Naira Danielyan

The article considers modern transformations of the ideas concerning subject’s cognitive abilities towards object because of the emergence and development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The developments of scientists and engineers from National Research University of Electronic Technology (Moscow, Russia) in the field of artificial intelligence have been taken as a foundation and material of this research. Their analysis allows making a conclusion that the humanity is rather far from the realization of ‘strong artificial intelligence’. We need a qualitative breakthrough in AI material and technological basis for it. Applying ‘model-dependent realism’ by S. Hawking in the course of the speculations in the article, the author concludes that the purpose of cognition in modern science is not to describe an objective reality, but to organize its subjective perception by some definite way. So, the purpose of cognition is the perfection of cognition models permitting a subject ‘to capture’ the reality. This idea is completely confirmed by Maturana and Varela’s autopoiesis theory and von Foerster’s ‘second-order cybernetics’. The article drafts some prospects of moving away from post-nonclassical scientific thinking in its current understanding, because the development of AI technologies results in ‘blurring’ borders of subjectivity in the cognition process. The author concludes that the modern world is moving in another epistemological paradigm where a new scientific revolution is inevitable.

The article considers modern tendencies prevailing in the higher education system while training technical specialists nowadays. According to the authors, excluding the humanitarian courses from curriculum results in the complete dissolution of subjectivity in the impersonal world, which is deprived of “living” knowledge, that is, definite knowledge of a definite person. The application of such an approach is illustrated by the actor–network theory (ANT). While studying several works by ANT founders, it turned out to be clear that such an approach eliminates any differences between natural and humanitarian, engineering, and philosophical knowledge. As a result, the net emerges consisting of numerous actants and which requires from every participant his “building‐in” a model with the functions being delegated to him in advance. The article concludes that an “alive” component is disappearing from the higher education nowadays when the main stress is being made on the knowledge acquired a priori, not a posteriori.

Unlike the classic science which was directed to ascertaining some fact, the modern science is oriented an act of project and constructive thinking being opened for further critics. Such kind of activity supposes freedom and creative work. The scientific and technical development as a rational activity has brought a lot of positive aspects in the enlargement of personal freedom. It should be recognized that some new rationality appears in the course of the scientific and technological progress. The object sphere is expanded in the new scientific picture of the world due to including such systems in it as ‘artificial intellect’, ‘virtual reality’, etc. which are the results of the scientific and technological progress. Such radical extension of the object sphere takes place in parallel with its radical ‘humanization’. And a person is included in the picture of the world not only as its active participant, but as its constituent principle. An Individual must be not only the centre of the world, but an incentive to its growing perfection.

The article provides an analysis of the approach to cognition in the theory of constructivism according to different constructivism concepts such as: methodical constructivism, scientific-theoretical constructivism, natural epistemology, personal construct theory, social constructivism, concepts of some radical constructivism representatives, constructive realism. The analysis demonstrates that constructivism helps to establish subject’s control over the reality perceived by him when eliminating any deviations or resentments from his preferable target condition. In this case, the model of the world cognized contains only the aspects which are relevant to subject’s purposes and actions. It is advanced the idea the current stage of science development is connected with the change of its fundamental bases. As a result, the model of the reality becomes a result of interaction between subject of scientific and cognitive activity with the reality, but the ideas of constructivism in its classical meaning don’t correspond to this conclusion. The author proves that cognition based on the constructive realism is the most appropriate to the modern stage of epistemology development as it cancels the opposition of constructivism and realism in some extent and promotes getting a rational knowledge about the reality by subject.

The article provides an analysis of the noosphere concept as the way to the sustainable development of our planet. It offers to consider the epoch of noosphere as the period when the human mind will be able to define the terms necessary for nature and society co-evolution while forming a collective will of the mankind. The author suggests making an analysis of three main problems having appeared owing to the latest development of the anthropogenic civilization: 1) surviving in terms of continuing perfection of weapon of mass destruction; 2) raising the ecological crisis worldwide and its deepening because of the global financial downturn; 3) keeping a personal individuality as a biological and social structure while strengthening comprehensive processes of alienation. The article proves that their decision is closely connected with the following components of noosphere: joining efforts of all the mankind without any exceptions, adopting new values of national and interpersonal cooperation, improving relationships among the nations, accepting and following democratic principles of public life, developing science and culture, changing the governmental and individual approaches to the usage of natural resources, deciding military conflicts and threats peacefully, spreading new principles of noosphere education, etc.

The notions of trans-science and trans-humanism and their interconnection are studied. The idea that trans-humanism is directed to the decision of trans-science issues mostly having a constructivism nature to is developed. The author studies influence of such constructivism concepts as natural epistemology, social constructivism, constructive realism on the formation of trans-science and trans-humanism notions. The article demonstrates on the example of achievements in the field of nanotechnologies and net society that development and introduction of such projects are accompanied by arising trans-science issues and increasing the level of virtualization of people’s consciousness and their social relations. The author concludes on the basis of current severe ecological problems that it is time to take into consideration such concepts as stable social development by means of searching reasonable answers to trans-science questions and pass the limits of trans-humanism