A HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SCIENCE WORKS

Abstract

From Socrates onwards, the Greek cultural life began to take shape, and the whole nature of philosophical and scientific thought also began to change. From the natural sciences, interest shifted towards man and his societal role. Starting with the Sophists, a critical look at the surviving myths became pivotal at the time. Even if humans are still unable to get answers to all the riddles of nature, for which, among other things, mythology offers supernatural explanations, we (as human beings) do realize that we are only human. And humans need to learn to live together in different forms of social life. The Sophists were interested in man and his place in society. Socrates used conversations and tried to help his interlocutors generate valid reasoning and knowledge. According to him, proper knowledge must arise inside the individual, which is today's constructivist approach; no one can instill knowledge in the individual from the outside. Only knowledge that comes from within is true understanding. Socrates also wanted to find a solid basis for human knowledge. He believed he had found it in human reason.