Philosophy is that field of knowledge, the subject of which is almost impossible to determine precisely. The questions she is called upon to answer are very diverse and depend on many factors: era, state, concrete thinker. Traditionally, philosophy is divided into several branches in accordance with the subject that it is considering. The most important components of philosophical knowledge are ontology and epistemology, respectively, the doctrine of being and the doctrine of knowledge. Of great importance are industries such as anthropology, social philosophy, the history of philosophy, ethics, aesthetics, the philosophy of science and technology, as well as some others. In this article, we will dwell in detail on a section studying the nature of human cognition.
Epistemology and epistemology are two terms that indicate the same phenomenon - the theory of knowledge in philosophy. The existence of two different terms is due to a temporary and geographical factor: in German philosophy of the 18th century. the doctrine of the cognitive abilities of man called epistemology, and in Anglo-American philosophy of the XX century. - epistemology.
Gnoseology is a philosophical discipline that deals with the problems of man's knowledge of the world, the possibilities of knowledge and its limits. This industry explores the prerequisites of knowledge, the relationship of acquired knowledge to the real world, the criteria for the truth of knowledge. Unlike sciences such as psychology, epistemology is the science that seeks to find universal, universal foundations of knowledge. What can be called knowledge? Does our knowledge relate to reality? The theory of knowledge in philosophy does not focus on the particular mechanisms of the psyche through which the knowledge of the world takes place.
The history of epistemology begins in ancient Greece. It is believed that for the first time the problem of the truth of knowledge in Western philosophy is posed by Parmenides, who in his treatise "On Nature" discusses the difference between opinion and truth. Another thinker of antiquity, Plato, believed that initially the soul of each person belonged to the world of ideas, and true knowledge is possible as a memory relating to the period of the soul’s presence in this world. Socrates and Aristotle, who were engaged in the development of methods of consistent knowledge, did not pass over this problem. Thus, already in ancient philosophy we find many thinkers who do not doubt that epistemology is an important branch of philosophical knowledge.
The problem of cognition has occupied one of the central positions throughout the history of philosophy - from antiquity to the present day. The most important question posed by epistemology is the fundamental possibility of knowing the world. The nature of the solution to this problem serves as a criterion for the formation of such philosophical movements as agnosticism, skepticism, solipsism and epistemological optimism. The two extreme points of view in this case, respectively, represent the absolute unknowability and the full knowability of the world. In epistemology, the problems of truth and meaning, essence, form, principles and levels of knowledge are addressed.