The Origins of Scientific Thinking: Line of Plato

Abstract

Philosophy is commonly viewed as the opposite of science; however, science has its roots in philosophy as mental consideration of things. This article presents an analysis of Plato’s role in the formation of scientific thought. It is shown how his desire to establish a stable world of ideal forms determined Plato’s attitude toward oral speech as well as to the transfer and storage of knowledge in a written form. The article pays special attention to Plato’s views on dialectics as a living movement of thought. In this regard, the article notes Plato’s critical attitude toward rhetoric, which can not be viewed as a method because it represents not a search for the truth but merely a process of persuading the majority of people. It is pointed out that in the divisions made by Plato, such as, for example, phenomenon/reality, opinion/knowledge, body/mind, rhetoric/ dialectics, etc., one element of each opposition is marked, indicating his true preferences. It is noted that Plato’s conceptualization of science has in the end a philosophic-moral nature. It is argued that Plato laid the foundations of scientific thought whose aim is to find truth so that life can be illuminated by the light of knowledge.