The Nature of the Criteria for the Scientific Nature of Social Knowledge

The article examines the nature of criteria for the scientific character of social knowledge, taking into account the complexity and versatility of social research, which is composed of natural science and social science, fundamental and applied, theoretical and empirical systems that have subject, methodological, heuristic and other features, involving many aspects of analysis, methodological approaches, principles of research, expressing the specifics of social sciences, assessment of their quality and features of development at the present stage. Consideration of the principles of research is carried out on the basis of certain ideas about social science and the etalons, standards, ideals of scientific character that are formed there, and, consequently, ideas about the criteria of scientific character. The specificity of social cognition is revealed through its comparison with natural science. Some manifestations of the specificity of social cognition are considered, which must be taken into account so that our ideas about the criteria for the scientific nature of social knowledge, as well as the epistemological requirements, assessments, and expectations associated with them, are sufficiently realistic. In the analysis of the determination of criteria for the scientific character of social knowledge, in addition
to their sociocultural determination, a certain attention is paid to the nature of the influence on the idea of the scientific character of social knowledge, its criteria on the part of natural science and the functions performed by social sciences, certain possibilities, ways and prospects of their implementation are noted. It is concluded that it is necessary to realize the noted and some other features of social cognition in order to develop a critical attitude to certain deviations from the criteria of scientificness, which should contribute to the development of an orientation towards cognitive values among social researchers, which should contribute to an increase in
the level of scientificity. social knowledge.