Cognition as a philosophical category is studied by a special branch of philosophy - epistemology. Philosophers are interested in the global problems of human existence, the existence of absolute truth and the path of its search. The process of cognition as part of the human mental activity is studied by academic psychology.
The need to study the world is familiar to every person from the moment of birth. What is knowledge? What are the means and goals of cognition? Let us try to briefly and simply answer these questions in our article today.
Definition of knowledge
There are a lot of scientific definitions of this concept. If you simply explain, then cognition is a reflection of the surrounding reality in the human mind, a process of studying the world. The process of cognition allows a person to identify himself and his place in the world, as well as 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 are two forms of cognition: sensual and rational. The sensual form is inherent in all living beings on the planet. But rational knowledge is given only to man. Animals (including humans) perceive the world through the senses: vision, hearing, smell, touch, taste. Sensory knowledge is directly related to the object being studied. It is characterized by subjective conclusions that subsequently form knowledge and experience. Rational knowledge is carried out with the help of reason, thinking. On our planet, only a person possesses cognitive (mental) abilities. True, some higher mammals (for example, dolphins, primates) are also able to think, 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 subject, as well as its meaning and connection with the rest of the world.
Objectives of the cognition process
Goals can be divided into ordinary and high. A person, knowing the world around him, applies the acquired knowledge to improve the quality of his own life, creating a safe and comfortable environment. We can say that a person needs to know first of all the part of reality that surrounds him in order to survive.
The high goals of cognition are set by science and art. It appears here as a process of revealing the internal essence of things, phenomena and events, their interconnections in the search for truth. For a long time it was believed that mankind discovered all the basic laws of nature and learned almost everything about the world around it. Paradoxically, the latest scientific discoveries raise even more new questions. Today, many scientists recognize that the world around us is much more complex and diverse man's ideas about him. The process of cognition is endless, and the results of this process are completely unpredictable.
Everyday experience, or everyday knowledge
For man, as for any other living being, the process of cognition begins at birth. A small child gets to know the world through the senses. He touches everything with his hands, tastes and carefully examines. His parents help him in this difficult work, passing along the already accumulated personal knowledge about this world. Thus, with age, a person acquires a certain system of ideas about the world, continuing to attach his own to the experience of his ancestors.
Everyday or everyday knowledge is a natural everyday process, the purpose of which is to improve the quality of life. The results of cognition 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 radically differ from the life experiences of North American Indians.
Scientific knowledge
Scientific knowledge, on the one hand, seeks to embrace the general laws for individual objects, phenomena and events, which will make it possible to see the general behind a particular. On the other hand, science works only with facts, concrete and real material.
Knowledge becomes scientific when it can be proved experimentally. Any conclusions, hypotheses, and theories require practical proof that is not in doubt or ambiguity. 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 person or group of people, then the goal of scientific knowledge is to obtain knowledge on a human scale. Scientific is based on logical and analytical thinking.
Artistic knowledge
Artistic cognition of the world takes place in a completely different way. The object in this case is perceived holistically, in the form of a single image. Artistic knowledge is manifested 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 purpose 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 is absolutely opposite. In fact, abstract, figurative thinking is of great importance in the scientific search. And the achievements of science contribute to the emergence of new forms in art. Because the goal of knowledge is one for all its forms and types.
Intuitive knowledge
In addition to sensory and rational man is endowed with another 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 associated with sensory and rational experience.
Intuitive knowledge comes to a person in many ways. This may be a sudden insight or premonition, unconscious confidence in the expected result or making the right decision without logical prerequisites. A person uses intuitive knowledge both in ordinary life, and in scientific or creative activity. In fact, behind unconscious intuitive discoveries is the previous experience of sensory and rational cognition. But the mechanisms of intuition are not fully understood and studied. It is assumed that much more complex mental processes are behind intuitive thinking.
Methods and means of cognition
Throughout its history, mankind has defined, created and classified many methods of cognition. All methods can be attributed to two large groups: empirical and theoretical. Empirical methods are based on sensory knowledge and are widely used by man 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 cognitive methods in scientific theory is analysis and synthesis. In addition, scientists actively use induction, analogy, classification, and many other methods in their activities. In any case, theoretical calculations always require practical proof.
