THE INTERPRETATION AND INTEGRATION OF CONTRADICTIONS IN SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

The contradictions and the antinomies have a great significance in contemporary science. If classical physics considered that the outside world can be observed and known objectively, without any impairment from the knowing subject, the last century science has shown beyond any reasonable doubt that between the observing subject and the object to know exists is an inextricable link. The contradiction implies a conflict between two opposed sentences, equally provable. Which one of them should be taken as a good by the scientist? The correct answer seems to be that both sentences should be taken in consideration. The Romanian philosopher Stephan Lupasco considered that, in order to understand and integrate into the human thinking the new scientific evidence (especially the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics) is necessary to abandon the principles of classical logic. He introduced the principle of the included third by building a system of logic called: the dynamic logic of the contradictory. Within this logic, any unit involves an internal diversity and is composed by sets of opposing elements between which there is a constant struggle, a creative and inherent antagonism. Every unit is composed of two contrary elements - A and non-A, which have a continuous voltage and therefore, instead of the principle of identity, the philosopher proposes a principle of diversity. Within this system of thinking can be distinguished several types of contradictions: contradictions that open and contradictions that close, the negative contradiction and the heuristic contradiction, the strong contradiction and the weak contradiction, contradictions inherent of the relationship between logic and the real world and the contradiction inherent of the contradictions inherent to the rationality itself. In the paper, the general philosophical ideas have been illustrated through examples, they consisting mainly of scientific issues that led the adjustment of the classical logic so that new scientific evidence, complex aspects of the universe, be integrated into knowledge.