Knowledge as a philosophical category is studied by a special section of philosophy - epistemology. Philosophers are interested in the global problems of human existence, the existence of absolute truth and the ways of its search. The process of cognition as part of human mental activity is studied by academic psychology.
The need to explore the world around us is familiar to every person from the moment of birth. What is knowledge? What are the means and ends of knowledge? Let's try to briefly and in simple words answer these questions in our today's article.
Definition of cognition
There are a lot of scientific definitions of this concept. Simply put, cognition is a reflection of the surrounding reality in the human mind, the process of studying the world. The process of cognition allows a person to identify himself and his place in the world, as well as to understand the purpose, properties and place of other objects and phenomena in the surrounding space. The subject of knowledge is always a person.
But the object of study can be both the external environment and the person himself, and his inner world. The main two forms of knowledge are considered: sensual and rational. sensual forminherent in all living beings on the planet. But rational knowledge is given only to man. Animals (including humans) cognize the world with the help of the senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste. Sensory cognition is directly related to the object being studied. It is characterized by subjective conclusions, subsequently forming knowledge and experience. Rational knowledge is carried out with the help of reason, thinking. On our planet, only humans have cognitive (thinking) abilities. True, some higher mammals (for example, dolphins, primates) are also capable of thinking, but their capabilities are very limited. Cognition of the world by man occurs indirectly. Based on sensory knowledge, he tries to find out the internal properties of the object, as well as its meaning and connection with the rest of the world.
Goals of the learning process
Goals can be conditionally divided into ordinary and high. A person, learning about the world around, applies the acquired knowledge to improve the quality of his own life, create a safe and comfortable living environment. It can be said that in order to survive, a person must first of all cognize that part of the reality that surrounds him.
The lofty goals of knowledge are set by science and art. Here it acts as a process of revealing the inner essence of things, phenomena and events, their interconnections in search of truth. For a long time it was believed that humanity discovered all the basic laws of nature and learned almost everything about the world around us. Paradoxically, the latest scientific discoveries raiseeven more new questions. Today, many scientists recognize that the world around us is much more complex and diverse than human ideas about it. The process of cognition is endless, and the results of this process are completely unpredictable.
Life experience, or everyday knowledge
For a person, as for any other living being, the process of cognition begins at birth. A small child learns about the world through the senses. He touches everything with his hands, tastes everything and examines it carefully. In this hard work, his parents help him, along the way passing on his own accumulated knowledge about this world. Thus, with age, a person acquires a certain system of ideas about the world, continuing to add his own to the experience of his ancestors.
Everyday or worldly knowledge is a natural everyday process, the purpose of which is to improve the quality of life. The results of knowledge over many generations add up to a life experience that allows a new person to quickly adapt to reality and feel safe. It should be noted that life experience is a subjective category. For example, the results of everyday knowledge of the Chukchi are fundamentally different from the life experience of the North American Indians.
Scientific knowledge
Scientific knowledge, on the one hand, seeks to cover general patterns for individual objects, phenomena and events, which will allow us to see the general behind the particular. On the other hand, science works only with facts, concrete and realmaterial.
Scientific knowledge becomes when it can be proven experimentally. Any conclusions, hypotheses and theories require practical evidence that does not cause doubts and discrepancies. Therefore, many scientific discoveries occur as a result of many years of research, observation and practical experiments. If everyday knowledge is important for an individual or a group of people, then the goal of scientific knowledge is to gain knowledge on a human scale. Scientific is based on logical and analytical thinking.
Artistic knowledge
Artistic knowledge of the world is completely different. The object in this case is perceived as a whole, as a single image. Artistic knowledge manifests itself primarily through art. Imagination, sensation and perception come into play. Through subjective artistic images created by artists, composers and writers, a person learns the world of beauty and high feelings. The goal of the process of cognition in art is the same search for truth.
Artistic knowledge is images, abstractions, intangible objects. At first glance, scientific and artistic knowledge are absolutely opposite. In fact, abstract, figurative thinking is of great importance in scientific research. And the achievements of science contribute to the emergence of new forms in art. Because the goal of cognition is the same for all its forms and types.
Intuitive Cognition
In addition to the sensual and rational, a person is endowed withanother unusual form of cognition - intuitive. Its difference is that a person receives knowledge suddenly and unconsciously, without making any visible effort. In fact, this is a complex cognitive process, closely related to sensory and rational experience.
Intuitive knowledge comes to a person in many ways. It can be a sudden insight or premonition, an unconscious certainty about the expected result, or making the right decision without logical prerequisites. Intuitive knowledge is used by a person both in everyday life and in scientific or creative activities. In fact, behind the unconscious intuitive discoveries is the previous experience of sensory and rational knowledge. But the mechanisms of intuition are not fully understood and not studied. Much more complex mental processes are supposed to be behind intuitive thinking.
Methods and means of cognition
During its history, mankind has defined, created and classified many methods of cognition. All methods can be classified into two large groups: empirical and theoretical. Empirical methods are based on sensory knowledge and are widely used by a person in everyday life. This is a simple observation, comparison, measurement and experiment. These same methods are the basis of scientific activity. In scientific knowledge, in addition, theoretical methods are widely used. A popular example of methods of cognition in scientific theory are analysis and synthesis. In addition, scientists actively use induction, analogy, classification andmany other methods. In any case, theoretical calculations always require practical proof.
The importance of the cognitive process for humans
The concept of knowledge and its goals - in fact, the issue is very voluminous and complex. In addition to the considered forms, there is also philosophical, mythological, religious knowledge, self-knowledge. In addition, knowledge includes the concepts of scientific and non-scientific knowledge. There is also the concept of faith. All these questions belong to the sphere of scientific and philosophical research. It is only obvious that the desire for knowledge of the world around us is an integral characteristic of a reasonable person.
