The role of practice in cognition: basic concepts, their forms and functions, the criterion of truth

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Curiosity is the engine of progress, without which it is difficult to imagine the development of our civilization. Knowledge is an objective reality that reproduces the real picture of the surrounding world. Man has always sought to understand how things work. Therefore, the role of practice in cognition is so important, because it ensures the improvement, expansion and deepening of the information already collected. Today's article will be devoted to her. We will discuss the concept of practice, the role of practice in cognition, and the criteria for truth.

Definition of concepts

If we want to understand what is the role of practice in cognition, we first need to define the basic terms. Both concepts are closely related. It is believed that knowledge and practice are two sides of the historical process. A person seeks to understand the patterns and features of the work of the world. However, this cannot be done in onetimes, therefore, years of practice are needed to help expand the accumulated experience. There are three main aspects of knowledge:

• Abilities, skills and abilities. This aspect is related to the person's awareness of how something is done or carried out.
• All information relevant to the process of knowing the world around.
• An epistemological form of connection between man and reality. This aspect is a special cognitive unit. It exists only in connection with a practical attitude.

Knowledge is the ideal image of reality. The second and third aspects are the subject of epistemology. This science studies the patterns of knowledge. Ancient philosophers were engaged in it. Sophists have succeeded in epistemology. For example, Protagoras and Gorgias. They sought to develop the flexibility of thinking, and this required a holistic view of the world, an understanding of its essence.

Forms of practice:

• Labor activity (material production). This form is a natural being for humans. It aims to transform nature.
• Social activities. This form represents a change in social being. It is aimed at transforming the established traditions of interaction between people. Social action is carried out by the so-called mass forces: revolutions, wars, reforms.
• Science experiment. This form of practice is an active activity. In this case, the researcher does not just observe, but is included in the process. He canartificially create the conditions that he needs to analyze the properties of the surrounding world.

Functions of hands-on experience

It is extremely important for a person to understand an objective picture of the surrounding reality. Practice and knowledge are two sides of this process. Only through trial and error can a person figure out how things work. The role of practice in the knowledge of philosophy can be explained through the functions of the first:

• Source of knowledge. Experience becomes a necessary element in the analysis of the surrounding reality.
• Moving force. Practice is the basis of scientific knowledge.
• Sub-goal of knowledge.
• Truth criterion. Only in practice can the correctness of scientific knowledge be verified. And this is a whole process, not a one-time act.

Explanation of functions

If we briefly describe the role of practice in cognition, we can always say that all the information known to us was not collected by chance. For example, a person needed to properly distribute land. For these purposes, and developed mathematics. Due to the development of navigation, people began to pay attention to astronomy. However, practice does not always determine knowledge. Sometimes the opposite happens: this happened with the discovery of Mendeleev's periodic law. The entire cognitive process is conditioned by practical tasks and goals. Even the derivation of abstract theories is aimed at solving the problems that humanity has encountered on the path of its development. The role of practice in cognition is such that it helpsfind new properties of familiar phenomena. It provides science with ever new technical means, equipment, devices and tools. The trial and error method is used at all stages of the study. It must be understood that all experiments and observations are carried out not so much out of idle curiosity, but out of necessity. All knowledge gained is put into practice. They are a kind of action guide and serve to improve people's lives.

The role of practice in cognition

Estemology is a separate branch of philosophy. He studies the role of practice in scientific knowledge. F. Bacon distinguished three ways of studying the world:

• "The Way of Science". In this case, the researcher deduces truths from pure consciousness. Bacon exposed this scholastic method.
• "The Way of the Ant". In this case, the researcher collects various facts, but does not generalize them conceptually. This is also a false way of knowing.
• "The Way of the Bee". This method is a generalization of the first two. In this case, the researcher uses both his sensual and rational principles.

Truth Criteria

The purpose of knowledge is the understanding of the objective picture of the world. The category of truth is the main one for the theory of knowledge. Obtaining an objective picture of the world is possible only by trial and error. Truth is knowledge that corresponds to its real subject. Its main criterion is that it is recognized by manypeople. Also, the truth must be useful and beneficial to the human community. However, this concept is often relative. The choice between different concepts and theories that paint a picture of the world around us is often quite subjective.