21.1. Object and subject matter in medical science
Science integrates the systems of knowledge, theoretical principles, and instrumental methods being simultaneously a form of social consciousness. It is one of the most important elements underlying the development of the material and technical basis of society, implementation of scientific principles in management, comprehensive and harmonic development of individuals, and enhancement of effectiveness and quality of all facets of public life.
In line with the views of John Desmond Bernal (1956), science can be viewed as:
• Institution (public organization) which implements certain functions in society;
• Method as a set of tools to find novel facets and regularities in nature and society;
• Accumulator of research traditions;
• Important factor in the industrial development;
• Source of new ideas, principles, and Welfanschauung (world outlook).
In addition, science is a sophisticated dynamic informational system created to collect, analyze, and process information in order to obtain new verities and novel practical applications (Dobrov G.M., 1989). Being a social institution, science includes all edges of research activity in production of knowledge, i.e., it incorporates not only knowledge per se, but the scientific and parascientific personnel, research and development organizations, and the resource base - virtually everything that constitutes the scientific potential. In science, the role of method is especially important: 'Not having found the correct method and the direction of study, the researcher will lose much time and finally will be lost himself' (Pirogov N.I., 1950).
In its ideal form, the social institution of science emerges in those time and place, when and where its members cooperatively expand knowledge under the guidance of the system of norms and values, which simultaneously secures importance of their scientific contribution and reinforces their motivation.