Science is a consequence of the spiritual activities of mankind, aimed at understanding the objective truth associated with the laws of nature. Forming a single body of knowledge about laws, science is forced to be subdivided into private sectors, which allow research and clarification of facts and phenomena, without delving into the study of third-party matters. It is on this basis that the natural sciences of nature and the social sciences are distinguished. However, this is not the only criterion for separation: fundamental and applied sciences differ on the basis of remoteness from practical application.
Science is closely connected with philosophy. The specificity of scientific knowledge in philosophy is the awareness and consideration of facts in relation to a real picture of the world. Philosophy was an indispensable companion of science at the turning points of history; it remains no less important today.
The specificity of scientific knowledge is expressed by several factors:
1) The main goal of science is to elucidate the objective laws of reality, but this is impossible without a number of abstractions, since it is abstraction that makes it possible not to limit the breadth of thinking in order to determine the veracity of certain conclusions.
2) Scientific knowledge must first of all be reliable, therefore objectivity becomes its main characteristic, because without it it is impossible to talk about anything with a certain accuracy. Objectivity is based on the study of the active object by visual and experimental methods.
3) The specificity of scientific knowledge lies in the fact that any science is aimed at practical application. Therefore, it must explain the causes, effects and relationships between various processes.
4) This also includes the possibility of constant addition and self-renewal of science with the help of regular discoveries, which can both refute and confirm existing laws, conclusions and so on.
5) Scientific knowledge is accomplished through the use of both special high-precision devices, and using logic, mathematical calculations and other elements of human mental and spiritual activity.
6) Any knowledge must be strictly provable - this is also the specificity of scientific knowledge. Information that may be used in the future must be accurate and reasonable. However, in various fields it still cannot do without some assumptions, theories, and limitations.
Scientific knowledge is primarily a process that proceeds on an empirical and theoretical level, each of which also has its own specifics. Despite the differences, both levels are interconnected and the border between them is quite mobile. The specifics of the scientific knowledge of each of these levels is based on the application of experiments and devices, or theoretical laws and methods of explanation for each specific case. Therefore, speaking of practice, it is impossible to do without theory.
There are also various types of scientific knowledge. Among them, the components of theoretical knowledge are more important, that is, the problem, theory and hypothesis.
The problem is the awareness of some inconsistencies that need to be explained scientifically. This is a kind of node or starting point, without which there are no further prerequisites for the development of knowledge. The specificity of scientific knowledge in philosophy allows us to find a way out of this node on the basis of theoretical and practical conclusions.
A hypothesis is formulated versions that try to explain certain phenomena from a scientific point of view. The hypothesis requires evidence. If any, it turns into a true theory, and other versions turn out to be unreliable. Clarification of the correctness of the hypothesis occurs at its practical application.
All these types of scientific knowledge are built into a kind of pyramid, at the very top of which is the theory. Theory is the most reliable and accurate form of scientific knowledge, which gives an accurate explanation of the phenomenon. Its presence is the main prerequisite for the implementation of a project in practice.