Crisis of rationalist worldview and a unified method of justification of scientific theories

Philosophy

Abstract

A unified method of justification of scientific theories developed is offered. This method allows correcting the classical rationalism, bringing it in line with the phenomena of real science, meanwhile maintaining a special epistemological status of the latter. It is shown that although the science changes its concepts and conclusions during transition from one fundamental theory to another (Newton – Einstein, etc.), method of substantiation remains the same, and both old and new concepts are bound to experience by the rules of the unified method of justification. The nature and method of this binding is clarified. Moreover old concepts are not necessarily derived from the new ones by the limit’s transition by the parameter. In general case both old and new concepts are qualitatively different approximations of same objective substance to which they converge in the process of changing the old theory with new ones. Linking concepts to the experience by the rules of the unified method of justification gives possibility to determine the limits of applicability of the theory in advance before we will reach beyond them in the experiment or in our activities. It is shown that only the axiomatic method of development of a theory from its postulates guarantees the truth of the findings in the area of its application. The genetic method does not guarantee this and therefore is suitable only in phase of genesis of the theory, but not of its justification. Widely spread position of the impossibility of axiomatization of scientific theory rich enough is refuted.