Philosophy of Being and Knowledge

Philosophy of Science

Classification of Sciences

The issue is not only the nature of science but also the term used to describe this form of knowledge. The Ukrainian word "наука" has equivalents in Latin (scientia), German (Wissenschaft), and many other languages. The problem arises when seeking an equivalent in English. Traditionally, the term "наука" is translated into English as "science," but "science" has a significantly narrower meaning than the Ukrainian "наука" or the German "Wissenschaft." The English word "science" refers specifically to what is called the natural sciences in Ukrainian. However, what is typically referred to as the humanities in Ukraine is commonly denoted as "studies" in English. This linguistic distinction is crucial as it shapes the direction of the philosophy of science. The philosophy of science has been most actively developed in English-speaking countries. Most researchers working in this field wrote in English, including those who were Austrian or German by nationality. During World War II, when Nazi ideology halted the free development of science and philosophy in Central Europe, many prominent scholars migrated to the United States or Britain. Rudolf Carnap, Karl Popper, Imre Lakatos, and others worked in English-speaking countries. When they used the term "science," they referred specifically to the natural sciences. Consequently, in English-speaking environments, "philosophy of science" refers not to the philosophy of science in the broad sense but to the philosophy of the natural sciences. This does not imply that the humanities have been neglected by philosophers; rather, they have specialized into distinct branches of philosophical inquiry. For instance, history is studied by the philosophy of history, which examines history in both its meanings: as a sequence of events and as a discipline studying that sequence. Economics is explored by the philosophy of economics, language by the philosophy of language, and law by the philosophy of law.

What is traditionally called the Ukrainian "наука" or the German "Wissenschaft" is typically divided into two groups: natural sciences and humanities. The boundary between these was clearly delineated by the German philosopher Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911). He proposed that all sciences could be divided into natural sciences (Naturwissenschaften) and sciences of the spirit (Geisteswissenschaften).

They differ in their methods. Natural sciences explain the world; their theories reveal why things happen and how they will happen in the future. For example, astronomy explains how the Moon orbited the Earth over the past day, and this explanation can be used to predict its orbit around the Earth on the following day. The task of the sciences of the spirit or humanities is understanding. In the case of human beings, it is impossible to reliably predict the future, but it is possible to understand why something happened. For example, psychology can explain why a person experienced certain emotions but cannot predict that, under the same circumstances, the person's emotions will be the same. Dilthey's distinction between natural sciences and humanities remains relevant to this day.