Clarification of the concept “object” in the present scientific discourse

Abstract

The author, starting from the situation of the correct presentation in the course “History and Philosophy of Science” of Aristotle's views on movement, raises the question of the general conditions for the analysis and understanding of philosophical texts and the reality pre­sented in them. Two opposite interpretations of Stagirite’s statements are given. If from the point of view of the correspondence theory, Aristotle's understanding of movement and its causes looks erroneous, then in postmodern optics these views are seen as legitimate, con­ditioned by a language game. From the standpoint of a cultural-historical approach, the Aristotelian explanation of movement and its causes and the Galilean explanation are two different ways of thinking and studying, which the author analyzes. Concepts that allow to understand the situation of different interpretations of ancient and modern scientific re­search are characterized. According to the author, “ideal objects” allow one to think consis­tently, to solve problems and tasks facing a scientist (philosopher), to comprehend facts. In addition to the Kantian understanding of “the thing-in-itself”, one more thing is added – this concept allows not only to think about the cognized object, but also to understand it as a phenomenon (as a real phenomenon), including all its real manifestations. When the ways of thinking are also taken into account in the projection onto the phenomenon, the concept of “object of study” is introduced (in Kant, “phenomenon”, “object”). The effectiveness of using the distinctions of these three types of objects is demonstrated first by comprehend­ing the teachings of movement created by Aristotle Galileo, then by the example of histori­cal versions of the explanation of the phenomenon of heat. The considered material allows us to separate three more concepts: “objects of the first nature”, “artifacts”, they are created by a person, and “social objects” that are formed in culture. The latter in their formation go through three stages: at the first they are conceived and exist in a narrative and virtual form, at the second, the implementation of intentional constructions in social life takes place, at the third stage a new social phenomenon appears and begins to develop, which can already be studied.