature (see Chapter III), also testifies to the inseparable connection between philosophy and science. History shows that philosophy, at least from its ontological and epistemological side, has developed along a path analogous to that of the natural sciences.

So, in two moments of its genesis: at the stage of origin, and then throughout the history of its development, philosophical knowledge turned out to be meaningfully intertwined with natural science knowledge.

The genetic aspect of the scientific nature of philosophy is complemented by a structural aspect. Philosophy constantly receives and processes information available in various fields of knowledge, including in the sciences of nature; this information comes to it through many channels of communication: conceptual, mesotheoretical, operational, etc. On this basis, a universal picture of the world is formed and changed, improved, philosophical ideas are developed about the systemic nature of being, about space, determinism, about cognitive subject-object relations, about universal principles, methods of knowledge, etc. The content of philosophical knowledge includes certain fundamental concepts of the natural sciences ("atom", "substance", etc.), some of the most general laws and principles of natural science (an example is the "law of conservation and transformation of energy"). By the way, the presence of a whole layer of such natural-scientific ideas in philosophy often gives reason to deny its specificity altogether and to believe that it is nothing but the totality of the most significant results of the natural sciences. But one way or another, the presence in its composition and the functioning of natural scientific data in it is one of the signs of its scientific nature.

Structurally, from the point of view of the philosophical concepts and means of cognition itself, philosophy also has many points that speak of its scientific character and entry, at least in some respects, into the sphere of scientific knowledge.

What are the characteristic features, or signs, of scientific knowledge?

Cognition is usually compared with practical and value-evaluative activities. Cognition is the activity of receiving, storing, processing and systematizing conscious concrete-sensual and conceptual images of reality (a slightly different definition: this is the activity of receiving, storing, processing and systematizing information about objects). Knowledge is the result of knowledge.

A particular system of knowledge is considered scientific, or related to the field of science, if it meets certain criteria.

Mythological and religious knowledge is characterized by belief in the supernatural, the supernatural. There is no such belief in science.

The scientific criteria are as follows:

1) Objectivity, or the principle of objectivity. Scientific knowledge is associated with the disclosure of natural objects, taken "by themselves", as "things in themselves" (not in the Kantian understanding, but as not yet known, but known). In this case, there is a distraction from the interests of the individual, and from everything supernatural. Nature must be known from itself, it is recognized in this sense as self-sufficient; objects and their relations must also be known as they are, without any extraneous additions, i.e. without introducing anything subjective or supernatural into them.

2) Rationality, rationalistic validity, evidence. As some researchers note, ordinary knowledge is, among other things, of a referential nature, based on "opinions", "authority"; in scientific knowledge, on the other hand, not just something is reported, but the necessary grounds are given for which this content is true; The principle of sufficient reason applies here. The principle of sufficient reason says: "Not a single phenomenon can turn out to be true or valid, not a single statement can be fair without a sufficient reason why this is the case and not otherwise" (Leibniz G. V. Soch.: In 4 vols. M., 1982. T. 1. S. 418); reason becomes the judge in matters of truth, and criticality and rational principles of cognition become the way to achieve it.

3) Essentialist orientation, i.e. focus on reproducing the essence, regularities of the object (the reflection of the repeated, but insignificant properties of the object is also subordinated to this goal).

4) Special organization, special systemic knowledge; not just orderliness, as in everyday knowledge, but orderliness according to conscious principles; orderliness in the form of a theory and an expanded theoretical concept.

5) Verification; here is an appeal to scientific observation, to practice, and testing by logic, by a logical path; scientific truth characterizes knowledge that is, in principle, verifiable and ultimately proven to be true. The verifiability of scientific truths, their reproducibility through practice gives them the property of general validity (and in this sense, "intersubjectivity").

Validity in itself is not a criterion sign of the truth of a proposition. Just because a majority votes for a proposition does not mean it is true. The main criterion of truth is different. Truth does not follow from universal validity, but, on the contrary, truth requires universal validity and ensures it.

All the noted criteria of scientific character are applicable to part of the content of philosophical knowledge, especially to ontology (philosophy of nature), epistemology (epistemology) and the methodology of scientific knowledge, which can be found in virtually all philosophical systems that have relevant issues.

From the above considerations, we can conclude that philosophy is part of the scientific sphere of knowledge, at least part of its content, and in this respect, philosophy is a science, a type of scientific knowledge. Its subject specificity as a type of scientific knowledge lies in the extreme generalization of information from the point of view of the main issue of worldview.

This provision follows from a comparison of philosophy primarily with the natural sciences, and not with the social sciences, and therefore, apparently, we must assume that philosophy in the noted respects is a natural science, it is included (part of its own) in the complex of natural science disciplines.

At the same time, it is also a social science discipline. Philosophy also studies society, and in it - the relationship between collective (social) consciousness and social being, the specifics of social cognition, etc. Philosophy is closely connected with private social sciences - jurisprudence, economic science, political science, etc., generalizing the data of these sciences from a certain angle. The subject-content interpenetration of philosophy and social sciences makes it possible to consider philosophy as social science knowledge as well.