Nature Of Scientific Knowledge Research Articles

Transformation of the discipline “Concepts of Modern Natural Science” for the development of critical thinking

Introduction. Globally, there are integrated natural science disciplines in the training programmes for humanities students in many universities in order to overcome the gap between the humanitarian-artistic and natural-science cultures, to form a holistic view of the physical world and the basics of technology among university graduates, to equip them with the scientific method of cognition. In Russia, such a discipline is “Concepts of Modern Natural Science”. However, in its current form, it does not fully meet the abovementioned goals. Due to the lack of a practical line, students do not master the skills of applying the scientific method and do not get an idea about science as a tool for understanding nature and a way of thinking, but instead they become stronger in the perception of natural science as a storehouse of ready-made true knowledge. Nevertheless, the situation changes if the focus is shifted from the transfer of knowledge to the development of critical thinking, which in most countries of the world is recognised as the main goal of university education. Aim. The present research aims to identify the structure, content and types of training tasks of the course “Concepts of Modern Natural Science”, contributing to the development of critical thinking of students in the humanities, and the corresponding transformation of the course “Concepts of Modern Natural Science”. Methodology and research methods. The identification of the optimal structure, content and types of training tasks, as well as the evaluation of the results of the introduction of the transformed course “Concepts of Modern Natural Science” into the educational process were carried out on the basis of research conducted at two universities – RUDN University and Moscow State Pedagogical University. The tests were applied to assess the structure of motivation, natural science knowledge and critical thinking skills, tests of epistemological ideas. Also, the authors used the surveys showing students’ perception of the effectiveness of teaching methods and means, the usefulness of natural science knowledge and critical thinking for study, life, self-development and professional activities. Results. It is shown that students and teachers have a positive attitude towards the idea of making critical thinking the main goal of studying the course “Concepts of Modern Natural Science”. The change in goal-setting makes it possible to connect natural science and the humanities through critical thinking as a means of understanding nature and man, to introduce a practical line that includes tasks-simulators of critical thinking skills and the application of the scientific method and projects in the implementation of which these skills become tools of knowledge. After studying the transformed course “Concepts of Modern Natural Science”, the motivation of students to study natural science, their epistemological ideas, cognitive skills and assimilation of natural science material improved. Scientific novelty. A course structure was developed with two integration centres; additions were made to the course content that contribute to the development of students’ epistemological ideas and the conscious formation of cognitive skills; a practical line was introduced, consisting of tasks that require the use of certain cognitive skills in the study of problem situations in accordance with the stages of the scientific method; the procedural component of the course was complemented by methods for the development of thinking. Practical significance. The created case-practice is variable and can be applied in the practical line ofany integrated natural science discipline.

Flexible, creative, constructive, and collaborative: the makings of an authentic science inquiry task

ABSTRACT To promote scientific literacy in school science, students need to learn key concepts in science, along with the nature of scientific knowledge and how it is generated. Ideally, this learning mirrors authentic scientific inquiry through student engagement in three key epistemic practices: flexibility and creativity, knowledge construction, and collaboration. This paper draws on findings from a larger research study investigating the implementation of a guided-inquiry multimodal approach to teaching science. It reports on a case study of three Australian Year 9 science students investigating sustainable design strategies for houses, as a summative task. Through a post-hoc analysis, this paper explores how, and to what extent, the task supported the epistemic practices of authentic scientific inquiry. To address these questions, the author developed and applied an Authentic Inquiry Framework (AIF) to analyse the students’ dialogue and interactions during this task. The findings reveal that the students applied a flexible and creative approach to addressing their inquiry questions, through their own experimental design and engagement in provisional and collaborative knowledge construction. To support their investigation, the students were also able to productively integrate disciplinary-specific tools and technologies.

Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect.

