Man, being a part of nature and having some similarities with animals, especially with primates, however, has a completely unique property. His brain can perform actions that are called cognitive in psychology - cognitive. The ability of a person to abstract thinking, associated with the development of the cerebral cortex, led him to a purposeful comprehension of the patterns underlying the evolution of nature and society. As a result, such a phenomenon of cognition as fundamental science arose.
In this article, we will consider the ways of development of its various branches, and also find out how theoretical research differs from practical forms of cognitive processes.
Common knowledge - what is it?
Part of cognitive activity that explores the basic principles of the structure and mechanisms of the universe, as well as affecting the cause-and-effect relationships that arise as a result of interactionsobjects of the material world - this is fundamental science.
It is designed to study the theoretical aspects of both natural-mathematical and humanitarian disciplines. A special structure of the United Nations dealing with science, education and culture - UNESCO - refers to fundamental research precisely those that lead to the discovery of new laws of the universe, as well as to the establishment of links between natural phenomena and objects of physical matter.
Why support theoretical research
One of the hallmarks of highly developed countries is the high level of development of general knowledge and the generous funding of scientific schools involved in global projects. As a rule, they do not provide quick material benefits and are often time-consuming and costly. However, it is fundamental science that is the basis on which further practical experiments are based and the implementation of the results obtained in industrial production, agriculture, medicine and other branches of human activity.
Fundamental and applied science is the driving force of progress
So, the global knowledge of the essence of being in all forms of its manifestation is a product of the analytical and synthetic functions of the human brain. The empirical assumptions of ancient philosophers about the discreteness of matter led to the emergence of a hypothesis about the existence of the smallest particles - atoms, voiced, for example, in Lucretius Cara's poem "On the Nature of Things". ingeniousthe studies of M. V. Lomonosov and D. D alton led to the creation of an outstanding atomic and molecular theory.
The postulates provided by fundamental science served as the basis for subsequent applied research conducted by practitioners.
From theory to practice
The path from the office of a theoretical scientist to a research laboratory can take many years, or it can be fast-paced and full of new discoveries. For example, Russian scientists D. D. Ivanenko and E. M. Gapon in 1932 discovered the composition of atomic nuclei in laboratory conditions, and soon Professor A. P. Zhdanov proved the existence of extremely large forces inside the nucleus that bind protons and neutrons into a single whole. They were called nuclear, and the applied discipline - nuclear physics - found their application in cyclophasotrons (one of the first was created in 1960 in Dubna), in nuclear power plant reactors (in 1964 in Obninsk), in the military industry. All of the above examples clearly show how fundamental and applied science are interconnected.
The role of theoretical research in understanding the evolution of the material world
It is no coincidence that the beginning of the formation of universal knowledge is associated with the development, first of all, of the system of natural disciplines. Our society initially tried not only to learn the laws of material reality, but also to gain total power over them. Suffice it to recall the well-known aphorism of I. V. Michurin: “We cannot wait for favors from nature, taking them from her is ourtask . To illustrate, let's look at how fundamental physical science has developed. Examples of human genius can be found in the discoveries that led to the formulation of the law of gravity.
Where the knowledge of the law of gravity is used
It all started with the experiments of Galileo Galilei, who proved that the weight of a body does not affect the speed with which it falls to the ground. Then, in 1666, Isaac Newton formulated the postulate of universal significance - the law of universal gravitation.
Theoretical knowledge gained by physics, the fundamental science of nature, is successfully applied by mankind in modern methods of geological exploration, in making forecasts of ocean tides. Newton's laws are used in calculations of the movement of artificial Earth satellites and intergalactic stations.
Biology is a fundamental science
Perhaps, in no other branch of human knowledge there is such an abundance of facts that serve as a vivid example of the unique development of cognitive processes in the biological species Homo sapiens. The postulates of natural science formulated by Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, Thomas Morgan, I. P. Pavlov, I. I. Mechnikov and other scientists radically influenced the development of modern evolutionary theory, medicine, breeding, genetics and agriculture. Next, we will give examples confirming the fact that in the field of biology, fundamental and applied science are closely interconnected.
From modest experiments in the beds - to geneengineering
In the middle of the 19th century, in a small town in the south of the Czech Republic, G. Mendel experimented with crossing several varieties of peas, which differed in color and shape of seeds. From the resulting hybrid plants, Mendel collected fruits and counted seeds with various traits. Due to his extreme scrupulousness and pedantry, the experimenter conducted several thousand experiments, the results of which he presented in the report.
Colleagues-scientists, having listened politely, left him without attention. But in vain. Almost a hundred years have passed, and several scientists at once - De Vries, Cermak and Correns - announced the discovery of the laws of heredity and the creation of a new biological discipline - genetics. But they didn't get the championship laurels.
The time factor in understanding theoretical knowledge
As it turned out later, they duplicated G. Mendel's experiments, taking only other objects for their research. By the middle of the 20th century, new discoveries in the field of genetics fell like a cornucopia. De Vries creates his mutation theory, T. Morgan - the chromosome theory of heredity, Watson and Crick decipher the structure of DNA.
However, the three main postulates formulated by G. Mendel still remain the cornerstone on which biology stands. Fundamental science has once again proved that its results are never wasted. They are just waiting for the right time when humanity will be ready to understand and appreciate new knowledge on merit.
The role of disciplineshumanitarian cycle in the development of global knowledge about the world order
History is one of the very first branches of human knowledge, which originated in ancient times. Herodotus is considered its founder, and the treatise “History”, written by him, is the first theoretical work. Until now, this science continues to study the events of the past, and also reveals possible causal relationships between them on the scale of both human evolution and the development of individual states.
Outstanding studies by O. Comte, M. Weber, G. Spencer served as weighty evidence in favor of the assertion that history is a fundamental science, designed to establish the laws of development of human society at various stages of its development.
Its applied branches - economic history, archeology, history of state and law - deepen our understanding of the principles of organization and evolution of society in the context of the development of civilizations.
Jurisprudence and its place in the system of theoretical sciences
How the state functions, what patterns can be identified in the process of its development, what are the principles of interaction between the state and law - fundamental legal science answers these questions. It contains the most common categories and concepts for all applied branches of jurisprudence. They are then successfully used in their work by forensic science, forensic medicine, legal psychology.
Jurisprudence ensures compliance with legal norms and laws, which is the most importanta condition for the preservation and prosperity of the state.
The role of informatics in globalization processes
To imagine how much this science is in demand in the modern world, let's cite the following figures: more than 60% of all jobs in the world are equipped with computer technology, and in science-intensive industries, the figure rises to 95%. The erasing of information barriers between states and their populations, the creation of global world trade and economic monopolies, the formation of international communication networks is impossible without IT technologies.
Informatics as a fundamental science creates a set of principles and methods that ensure the computerization of control mechanisms for any objects and processes occurring in society. Its most promising application areas are network engineering, economic informatics, and computer production control.
Economy and its place in the global scientific potential
Economic fundamental science is the basis for modern interstate industrial production. It reveals cause-and-effect relationships between all subjects of the economic activity of society, and also develops the methodology of a single economic space on the scale of modern human civilization.
Having originated in the works of A. Smith and D. Ricardo, having absorbed the ideas of M. Friedman on monetarism, modern economics widely uses the concepts of neoclassicism and mainstream. Applied industries were formed on their basis: regional andpost-industrial economy. They study both the principles of rational distribution of production and the consequences of the scientific and technological revolution.
In this article, we found out what role fundamental science plays in the development of society. The examples given above confirm its paramount importance in the knowledge of the laws and principles of the functioning of the material world.
