Phylosophy

This article contains an analysis of the role of aesthetic evaluation of technical objects on the example of automation and dispatching systems. It is shown that the aesthetic value in scientific and technical knowledge, as in other types of knowledge, is not subjective. It has objective reasons which include unity, harmony of parts as a whole, simplicity, logical hardness and others.As a result, aesthetic evaluation can be used as a criterion for the effectiveness of engineering solutions and the functionality of technical systems.

The article deals with the causes of the crisis situation that arose in social and humanities knowledge in the last quarter of the XXth century. The author substantiates the point that the essence of the crisis is the absolutization of the ideas of irrationality, subjectivity and relativity of knowledge, which are characteristic of non-classical science. This ideal is in contradiction with the classical ideal of scientific knowledge.

The article raises the problem of optimal combination of innovative and traditional forms of teaching philosophy in a technical University. The necessity of using the forms of teaching that evoke mental and creative abilities is affirmed. The danger of abuse of visual forms of presentation of material and the need for verbal forms that promote the development of abstract thinking is stated. Some innovative educational techniques that have been successfully tested in the course of teaching courses in philosophy, culture studies, philosophy of science and technology are presented.