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 ) 37

P FEDOSEYEV 18 However, they are related in one way or another to pivotal questions of the philosophy of science Philosophical reflections on science mould the self-consciousness of science, and promote a better understanding of its possibilities and prospects, the mechanisms and moving forces of the growth of scientific knowledge, the character of its relations to other forms of social consciousness, mode of life and culture The organic inseparability of science and its philosophical and methodological foundations has been realised for a long time, but it has become especially evident at the presenf stage of science’s development Today science experiences, more frequently and to greater degree than in previous times, the periods of radical change of fundamental concepts and notions which are usually called scientific revolutions If in classical science of the 19th century they could be considered, to some degree, extraordinary situations, now they have become normal conditions of research when we consider science as a whole, as a system of interacting disciplines As science discovers new objects and phenomena it has to remake its foundations for ensuring the examination of new objects A cursory glance at the history of natural science of the 20th century will suffice to show a succession of scientific revolutions embracing its fields one after another The emergence and development of quantum-relativist physics, the revolution in cosmology which is due to the discovery of the instability of the Universe, the development of genetics and cybernetics, the information explosion in science, and the intensification of the integration of natural, social and technical sciences-all these phenomena are revolutions determining the history of 20th century scientific progress Modem natural science is living through a period of intensive revolutionary transformation This is true with respect to the entire range of natural sciences: the physics of elementary particles and solid state physics, astronomy and chemistry, biology and geology, geography and ecology These transformations are due to the essential changes in the methods of research and first of all due to the intensive use of computers in cognitive process.18 However, the main point is that they touch upon the very foundations of science To characterise integrally the changes in modem science, one can say that they are to a considerable extent linked 18 Computerisation produced a sort of world-outlook and ethical problems and even talks about “computer ethics” WHEELER, J.A., 1982, Thc computer and universe, Int J Theor Phys 21 (7), pp 557-572; FEYNMAN, R.P., 1982, Simulnfingphysics with computers, Int J Theor Phys 21 (7), pp 487-488;1985, Metaphilosophy (Oxford), 16, p 14