Chugunova I.O. Competition in the History of Science: Illustration of the Question about Teaching the Culture of Dialogue and Cooperation

Abstract: Constructive or cooperative nature of social communicaton is one of the basic values of a healthy society. The problem of teaching these values to the growing generations is one of the most important and nettlesome. However, actual relations are far from being ideal. As the history shows, competition, rivalry and conflicts are a social norm. Such grounds of social relations are of paradoxical nature and provide both destruction and, quite unexpectedly, success. However, almost always they are the reason for suffering and experiencing negative emotions such as vanity, greed, envy, and hatred. The present article is devoted to the analysis of the competitive side of academic interaction and can serve as a pedagogically important illustration to the topic of teaching the culture of dialogue and cooperation. Using the methods of historical and philosophical analysis, the author of the article describes bright historical cases and analyzes history, phenomenology and psychological mechanisms of conflicts arising between scientists in the process of their scientific search. The author concludes that competition has certain potential but only if it is of constructive nature and based on a good dialogue, intelligence, human dignity and commitment. 

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