The cultural-historical approach in epistemology

Abstract

The article considers the cultural-historical approach in epistemology. The relevance of this study lies in the growing need to rethink the natural sciences in the context of globalization, digital transformation and intercultural interaction, as they fundamentally change the cognitive practices of modern man. In this context, the cultural-historical approach acquires special importance and ultimately offers the opportunity to rethink the mechanisms of production and application of knowledge in a culturally formed environment. The aim of the article is an in-depth philosophical analysis of the historical-cultural approach in epistemology, determining its theoretical potential for explaining the mechanisms of knowledge production and establishing the possibilities of its integration into modern epistemological fields. The research methodology is based on hermeneutic, system-structural, historical-comparative and interdisciplinary approaches, which allow us to trace the interaction of cultural, social and cognitive factors in the cognitive process. The results of the study show that the cultural-historical approach offers an alternative view of the nature of knowledge. It considers knowledge not as a universal and extra-historical given, but as a dynamic process formed at the intersection of individual cognitive abilities and collective symbolic structures. Clarification of the key categories of this approach – culture, historicity and language – emphasizes their role as internal determinants of thinking, which allows the application of methods of interpreting reality and exploring the limits of individual rationality. This approach also reveals mechanisms of cultural mediation, such as the internalization of knowledge, the functioning of symbolic systems and practices, which contribute to the transition from individual experience to collective forms of knowledge. Conclusions.The study demonstrates that the integration of the cultural-historical perspective into cognitive, social and practical epistemology, as well as the concept of embodied cognition, contributes to the development of an integrative model of modern epistemology that encompasses the cultural, embodied and social dimensions of human cognition. The results of the study emphasize the importance of the cultural-historical approach as a productive methodological basis for the analysis of knowledge in the context of cultural diversity and the growing role of symbolic structures in society.