P.L. Lavrov and his science of knowledge

Abstract

The article is devoted to the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov. The work of the outstanding Russian philosopher and public figure is considered not only from the angle of his contribution to social theory, but also in the context of the influence he had on the development of scientific and pedagogical thought in Russia. It is noted that Lavrov should be regarded as a vivid example of a scientist-en­cyclo­pedist, striving to master relevant scientific know­ledge, applying it to the solution of practical and moral problems which society faced at that time. The author stresses that Lavrov, relying on the data of a number of sciences, traced and analyzed in his works the evolution of human thought and science. He made a great contribution to the development of Russian scientific and philosophical thought, became a pioneer in the study of the problems of philosophy of science and presented a quite interesting and systematically outlined nauko­uche­nie (science of knowledge). Lavrov's nau­ko­­uchenie not only attracted the attention of scientists to the problem of the unity of science and philosophy, but also indicated some ways to resolve the crisis in science that broke out at the turn of the 19–20^th centuries, emphasizing the importance of methodological and epistemo­logical problems in the development of scientific knowledge and thus laying the foundations of modern Russian philosophy of science. During almost twenty years of pedagogical activity, Lavrov, on the one hand, strove to raise the mathematical disciplines he taught to the level of their development at that time, and on the other hand, emphasized the most important role of education in the process of learning, paying attention to the role of the teacher as an educator. It is concluded that Lav­rov can be right­fully considered one of the key figures in the intellectual and social history of Russia.