Modern philosophy of science: prerequisites of formation and main directions

Abstract

The article examines the problem of forming the image of modern philosophy of science defining the major stages and trends of its development. This issue is being researched in the light of the following points:

1. A complex relationship between science and philosophy as well as a changing shift of emphasis towards scientific paradigm have determined specific features of social and educational inquiry related to philosophical research. The above situation has caused the formation of such an image of the philosophy of science which could represent the spectrum of its most relevant and acute problems as well as outline the leading approached to their solution focusing on science and scientific rationality.
2. A historical-philosophical analysis, which failed to avoid certain orientation and conceptualization, has become a basis for constructing the image in question. In view of this background there formed a unified approach (reflected in the majority of modern educational literature) that presented generalized ideas about the evolution of philosophy of science. Yet, this approach which, besides all, claimed to answer the question to what philosophy of science is, eventually turned out to be rather limited as it focused, on the one hand, on the pro-scientific tradition in philosophy within a narrow historical framework from the 1920s to the 1980s, and on the other hand, characterized its final stage as a crisis in relation to the values of scientific rationality. 
3. Under the circumstances there arises a problem of the validity of such an approach from historical, methodological and even educational points of view. One of the ways to overcome its limitations is the use of a broader, pluralistic approach which expands the discourse of the philosophy of science by embracing a significant number of philosophical trends, including those belonging to the continental tradition. Another way to solve this problem is to search for updated rational guidelines for the development of modern philosophy of science. 
4. Thus, discussions about the status of modern philosophy of science, its research possibilities in the direction of the rationalist tradition, prospects for the development of this tradition, and its significance remain relevant in many ways.

The proposed article is an attempt to analyze the outlined problems and consider the most promising approaches to their solution. Its first part highlights the key prerequisites of the modern philosophical study of science as well as their features and advantages. Then, taking into account these prerequisites, historical types of philosophy of science are considered basing on one of modern approaches. Considerable attention is paid to the formation of the image of modern philosophy of science and its main trends.