SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - SCIENCE - 2024

The scientific development is a term used to refer to the evolution and progress of scientific knowledge throughout history. In turn, technical progress is linked to scientific progress.

Likewise, the concept of scientific development has been sustained under the premise that science, as a discipline, directly influences the increase in the ability to solve problems; This is achieved through the application of particular and careful methodologies that are usually encompassed under the heading of "scientific method".

Scientific development is closely related to technical progress. Source: pixabay.com

However, some experts believe that science cannot progress indefinitely, so there could be the end of science. This means that the scientific discipline, although it is a participant in the development of human techniques, is not inherent to the concept of continuous evolution.

There are some scholars of science who argue that scientific development is discontinuous, since it takes place in leaps between the decades of human history. Therefore, according to this theoretical position, it cannot be said that scientific development is the result of a continuous accumulation of experiences and knowledge.

This same theory affirms that scientific progress is dynamic and revolutionary. During this process, new ideas are adapted and introduced, while previous ideas are restricted or abandoned in terms of their possible executions or applications in the contemporary world.

One of the proponents of this movement was the American scientist Thomas Samuel Kuhn. In his work The structure of scientific revolutions (1962) he correctly demonstrated that scientific development is not a cumulative matter, but rather a series of paradigm shifts, called by the author “scientific revolutions” because they are abrupt.

Consequently, when a new paradigm arises, it is installed within a scientific community following certain progress. This phase of progress or development continues until new anomalies or inexplicable phenomena arise that call into question the paradigm that, according to Samuel Kuhn, had already become a “normal science”.

History

Origin of the development of science

As the author Rubén Cañedo Andalia explains in his text Brief history of the development of science (1996), the exact beginning of science cannot be established in a given period.

However, it can be correctly argued that its emergence originated from the moment in which it was discovered or established that some phenomena were the cause and others were the effect.

In turn, the author considers that science was a "necessary consequence" that arose from the division of social labor, after intellectual labor was separated from manual activities. It is valid to indicate that this context meant an important cut-off point that allowed the birth of science.

From that moment on, cognitive activity became a specific branch of occupation to which in principle only a small group of people dedicated themselves.

First manifestations

Since ancient times, there were more or less developed societies that were concerned with understanding the world and its phenomena.

Some manifestations of these civilizations can be classified as scientific and are framed in a historical period that spans from the first millennium BC to the scientific revolution that occurred in the 15th century.

These manifestations constituted some of the premises that involve the development of science and were established first in the areas of the Ancient East, such as Babylon, Egypt, China and India.

In these places certain empirical knowledge about society and nature was rationalized. This rationalization was what gave way to important disciplines such as mathematics, astronomy, logic and ethics.

This heritage developed in the eastern civilizations was obtained and transformed by the populations of Ancient Greece, who turned it into a harmonious and theoretical system. In this region emerged a group of thinkers who dedicated their lives specifically to science, detaching themselves from the strong mythological and religious tradition.

From this time until the Industrial Revolution, science had an explanatory function, so its fundamental task was to provide the necessary knowledge to broaden the horizon of the vision of nature and the world. An essential part of that world and that nature is encompassed by man himself.

Emergence of scientific thought

The decisive step for the structure of scientific thought as a discipline and a social institution emerged in Western Europe between 1600 and 1700.

Thanks to the philosophical and social current of capitalism, science was able to break with the vision of itself - inherited from the Ancient Age - that perceived it as an activity focused on the understanding and intellectual assimilation of the world without acting directly on it.

Consequently, science put aside its non-participatory inclinations and became the most important pillar for the development of technical evolution that characterizes the modern world. This period of transformation ranges from the Industrial Revolution (XVIII and XIX) to our time.

Industrial Revolution

When we speak of the Industrial Revolution, we refer to a set of changes and transformations that took place in the economic and social spheres that defined the origin of the industrialization process. These initial movements originated in Great Britain, specifically between 1760 and 1820.

Consequently, the existence of modern science is relatively young since it did not occur before the birth of European capitalism.

The awareness of this origin left a mark on the concept of scientific and instrumental practice that links it with economic rationality; This seeks to obtain maximum profits through the reduction of production costs.

Scientific developments today

Although it is considered that the first scientific revolution arose in the 15th century, it was not accompanied by the technical revolution because it developed thanks to the empirical successes obtained through practice.

With the emergence of mechanized production, the necessary conditions were created for science to become an active agent within production, becoming an elemental factor for the conversion of nature.

At present, the achievements of science are linked to the speed of production since there is less time between scientific discoveries and their use in practice. This process is known worldwide as the scientific-technical revolution.

characteristics

- The attention of scientific development is focused on the population. This is so because this type of development seeks integral, sustainable and balanced progress of methods, tools and human resources in order to satisfy a basic or intellectual demand of man.

- The priority of scientific development consists not only in meeting the needs or requirements of a society, but also in promoting the progress of scientific communities. Consequently, scientific development appeals for the welfare of humanity and for the cultivation of scientific values ​​within the fields of research.

- Scientific developments are characterized by their transitory and substitutable nature since, in the words of Thomas Samuel Kuhn, when a new paradigm or scientific advance arises, the previous paradigm is questioned and its usefulness in current practices is annulled.

Examples

Medicine

At the present time several examples of scientific development can be observed, one of the most common being that which has to do with the medical discipline. In this scientific branch, a series of notable progresses are visible that have benefited man and that have successfully managed to extend both his life and his well-being.

Previously, people could die from diseases such as tuberculosis or cholera. Thanks to scientific development, it has been possible to find not only the cure for these ailments, but also the hygienic capacities to prevent these types of events that in a bygone era were fatal.

Microelectronics

Another example of scientific development can be seen in the emergence of microelectronics. This technology was created in 1950 and allowed the installation of satellites, telephony and television cameras.

In later years, microelectronics managed to establish itself in other independent products such as digital watches and pocket calculators, making its reach much greater.

Computer technology

This scientific development is related to microelectronics and allowed the birth of the computer industry.

This advance achieved the improvement of the silicon chip, thanks to which its serial production was allowed. From this moment, personal computers began to be manufactured that could be placed on a desktop without having to be linked to a larger processor.

As a consequence of this important advance, tasks that were previously carried out by central computers, which were characterized by being much more expensive, were achieved.

References

1. Andalia, R. (1996) Brief history of the development of science. Retrieved on July 9, 2019 from Scielo: scielo.sld.cu
2. Izquierdo, E. (2004) Brief history of the development of information science. Retrieved on July 9, 2019 from Eprints: eprints.rclis.org
3. Pellini, C. (sf) Scientific development and great inventions in the twentieth century. Retrieved on July 9 from History and Biographies: historiaybiografias.com
4. SA (2003) A historical look at the evolution of science. Retrieved on July 9, 2019 from Antroposmoderno: antroposmoderno.com
5. SA (sf) Scientific progress. Retrieved on July 9, 2019 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org