Science Methodology - Definition, History and Features

Any scientific field is based on a number of methods and mechanisms. Their combination is a separate doctrine called the methodology of science. In the traditional sense, this is a section of the general theory of knowledge, one of the sections of philosophy. The content and concept of the methodology of science will be described in detail in our material.

Concept of methodology

Any research activity should be based on a number of principles and approaches. A scientist, receiving and developing knowledge in the framework of a particular discipline, is obliged to remember the unwritten rules for the formation of scientific material. The methodology of science will help him in this - the oldest academic direction.

The main objective of the methodology is to provide the heuristic form of knowledge with strictly verified and tested methods, norms, principles and rules. The methodology should not be confused with the methodology. If the first concept is a combination of various elements indicating the construction of a specific norm, then the technique is a ready-made “recipe” for certain actions.

To succeed in research, a scientist must possess the "secret" of scientific thinking. He is able to independently create rules, but can refer to a ready-made collection of principles and norms. Mastering methodological knowledge is a prerequisite for any researcher. This will help in quickly and efficiently finding certain ways and solving a number of problems.

Methodology of Science: History and Development

The first attempts to systematize knowledge were noticed back in antiquity. Ancient philosophers tried to find the truth, and brought their attempts into a certain structure. This helped them quickly find answers to certain questions. It is worth recalling, for example, the Socratic method of dialogue. The Athenian thinker systematically and leisurely sought the truth. To do this, he took the point of "ignorance", and then asked his interlocutor questions. The received answers have already been added to a specific system.

The following could have contributed to the development of the methodology: Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, Kant, Hegel and other great minds. Moreover, most of them formed a system of principles unconsciously. Scientists proceeded from their own ideas about science, and their followers formed the necessary rules.

It is known that Aristotle proposed one of the most important principles of science. He composed two methods for obtaining reliable information, logical-destructive and experimental-inductive (in other words, theoretical and practical). Kant studied the boundaries of knowledge, and Hegel systematized the system of scientific knowledge.

Social progress has turned science into the largest field of professional relations. Scattered attempts to find the truth are in the past. Already in the XX century, scientists were guided not by purely cognitive interest, but by a clear and meaningful plan. Contributed to this, of course, scientific methodology.

Methodology levels

Scientists distinguish many classifications where levels of methodological knowledge are given. One of the most relevant systems was compiled by E. G. Yudin. He identifies four levels:

• The philosophical level is the highest level. The presence of general principles of knowledge from a categorical scientific apparatus. Philosophical categories, laws, approaches and laws perform strictly systemic functions at this level.
• General scientific stage. The presence of theoretical provisions applicable to all or most scientific disciplines.
• Specific scientific level. It is a set of principles and methods used in a particular scientific field.
• Technological stage. At this stage, the preparation of the research technique and methodology takes place. Procedures are being recruited to ensure reliable empirical material. Initial processing takes place. Methodological knowledge at this stage has a pronounced normative character.

All stages presented are interconnected. Moreover, the philosophical level acts here as the base.

Methodology Functions

History shows how the system of academic principles and mechanisms was able to improve the entire scientific field. Social evolution contributed to the systematic development of various fields of knowledge. She made them more slender and meaningful. What is the reason for this? The answer is given by the scientists themselves.

They distinguish several functions of scientific methodology:

• Worldview interpretation of scientific results. Any discoveries, facts or acquired data should be explained in terms of morality and ethics. This contributes to the rapid inclusion of the data in the general knowledge system.
• Providing clarity and clarity of the problem. This applies to both content and form. Based on methodological principles and forms, it will be possible to correctly formulate a question that needs to be addressed.
• Development of strategies for the development of practice and science. This helps shape scientific perspectives.
• The formation of certain means to solve the tasks. Psychoanalytic methodology contributes to the study of the psyche and the elements that act on it. We are talking about the archetypes of the collective unconscious, interpretation, etc.
• Description and assessment of research or practice. Development of recommendations and rules, individual rules that should guide the person in their activities.

Thus, the methodology has a fairly large number of different functions. All the tasks presented above give a clear description of the scientific field under consideration.

The role of methodology

What is the place of methodological knowledge in a series of other sciences? Traditionally, the discipline considered is referred to as philosophy. Moreover, each scientific field may have its own system of methods. For example, the methodology of historical science assumes the presence of such elements as forecasting, typologization, classification, subject modeling, and much more. Some of these tools can be applied to other humanitarian disciplines.

Similar examples give a clear idea of ​​the place of methodology in the system of scientific knowledge. Researchers can choose the tool they need for further work. And a clearly built system of academic methods will help them in this.

Scientists have developed a scheme to better understand the place of methodology in the system of scientific knowledge:

The question of what is the methodology of science can be considered exhausted. Next, you need to understand the main approaches in this area.

