Outline of Synthesis of Cognitive and Socio-cultural Foundations of Scientific Knowledge Evolution in Research Programs of Western Philosophy of Science

The article analyses the development of cognitive sociology of science, in the object field of which connection of cognitive and social structures of science is traced. The role of context in scientific knowledge formation is defined. It is stated that the basis for development of research program of cognitive sociology of science appeared to be reconsideration of the standard concept of science as a complex of gnoseological, epistemological and methodological interpretations of nature and morphology of the produced scientific knowledge, methods for its explanation and scientificity ideals. The difference between "strong" and «weak» varieties of scientific knowledge evolution, developed in western philosophy of science, is considered. "Social studies of science" are reviewed as a form of social constructivism and relativism, exhibiting their specific nature in macro-analytical and micro- analytical strategies of scientific knowledge evolution analysis. The thesis that multidimensionality of science cannot be adequately interpreted focusing only on conceptual history of science is proved

The Concept of Knowledge Society in the Ontology of Modern Society

The article analyzes the nature of knowledge society. Research opportunities of instrumental reason (M.Horkheimer) and communicative reason (J.Habermas) concepts are compared. Theories of postindustrial society, information society and knowledge society are compared. The article denotes the idea that society transformation projects are the process of expansion of information and communication technologies due to the new role of information and knowledge. Typology of society is presented as defined by the ratio of science and technology. The nature of technoscience is disclosed. Knowledge and information are interpreted as strategic resources of knowledge society. The role of science in the formation of human life and world is developed

University as a Sociocultural Phenomenon: the Past and the Present

We carried out the review of the main educational strategies which present the basis of university education in antiquity, in the medieval period and at present. The educational model created during the antique period was based on ideals of beauty and harmony, that assumed an equivalence of spiritual and corporal in personality formation as it is demanded by the nature. In philosophy of education in the medieval period there was an idea of person's transformation through education and belief by means of classical literature which was considered as a timeless knowledge source. The university was thought of as educational institution where it is possible to approach to universal knowledge. We consider that in modern society its development has transitive nature. The foundation of the educational process is not the universal knowledge, but the skill to find bearings in fast-changing knowledge stream, to adapt and find opportunities for self-fulfillment under the conditions of continuous change. In the single information and educational space it became possible to make educational process continuous as a condition of person's improvement. We conceive the idea of continuous or lifelong learning as the necessary and natural process acting as a precondition of forming integral personality and social wellbeing

Historical Retrospective Review of Idea of University: Complementarily of Reason and Spirituality

Background: In the paper the Idea of the University and its transformations throughout the history are analysed. The content of the Idea of the University was based on understanding of spirituality when the man is upcoming to enlightening. Religion, philosophy, and education get together, when spirituality is defined as the categories and personal characteristics of a human. According to philosophy, spirituality is a non-physical way of a human being, which was granted to him as the ability of self-education. Religion understands spirituality as invariant of enlightening. The scientific-methodical apparatus of education was created to realize the potential ways for raising a person to enlightening in secular or religious schools. The spiritual aura was constantly presented at the University. Methods: A general philosophical approach and comparative historical method were used in the research. Results: Understanding the role of spirituality in the University education was absolutely manifested. The University was based on the idea of going up from individual towards the Universal Truth and Absolute Spirit. Knowledge and Truth are ideological categories of the University. Truth contained the spirituality and rational knowledge in the unity. Conclusions: The University has not lost its Idea throughout the history. The basic conclusion of the paper is that its Idea as well as its essence is the change of its criteria in response to the new historical reality

Knowledge Management as a Strategy for the Administration of Education in the Research University

The article studies the substantiation of the changes in the Classical University when its liberal model is transforming into the pragmatic model in modern knowledge society. The content of pragmatic model (commercialization of knowledge, education market, competitions) is against its classical model. Therefore, there is a need to clarify the criteria of the Classical University. The corporate culture is considered as its new criterion. The corporate culture aimed towards shaping of the professional and the person who is relevant to the modern knowledge society. Therefore, the modern Research University continues the traditional Idea of the Classical University in conditions of information (knowledge) society. Secondly, new strategy for the management of education in the Research University is the knowledge management. Thirdly, the corporate culture of the Research University can join complementarily the classical criteria of University and modern orientation to the market and commercialization of education. The specific content of the corporate culture as a new criterion of the University is relevant to the conditions of information or knowledge society. The corporate culture of the Research University provides not only competitiveness of professional, but also in its spiritual and moral characteristics