What is science? Throughout our lives, we encounter this concept repeatedly. However, not everyone will be able to give a clear answer to this question. Science is the defining value of modern culture, its most dynamic component. In today's world it is impossible, when discussing social, anthropological and cultural aspects, not to take into account the achievements of science.
Forming the question "what is science?", we believe that the main goal of human activity or the beginning community is the direct acquisition of new, original scientific knowledge. It is necessary to consider this concept in a complex way: a) as a social institution, b) the accumulation of knowledge as a process, c) as a result of research in a certain branch of knowledge.
Science as a social institution
Scientific institutions (academic, research, design and technology institutes, laboratories, libraries, nature reserves, museums…)constitute the main potential of carriers of scientific knowledge. A huge part of scientists is concentrated in professional educational institutions, especially in universities. Moreover, modern schools and various lyceums are increasingly inviting candidates and doctors of science who are able to develop an interest in innovation among students. Accordingly, schoolchildren are also involved in the comprehension of search methods in research activities.
Science in this context can fully perform its functions only if there are qualified personnel. Scientific growth is carried out through the creation of scientific schools (as a rule, around a highly intellectual person, a major scientist or a new, promising idea), through the competition for the degree of candidate, doctor of science, through postgraduate studies, through the training of highly qualified professionals in the magistracy.
Employees of higher educational institutions who have confirmed their scientific and pedagogical qualifications are awarded not only academic degrees, but also academic titles - associate professor, professor.
Science as a process
Determining what science is at this stage, it is necessary to pay attention to the various goals, methods and content of the activities of an individual researcher. They in science, as a rule, are strictly individual, unique in their main parameters, they differ in specialists of seemingly similar professions, such as, for example, a practicing psychologist and a research psychologist. If the main goal of a practical worker is to obtain high resultsactivities in the provision of individual assistance, then the goal of the research psychologist is to analyze the accumulated information about mental states, to obtain new knowledge.
Individual scientific activity has a number of features:
• A clear definition of the purpose of the work.
• Scientific activity builds on the experience of predecessors.
• Science requires the development of a certain terminological apparatus.
• The result of scientific activity must be formalized in strict accordance with established regulatory requirements.
Thus, answering the question "What is science?", we can say: this is a specific process, the main purpose of which is the search for patterns, and the distinguishing feature is the confirmation of phenomena and processes with the help of experimental tests or new, original knowledge.
Science as a result
The answer to the question "What is science?" at this level, it is revealed with the help of reliable knowledge about a person, society, and nature. Accordingly, here science is represented by a set of interrelated knowledge on all issues known to mankind. A necessary condition here is the presence of completeness and consistency of information. Therefore, we can talk about obtaining exceptionally reliable knowledge at the modern level of achievements, which may be different from everyday and everyday knowledge of an individual.
Some properties of science at this level stand out:
1. cumulative character. Scope of knowledgedoubles every ten years.
2. Differentiation. A huge amount of accumulated knowledge has led to the need to split the sciences. For example, applied sciences are beginning to be divided into more specific areas, new industries or intersectoral cycles are emerging at the junction of different scientific areas (bio-physical-chemical aspects of medical device development methods).
In relation to practice, the following functions of science stand out:
• Descriptive (accumulation, collection of factual material). It is from it that the formation of any science begins, for example, the cycle of "economic sciences".
• Explanatory (identifying internal mechanisms, explaining the features of various processes and phenomena).
• Generalizing (formulation of laws and patterns).
• Predictive (anticipation of previously unknown processes that have become apparent thanks to scientific knowledge).
• Prescriptive (allows you to develop the best options for recommendations and state standards).