Systems approach

The first methodology science is called systemic. It is used in the study of complex, organically formed elements. A systematic approach is often applied in the methodology of pedagogical science. For example, certain objects are examined. Their external and internal relations are analyzed, all components of the object are considered taking into account the place and functions performed.

A systematic approach is implemented on the basis of some principles. It should highlight:

• Integrity. It reflects the specifics of system properties, as well as the dependence of each element on its place and functions.
• Structurality. Allows you to describe the system through the disclosure of a set of relationships and relationships between elements.
• Hierarchy. It involves the consideration of the object through the prism of three aspects: as an independent system, as a system from a high hierarchy, and as a system of a higher level with respect to its elements.
• The principle of plurality of system representation.
• Historicism It involves the consideration of the system through the prism of its development.
• The principle of interdependence of internal and external systemic factors.

Thus, a systematic approach involves the consideration of the object as a set of interconnected components, its components. The education system, for example, will be divided into goals, content, forms, methods and means of implementation.

A complex approach

In the theory and methodology of science, an integrated method of research is often used. It is characteristic of him:

• analysis of complexes as really existing objects of reality;
• determination of the essential features of existing complexes;
• revealing the essence of an integrated approach based on its relationship with a systematic approach.

An integrated approach is often understood as part of a systematic one. So, “systematicity” refers to the field of cognition of the object, and “complexity” - to the field of control of the object.

The considered approach is widely used in the methodology of legal science. So, for the system of methods of legal disciplines the following features are characteristic:

• polysystemicity - an abundance of a large number of connections and elements;
• penetration by a common goal or idea;
• the functioning of a pronounced subjective factor;
• belonging to the sphere of the social form of the motion of matter ;
• functioning with increasing or maximum efficiency;
• Association in a complex of various subsystems;
• search for resources to improve the system.

An integrated approach, unlike a systematic one, is more practical. It is widely used in the methodology of legal sciences - sociology and political science.

Personal and activity approaches

The personal approach is widely used in humanitarian fields. For example, in psychology, he gives ideas about the active, social and creative essence of man as a person.

Recognition of the individual as a product of socio-historical development does not allow penetration of personal information to human nature. Orientation towards a person occurs only as a goal, subject, and result of social development.

The following approach is called activity. Activity is a basic condition for the development of personality. Thanks to the actions, an expedient transformation of the world is realized. The tasks of the researcher include the choice and organization of the activity of a particular subject. The genesis of the source, its evolution and transformation are studied.

The proactive approach is widely used in the history and methodology of legal sciences. This is manifested in the decomposition of legal norms into a hypothesis (event), disposition (condition) and sanction (consequence).

Both the personal and the activity approach are used in the humanitarian field of knowledge. The methodology of science and philosophy involves the application of most of the tools in socio-theoretical fields. Strict laws and clear rules are in store for the natural and technical sciences.

Humanitarian approaches

The remaining approaches and methods of scientific methodology should be given a brief analysis. So, the content approach is quite common. The essence of processes and phenomena is studied, the totality of their elements is revealed. The interaction between the parts of the system is analyzed.

The formal approach was widely adopted. It provides for the extraction of stable and relatively constant phenomena from existing processes. Phenomena, in turn, are considered in a “pure” form, without regard to the general process. The tool under consideration allows you to open stable connections between the elements of a separate process. For example, in the methodology of history and legal science, a formal approach is used to identify specific facts - legal or historical.

In the humanitarian sphere, a logical approach is widely used. It allows you to consider the studied object in the form of its theory. The method of using logic helps to analyze the phenomenon at the point of its development, which it reached by a certain time period.

The historical approach is applied not only in historical science. It is widely used in almost all humanitarian fields. The technique under consideration allows us to follow the development of a particular scientific field. This will help in creating a clearer picture of what is happening.

The latter approach is called the essential. It is needed to identify the deep sides of the phenomenon under study. The mechanisms and driving forces of a particular phenomenon are investigated.

The ratio of scientific and practical activities

Methodology is a complex system used by all existing sciences in the world. It combines both theoretical and practical aspects of the activity. The most famous theoretical methods are deduction and induction.

Deduction is a research method on the principle of deriving particular positions from the general system. Induction is the formation of a general picture of many private phenomena. The phenomenon under consideration corresponds to the concepts of analysis and synthesis. Induction corresponds to analysis, and deduction corresponds to synthesis.

Theoretical methods can be logical, historical, axiomatic and hypothetical. Each of the presented tools combines something from analysis and synthesis.

The methodology may be practical. In this case, we are talking about the concept of an experiment. In turn, the experiment is full-scale and computational. Full-scale involves direct interaction with the necessary object, and computational - interaction through the use of different formulas and techniques.

The philosophy and methodology of science are incredibly multifaceted. They combine many research tools, techniques and techniques. It is only important that they meet two conditions: relevance and effectiveness.