Logic, methodology and philosophy of science VIII proceedings of the eighth international congress of logic, methodology and philosophy of science, and philosophy of science proceedings) ( PDFDrive ) 23

P FEDOSEYEV both the product and the driving force of the universal historical process of mankind’s development.’ Outstanding natural scientists have always regarded solutions of the problems of man to be the ultimate aim of science W.Heisenberg, for instance, acknowledged that “natural science always presupposes the presence of man The object of study by natural science is not nature as such, nature by itself, but nature as an object of human problems .”.* The humanitarian orientation of the natural sciences was comprehensively substantiated and resolutely emphasised by the eminent Soviet chemist Academician N.N Semenov He wrote: “The ultimate goal of the natural sciences is to create the best possible condition for human existence Science fulfils this mission with the help of the human desire to cognise the surrounding world, the mysteries of the structure of matter and of the laws governing its motion Everything that man has achieved in the material sphere, from obtaining fire to the use of atomic energy, is due primarily to that wonderful desire to cognise the world around us.”3 The sciences of society and the various aspects of its life, its structures and functions exerting everyday influence on men are connected with the interests of man all the more closely Since these sciences directly bear on the interests of men, social groups and classes, their development proceeds in quite a contradictory way; quite often they have not discovered the truth so much as distorted and concealed it Philosophy has also suffered that impact Unfortunately, and for those same reasons, the achievements of the natural sciences were to a great extent used against humanity, particularly in the destructive wars of the 20th century However, genuinely scientific knowledge about both nature and society is created by man and ultimately discloses the conditions of his existence This is why the question of the relationship between science, man and society is the crucial one for the elaboration of philosophical, methodological and logical problems of scientific knowledge It should be noted that the understanding of the role of the human factor is increasing all over the world, and among the philosophers of science as well It is no wonder that the positivist concepts of scientific knowledge, which were reduced to purely logical analysis, are being replaced by new approaches which go beyond the abstract methodological constructions and take into account the fact that science is man’s creation MARX,K., and ENGELS,F., Works, Russian 2nd edn (Moscow),vol 1, p 292; vol 26, part I, pp 355, 399-400 HEISENBERG, W., 1956, Das Nufurbild der heutigen Physik (Hamburg), pp 12, 18 SEMENOV, N.N., 1981, Science and Society, Russian edn (Moscow),p 170 ’