Metascientific foundations of understanding of status of technology

• Main Author: V.A. Kanke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) 2017-12-01
• Series: Nuclear Energy and Technology
• Subjects: Technology; A branch of science; Metascience; The theory of conceptual transduction; Concepts and methods of the theory; Pragmatism
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452303817300663

The article considers the status of technology as a branch of science. Technology is understood as the totality of all technical theories accepted by the scientific community. The dominant trend in understanding the status of technology is that a demarcation line is drawn between, on the one hand, science and, on the other hand, technology. In fact, there is a kind of alienation of technology from science. Researchers provide various arguments to prove the legitimacy of this alienation. As a matter of fact, there are no arguments against the separation technology from science. This asymmetry is subjected to critical analysis in the article. The author, being guided by the theory of conceptual transduction developed by him, proves that scientifically sound arguments testify to the inclusion of technology in science on the rights of a full-fledged branch in all respects. The alienation of technology from science is baseless. All arguments that downgrade the status of technology as a branch of science are erroneous. The known features characterizing technology, namely, its appeal to the phenomenon of obligation, practical orientation, consideration of the methods for inventing and handling artifacts, in no way do not call into question the scientific status of technology. The decisive mistake of those who support the separation of science from technology is that they do not consider the conceptual and methodological structure of existing branches of science. If one looks at it, it turns out that it is the same for all branches of science, including technology. First, in all cases, scientific theories are ways to manage the concepts of principles, laws and variables by methods of deduction, adduction, induction and abduction. Second, the progress of science is realized as a transition from less developed to more developed theories. Third, each branch of science develops its own potential not in isolation from other branches of science but through its interdisciplinary relations with them. These three features indicate the status of technology as a branch of science. A proper understanding of the status of technology is a factor contributing to its development.