The time on task (ToT) effect describes the relationship of the time spent on a cognitive task and the probability of successful task completion. The effect has been shown to vary in size and direction across tests and even within tests, depending on the test taker and item characteristics. Specifically, investing more time has a positive effect on response accuracy for difficult items and low ability test-takers, but a negative effect for easy items and high ability test-takers. The present study sought to test the replicability of this result pattern of the ToT effect across samples independently drawn from the same populations of persons and items. Furthermore, its generalizability was tested in terms of differential correlations across ability tests. To this end, ToT effects were estimated for three different reasoning tests and one test measuring natural sciences knowledge in 10 comparable subsamples with a total N = 2640. Results for the subsamples were highly similar, demonstrating that ToT effects are estimated with sufficient reliability. Generally, faster answers tended to be more accurate, suggesting a relatively effortless processing style. However, with increasing item difficulty and decreasing person ability, the effect flipped to the opposite direction, i.e., higher accuracy with longer processing times. The within-task moderation of the ToT effect can be reconciled with an account on effortful processing or cognitive load. By contrast, the generalizability of the ToT effect across different tests was only moderate. Cross-test relations were stronger in relative terms if performance in the respective tasks was more strongly related. This suggests that individual differences in the ToT effect depend on test characteristics such as their reliabilities but also similarities and differences of their processing requirements.

Прогресс геномики человека с позиций правового подхода

The article reviews the prospects of development of human genomics primarily from the standpoint of the impact of the progress of the natural science knowledge on the legal sphere. The author analyzes the danger of technological dehumanization of an individual and opportunities for legal combating of this process.

TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF MATERIALS PROCESSING AS A COMPONENT OF STEM-EDUCATION IN THE CREATIVE ACTIVITY OF STUDENTS

The article is devoted to the problem of developing students' creative abilities when using elements of STEM education. Based on the analysis of scientific and methodical sources, it was established that, in view of the global processes of informatization and automation of production, the modern training of specialists requires the integration of new knowledge, the formation of creative skills, the development of critical and innovative thinking. Therefore, today, one of the key tasks of implementing the educational process is the formation of a modern, highly educated, highly cultured, creative personality. The task of forming the creative personality of the future specialist is solved by introducing new methods and learning technologies into the educational process, among which STEM education occupies a prominent place, which is a promising direction in the organization of the educational process aimed at the formation of integrated knowledge of students and the development of their creative potential. The article provides an example that shows which elements of STEM education are used in the technological training of future teachers of labor education and technology. In particular, when designing and manufacturing wood products, students need knowledge of natural sciences (properties of different types of wood), technology (wood processing using sawing, drilling, turning), engineering, design (ability to work with modern search engines, ability to perform sketches, develop drawings, use drawing tools, knowledge of the basics of artistic design, decoration of products), mathematics (ability to calculate the consumption of necessary materials). Therefore, when developing and manufacturing a future product, students have the opportunity to use the knowledge they know from various fields in new conditions and acquire new integrated knowledge. Such activities also contribute to the formation of a number of important personal abilities in students: the ability to see a problem, the ability to analyze, critically evaluate, develop the ability to evaluate, the ability to refine, the ability to painstakingly work hard to realize one's own idea, the development of strong-willed qualities, composure, perseverance. It is the use of elements of STEM education in the technological training of students that creates the conditions for using important interdisciplinary connections to achieve a positive result, and certainly contributes to the formation of the creative potential of future teachers.

Impacts of Problem-Based Instruction on Students’ Beliefs about Physics and Learning Physics

To help prepare students to address future challenges in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), they need to develop 21st-century skills. These skills are mediated by their beliefs about the nature of scientific knowledge and practices, or epistemological beliefs. One approach shown to support students’ development of these beliefs and skills is problem-based instruction (PBI), which encourages collaborative self-directed learning while working on open-ended problems. We used a mixed-method qualitative approach to examine how implementing PBI in a physics course taught at a Dutch university affected students’ beliefs about physics and learning physics. Analysis of the responses to the course surveys (41–74% response rates) from the first implementation indicated students appreciated opportunities for social interactions with peers and use of scientific equipment with PBI but found difficulties connecting to the Internet given the COVID-19 restrictions. The Colorado Learning Attitudes towards Science Survey (CLASS), a validated survey on epistemological beliefs about physics and learning physics, was completed by a second cohort of students in a subsequent implementation of PBI for the same course; analysis of the students’ pre- and post-responses (28% response rate) showed a slight shift towards more expert-like perspectives despite challenges (e.g., access to lab). Findings from this study may inform teachers with an interest in supporting the development of students’ epistemological beliefs about STEM and the implementation of PBI in undergraduate STEM courses.

