Philosophy at the Technical University: Justification, Legitimation, Apology

Abstract

The article is an attempt to research a place of philosophy in technical Universities. Based on the historical analysis of the features of formation and development of science in the era of Modern age the author reveals the backgrounds and reasons of the loss of methodological potential by philosophy in the structure of higher technical education. It is noted that the implementation process of humanization of contemporary educational and scientific space determined by objective laws of social and cultural development at the end of the last century actualizes the necessity of teaching philosophical disciplines in higher technical education. Based on the statement of transhistorical connection between the university as an institution that aims to provide students with a comprehensive training and philosophy as a universal type of knowledge, the author underlines the significance of philosophy
in the moral and cultural education and professional development of contemporary engineers. It is analyzed two key dimensions of philosophy in the structure of present-day university education such as personal and critical. These dimensions promote universal competence of future professionals and methodology that focuses on the humanistic dimension of science and allows them to identify actual problems of natural and technical sciences. Research of the future ways of philosophy implication to educational and scientific activities of technical universities gave an opportunity to state the need for their comprehensive reorganization of the contents of different types of educational and scientific activities towards the study of the world view and methodological dimensions of contemporary scientific and technological development. Particular attention is paid to the potential of philosophy in the development of communicative abilities, and the importance of working out of original philosophical texts in the context of becoming the critical thinking of students and their value orientations.