The concept of a scientific picture of the world is used in different interpretations. This is a special form of knowledge based on scientific data corresponding to a particular historical period.
The concept of a scientific picture of the world is often used in the meaning of the image and model of the world in characterizing the worldview of someone. But more often, the term “scientific picture of the world” denotes the system of knowledge that is acquired as a result of the theoretical foundations laid down in the natural sciences, the object of research of which is nature and society in a single connection and through fundamental concepts.
The scientific picture of the world is considered in three varieties:
- General scientific understanding of the Universe and society on the basis of all knowledge contained in different disciplines.
- A natural picture of the world from the scientific perspective of representations that have developed about society and nature and summarize the scientific information that has developed as a result of the development of natural and socio-humanitarian disciplines.
- A disciplinary vision of the world expressed in the term “ontology” and understood in the light of a particular science, for example, a physical or chemical picture of the world.
The scientific picture of the world is fundamentally different from the unscientific in that it is based on the theory of scientifically sound, proven and therefore not in doubt. But this does not mean that the scientific picture of the world is identical to scientific theory. The first reflects the object as a whole, in isolation from the process of obtaining knowledge, and the theory at the same time carries in its content also logically substantiated evidence.
The scientific picture of the world performs three closely interconnected functions performed in the process of research. The first of them is to systematize the existing scientific knowledge, forming a complex, but understandable and integrated whole. The second function is to determine the strategy for future scientific knowledge when NKM acts as a research program. And the third task that it is called upon to fulfill is to ensure the objectivity of scientific knowledge and to include them in the treasury of the cultural heritage of mankind.
The philosophical and scientific picture of the world is closely related. They both represent a form of human cognition of the surrounding reality. However, the philosophical picture has its own specifics. She considers, first of all, from the point of view of the foundation of being. And secondly, philosophy is interested in the picture of the world from the side of the device of the general structure and state in which it is located. Depending on this, two basic concepts were formed in philosophy, known as materialism and idealism. If materialism recognizes matter as the basis of being, then idealism brings to the fore the absolute idea.
For all the differences between themselves, the philosophical and scientific picture of the world agree that both the scientist and the philosopher, analyzing any situation, should make a choice in the direction of a materialistic or idealistic position. That is, the philosophical justification of their position when considering issues of universal significance becomes mandatory. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely eliminate subjective moments.
The modern scientific picture of the world seeks to bring knowledge closer to the real state of reality and recognizes the urgency of the problem of obtaining objective knowledge only on the basis of repeated practical verification. Scientists understand the impossibility of creating a complete picture of the world and pay great attention in the study of phenomena of reality to the description of common features, combining objective and subjective. Even such fundamental discoveries about the foundations of the universe, such as the structure of the atom and electrons, will be finalized by many more generations of inquisitive minds.