Writing spice-themed poetry for COVID-19 prevention campaign for Indonesian children

ABSTRACT Indonesian spices offer an avenue into a broad spectrum of knowledge covering history, geography, sciences, humanities, and medicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, spices have been revisited for potentials to boost the immune system. However, this knowledge is often inaccessible to children, which leads to the risk of the nation losing local wisdoms related to its endemic plants. Therefore, this study aims to explore the writing of poetry on spices to educate elementary schools student about COVID-19 prevention. We reviewed literature and wisdom on Indonesian spices and proposed the formula of writing spice-themed poetry. Building on Sam Illingworth’s concept of poetry as a dialogue, we stipulated four guiding elements in writing spice-themed poetry for children, namely (1) facilitation-purpose, (2) science exposure, (3) communicative interaction, and (4) transformation based on Indonesian knowledge and culture. We argue that writing poetry on spices potentially strengthens children’s spice-related knowledge of natural sciences and Indonesian local wisdom.

Хятадын боловсролын систем дэх уламжлалт хятад судлалын нөлөө, чиг хандлага

The main purpose of an education system of any country is to make the citizens adapt moral behavior and ethics, at the same time offering basic knowledge of both natural and social science. Therefore, books and writings from the past play an inevitable role in making the above-mentioned objectives possible. We will discuss briefly about the impact of Chinese classical literature works to the field of Sinology and its future research tendency as they are the key subjects in learning about the history, culture, and tradition.

Pengaruh Model Problem Based Learning Berbantuan Media Couple Card terhadap Kompetensi Pengetahuan IPAS Siswa Kelas IV

Learning models and media used by teachers in improving students' natural and social science knowledge competencies still use conventional learning models so that students' abilities in natural and social science learning competencies are still lacking. To overcome this, researchers suggest using varied learning models and media to improve students' natural and social science knowledge competencies. The couple card media is a paired card media that contains pictures and writings. The problem was discussed through experimental research. The results obtained from this study are the use of couple card media can improve the competence of natural and social science knowledge of fourth grade elementary school students with a total of 40 students. Data on natural and social science knowledge competencies were then analyzed with the polled variance t-test. The results of data analysis are tcount = 9.167 > ttable = 1.990 at a significance level of 5% with dk = 78, so, H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. So, there is a significant difference in the competence of natural and social science knowledge between groups of students who are taught with a problem-based learning model assisted by media couple cards with students who are taught with conventional learning. When viewed from the average posttest value of natural and social science knowledge competence of the experimental group is 84.35 more than the control group is 70.7. It can be concluded that the problem-based learning model assisted by couple card media has an effect on the competence of natural and social science knowledge of fourth grade elementary school students.

«Философия математики» Германа Когена, или Что не так с марбургским методом

Neo-Kantianism in general and the Marburg school are becoming an increas­ingly popular subject of research both in the Russian and global academic com­munity. Thanks to the meticulous archival work of H. Holzhey, K.Ch. Köhnke, U. Sieg and other scientists, rich historical and philosophical dimension of this phenomenon has been discovered. As a result, neo-Kantianism is no longer read strictly through the prism of an (unsuccessful) attempt to scientize philosophy in the image of natural scientific knowledge. At the same time, it seems interest­ing to analyze this attempt from the point of view of its internal content. The ob­ject of this study is mainly H. Cohen’s “Das Princip der Infinitesimal-Methode und seine Geschichte”, conjugated with the historical and theoretical context of psychological discussions. The term “Cohen’s method” in its early temporal localization of the beginning of the 1880’s, we expand to the “Marburg method”. It is based on a functional interpretation of the process of cognition using the ex­ample of infinitesimal calculus. Despite the declared opposition to the psycho­logical programs of philosophy, we believe that Cohen could not achieve this task at theoretical level. The intuitive definition of mathematical entities in gen­eral and the usage of a psychophysical mathematical model is an unsuccessful way of countering psychological programs of philosophy. At the same time, we believe that despite the outward exoticism of the philosopher’s conclusions, the desire to “dereify” and “denaturalize” the concept of reality finds full expression in his model, which is extremely important for the formation of the Marburg Neo-Kantianism. Reconstruction and comprehension of what we conditionally call "the philosophy of mathematics of Hermann Cohen" allows us to better un­derstand the essence of the theoretical superstructure that he created over the form of mathematical derivation.

