The problem of conscience in philosophy and cognitive science

On the basis of the comparative analysis of the philosophic concepts of conscience (rationalistic, personalistic, existential, dialectic-materialistical, phenomenological and analytical) and concepts of conscience in cognitive science the paper highlights changes in ontology of cognition conditioned by the progress of the contemporary science in the research of "conscience - cognition - brain" problem. At that, conscience and cognition are characterized as an evolutional ability. This characteristic was given in light of evolutional epistemology. The research of the conscience in the evolutional approach allows explaining the conscience as a new dimension of the structural coherence of the system and environment. Language and self-conscience appeared as such a dimension at humans. Conscience and mind is not a sort of substance placed in brain, and not a function that can be attributed exclusively to the brain. Conscience and mind are formed in social interference; that is the source of their dynamics. The essence of the evolutional cognitivism is in the interpretation of brainpower in light of cognitive resources exceeding the individual experience. Human being is the centre wherethrough information flows go from physical world, biological materia, socium and culture. It is displayed that cognitive science on the basis of the system-evolutional approach to conscience analysis allows to overcome contradictions and reveal coherence in various philosophic interpretations of conscience, and thus, convey the discussion of conscience to the new level of conceptualization. In our opinion, cognitive science in the research of "conscience - cognition - brain" problem performs not the reduction of mental to physical, and does not reduce behavioral functions to cognitive processes. Cognitive science creates more complex model of conscience by the integration of natural sciences and humanities. It demonstrates the aspiration to understand the conscience and associated phenomena as language, cognition, freedom, moral not only by the research of culture and sociality, but by using natural science arguments.

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