Tujuan Ilmu Pengetahuan Menurut Para Filosof: Sebuah Kajian Filsafat Ilmu

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the evolution of the purposes of scientific knowledge based on the perspectives of philosophers from the classical, modern, and contemporary periods and to explain their contributions to the development of the philosophy of science. The study employed a qualitative approach using library research. Data were collected from scholarly journal articles, books, and other relevant academic documents and were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that the purposes of scientific knowledge have evolved continuously and progressively throughout the history of philosophy. During the classical period, science was primarily directed toward attaining truth, wisdom, and an understanding of the essence of reality through rational inquiry and philosophical reflection. In the modern period, this orientation expanded through the application of the scientific method, observation, experimentation, and empirical verification to produce objective and systematic knowledge. In the contemporary period, science is viewed as a dynamic process characterized by scientific criticism, falsification, and paradigm shifts, enabling it to respond to societal changes and contemporary human challenges. This study also provides a comparative synthesis integrating the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, René Descartes, Auguste Comte, Karl Popper, and Thomas Kuhn into a comprehensive historical framework. The novelty of this study lies in the development of a conceptual model illustrating the evolution of the purposes of scientific knowledge through the integrated development of ontology, epistemology, and axiology as the foundation of the modern scientific paradigm.