Theory assessment and reality in Boltzmann’s epistemological thinking

ABSTRACT This paper discusses how theories can be assessed within the epistemological viewpoint advanced by the Austrian physicist Ludwig E. Boltzmann. It builds upon, and further develops, the perspective of Boltzmann's thinking as advanced by Ribeiro and Videira [1998. “Dogmatism and Theoretical Pluralism in Modern Cosmology.” Apeiron – Studies in Infinite Nature 5 (3–4): 227–234]. Boltzmann's epistemological viewpoint accepts that reality is real and proposes that reality can be described by different points of view because his main philosophical thesis states that scientific theories are images of Nature. We present the historical context that witnessed the genesis of Boltzmann's ideas and expand Ribeiro and Videira's [Ibid] perspective by arguing that later in his life Boltzmann realized the insufficiency of his thesis as justification for theoretical pluralism and avoidance of dogmatism. Consequently, his thinking went beyond epistemology, the nature of scientific knowledge, to include realism, the nature of the represented objects.

Interdisciplinarity in natural science and humanities as the basis for the development of education

The author analyzed the contradictory statements regarding the present and future of Russian education related to the choice of knowledge priorities between natural sciences and humanities. The author notes that pedagogical science should abandon the paradigm choice between the humanistic values of education and rationalistic technological approaches to the learning process. The author believes that the changes in humanities knowledge should be considered as a consequence of changes in the natural science knowledge. This fact testifies to the mutual penetration of various ways of thinking and the dualistic unity of seeming opposites. By interpreting the technocracism as a concept of the power of professionals based on scientific and technical knowledge, the author suggests that the development of education should be based on dualistic unity, and not on the contrast between natural science and humanitarian knowledge. The author notes that at the current stage of the development of civilization the priority task is to prepare transprofessionals with integral interdisciplinary professional competencies that are able to solve professional tasks at the intersection of various sciences, while understanding the social consequences of their actions. According to the author, technocratism ensures the transition from ideas about the desired image of a graduate of an educational institution to a truly developed professionally competent person with fundamental education. At the same time, humanistic values determined by the culture and national traditions of their country should provide high ethical and moral personal qualities of a transprofessional, without which sufficient civic responsibility and an active life position in conditions of continuous technogenic transformations in all spheres of life are impossible.

On the dualistic unity of natural science and the humanities

This paper is an analysis of the effectiveness of the Russian learners from the 2019 TIMSS International Monitoring Study report. While analyzing the document, the initial conclusion drawn by the author is that the mathematical and natural science literacy of Russian schoolchildren is quite high and that the educational system in Russia is stable. At the same time, the author suggests that rethinking the directions of educational development is impossible without taking into account the underlying processes occurring in the depths of basic general education. In the author's opinion, the lack of significant gains in the scores of Russian students over the last 2 phases of the TIMSS studies is an indicator of certain stagnation in primary mathematics and science education. The author is of the belief that a statement of this fact should contribute to the fundamentalism of education. Assessing the structural correlation between natural science and humanities knowledge by quantitative volume of academic load of mathematics and natural science disciplines, the author points to the dualistic unity of natural science and humanities knowledge in high school, which should contribute to the development of creative independent thinking of students. The author's understanding of the results of the context survey of Russian schoolchildren indicates the need to improve the professional expertise of the science teachers, which will improve the outcome of the educational process. The author suggests adopting the experience of other countries in implementing the interdisciplinary approach to the educational process. The author emphasizes that STEM education imposes special requirements on the teacher, who must have integrated knowledge of mathematics, science and technology, be fluent in computer programs, be motivated to work with children and be skilled in didactics.

КВАЛИМЕТРИЧЕСКОЕ ПРАВО КАК ПОДОТРАСЛЬ КОНДИЦИОННОГО ПРАВА (НА МАТЕРИАЛАХ РЕСПУБЛИКИ БЕЛАРУСЬ)

Introduction: qualimetry is a science of measurement and quantitative assessment of the quality of various things and processes, objects of the material and ideal world. Many sciences (natural, technical, humanities) use the term ‘quality’ and therefore effectively interact with qualimetry. Quality and methodology for measuring quality are also legal institutions. The legislation of the Republic of Belarus contains a whole range of legal norms (including norms of technical nature and standards) that regulate the qualimetry of various processes and social relations. The national qualimetric system has been formed, while the doctrinal institutionalization of qualimetric law has not yet taken place, which is explained by the lack of a doctrinal understanding of the nature and essence of qualimetric legal relations and qualimetric regulation, associated with the lack of a proper conceptual and categorical apparatus. Purpose: to substantiate the need for the institutionalization of qualimetric law as a sub-branch of conditional law in order to solve a large-scale scientific problem – the creation of an effective methodology for legal regulation of economic legal relations. Approach: since qualimetry is a specific field of scientific knowledge, a unique interdisciplinary structure in which natural science and humanities knowledge are inextricably integrated, the study was carried out based on the principle of interdisciplinarity as an idea, methodology, and mechanism that makes it possible to discover complex backbone links between related fields of expertise. Results: the paper shows qualimetry to be a complex field of scientific knowledge, a symbiosis of natural sciences and the humanities, and clarifies its subject matter. It is substantiated that qualimetric legal relations are a type of conditioned legal relations that develop with regard to qualimetric regulation; their essential features are identified, and a classification of qualimetric legal relations is provided. It is argued that qualimetric law is a subbranch of conditional law, its subject and system are defined. The expected positive effect that will result from the institutionalization of qualimetric law is predicted.

Parameterization Design of 3D Fractal Images in Packaging Design Based on Genetic Algorithm

Packaging design, as an important element in product appearance, can directly affect customers' sensory perception of the product. Many universities even offer packaging design majors, which mainly use natural science and aesthetic knowledge to promote product sales. However, many old brands remain complacent and their packaging design still adopts traditional thinking, which to some extent affects their sales. Therefore, this article decided to use genetic algorithms as a tool to parameterize the 3D fractal images in packaging design, aiming to create more creative and eye-catching packaging designs. At the end of this article, an experiment was conducted on two branches of a certain brand. Branch 1 tried out the new design provided in this article, while Branch 2 continued to use the original design. After Branch 1 fully adopted the design, sales skyrocketed, from the original daily sales of 50-60 units to 70-85 units. Branch 2 remained unchanged, with a sharp contrast.

Non-Classical Logics in Modern Science

Non-classical logicians have significantly expanded the traditional field of using logical methods. The first of them was the three-digit logic of Y. Lukasevich. Next came the three-digit logic of A. Bochvar, the "quantum logics" of G. Reichenbach and P. Detush-Fevrier, infinite-valued, probabilistic and other logics. The possibilities of non-classical logics have become widely used in various branches of scientific knowledge. Polysemantic, fuzzy, intuitionistic, modal, relevant and paranoherent, temporal and other non-classical logics are widely used today in physics, computational mathematics, computer science, linguistics, jurisprudence, ethics and other fields of natural science and socio-humanitarian knowledge. The recently increased interest in non-classical logics is explained, first of all, by the fact that various philosophical, syntactic, semantic and metalogical problems that were previously discussed in the scientific community are being replaced by practical interests. The main source of such interest is their wide application in computer science, artificial intelligence and programming. The logic of causality is used in the interpretation of the concepts of "law of nature", "ontological necessity" and "determinism"; temporal modal logics - for modeling, specification and verification of software systems of logical control; logics with vector semantics, combining the features of fuzzy and para-contradictory logics - in solving problems of dynamic verification of production knowledge bases and expert systems.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ МЕНТАЛЬНЫХ РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЙ: НОВЫЙ ПОДХОД К ОБЪЯСНЕНИЮ ПРИРОДЫ АНТИЦИПАЦИОННОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ

The systemic functional-regulatory approach played a big role in identifying the general patterns of anticipatory activity and in recognizing anticipation as one of the basic properties of the psyche. From this point of view, the concept of A.A. Ukhtomsky about the integral image, which is an integral part of his doctrine of the dominant as the main system-forming principle of the organization of human behavior and psycheб is of particular interest. The integral image, as a product of the dominant, acts as a kind of anticipatory scheme that predetermines the vector and nature of future activity. The dynamic development of the integral image can be represented as a series of successive and hierarchically organized levels of mental transformation. Ukhtomsky's concept for the first time provides a holistic platform for explaining the nature of anticipating activity and those systemic cognitive deficits that occur in developmental disorders. In this case, the dominant need acts as the main condition for the transition of a sensory image as a certain generalized representation from a potential formation into an active component of the formation of anticipatory schemes of behavior. Created on the basis of a synthesis of natural science and humanities knowledge about human nature, the concept of an integral image is an example of a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to the problems of studying the basic foundations of human mental activity and can currently act as a new paradigm in the study of anticipation problems.

The Prophetic Sunnah: A Second Source of Knowledge in Islam

The prophetic Sunnah is considered the secondary source of knowledge in Islam. The holy Qur’an which is the primary source of knowledge in Islamic worldview has confirmed the necessity and the importance of the Sunnah in its various chapters; on the ground that the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) who is the founder of the Sunnah is an infallible and a chosen prophet by Allah to all mankind. Therefore, the prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) never acts according to his own desire, but he is always acting with the guidance of revelation from God. Based on this tangible fact, it is an undeniable fact that the prophetic Sunnah is an authentic secondary source of knowledge in Islam. Which is also able to provide valid knowledge not only in religious sciences, but, it is also able to provide us accurate knowledge of natural sciences and humanities. Thus, the objective of this article is to explore vis-a-vis the importance of the prophetic Sunnah, and provide the raison d’etre on the relevance of the Sunnah for our contemporary life. Yet, for the sake of academic paper the Quranic approach will be applied, that is by searching the validity and the relevance of the prophetic Sunnah to human life according to Quranic worldview. Lastly, the article will provide a brief conclusion followed by some suggestions and some recommendations.

Историческая память и нарратив: экологические контексты (размышления над книгой)

The article reflects on I.O. Shchedrina’s book Historical Memory and Nar­rative: Ecological Contexts. This monograph falls within the current trend of turning ecology into a universal interdisciplinary methodological principle. Significant for a modern person environment, its Umwelt, is understood by the author as a complex configuration of symbolic worlds and narratives. One of the most important tasks of ecology today, without solving which it is impossible to overcome the ecological crisis, is the formation of ecological consciousness. I.O. Shchedrina justifies the importance of nature saving not with the help of the usual rational natural-scientific approach, but through the emotional, personal, humanitarian sphere – through human memory, self-awareness, narrative, psychological context. In her analysis I.O. Shchedrina re­lies on a wide range of concepts and authors: from psychological interpreta­tions of self-consciousness (L.S. Vygotsky, R. Burns, St. Klein, J. Kihlstrom, V.V. Stolin and others) to the problem of historical and autobiographical narra­tive studies (D. Dennett, G. Genette, F. Lejeune). In I.O. Shchedrina’s concep­tion one can see development and reinterpretation of the ideas of N.F. Reymers and D.S. Likhachev about the ecology of the spirit and the ecology of culture, although these authors are not directly mentioned. By including the concepts of narrative and historical memory into the ecological discourse, I.O. Shched­rina makes a significant contribution to the development of the most important trend of post-non-classical science – the humanitarization of natural-scientific knowledge.

Descartes on Open Knowledge and Human Perfection

Purpose. The purpose is to justify the validity of interpreting Descartes’ teachings as an enquiry into the search for forms and means of improving human nature, which implies a focus on the way he understands the openness of knowledge and education. The problem is considered from the perspective of representatives of university communities (teachers and librarians), historically included in the communication structure and system of the institution, including through the creation, management, use, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. Theoretical basis. One of the tenets of Descartes’ teachings is his desire to improve the human being. For our consideration, it is fundamentally important that Descartes uses "knowledge" not only in a narrow sense – as natural scientific knowledge, but also in a broader sense. In the context of the theme of the study, the most important case is when the thinker recalls the knowledge that every person experiences without referring to philosophy. It is this knowledge that, for Descartes, is key in resolving the central problem of his ethics – how can human nature be perfected? For our consideration of Descartes’ key points, it is fair to focus on the manifestation of the phenomenon of altruism in Descartes’ philosophy and on the representative fact of his inner openness – his willingness to engage in dialogue. He appreciates and encourages his interlocutors to turn to books, which are a form of representation of the vivid personalities of their authors. Originality. For the first time in the research literature, the thesis of René Descartes as one of the forerunners of the open knowledge system is substantiated. The arguments are given for the validity of Descartes’ interpretation of the demand of his own epoch for the search of effective forms of human improvement. Conclusions. The idea of justification of Descartes’ philosophical legacy as a predictor of open knowledge became possible under the condition of paying attention to the anthropological turn he made and finding substantive analogues of openness, including open education. Drawing on Christianity as the basis for altruism, Descartes demonstrates a caring attitude towards the achievements of previous generations on the path of personal self-development. His attention is rightly drawn to education and books as representations of vibrant personalities. Their authentic and productive assimilation is possible only under the condition of a caring attitude towards the public good, which involves the intellectual volunteering of teachers and librarians. It is about self-realization through altruistic self-improvement, i.e. intellectual charity, which is especially evident today during martial law in Ukraine and is voluntary, conscious and free work for the benefit of others.