Lexical meaning of the word "space". Various interpretations of the term

The cosmos is always something distant and unexplored. Is it so? What exactly is the lexical meaning of the word "space"? How does this concept develop and develop at different times?

Lexical meaning of a word

Cosmos is a word that came to us from the Greek language, where it means "order, order, peace." In Russian it came with a certain transformation of meaning. The meaning of the word "space" in the dictionaries of Ozhegov and Dahl is referred to as "the world", "the universe", but it is interpreted more as a space outside the terrestrial atmosphere.

This term was coined in ancient Greece. He became part of culture and philosophy, meaning the harmony and orderliness of the world. Related to the universe, the divine beginning. However, even then people were interested in astronomy and studying celestial bodies, so many scientists identified space with the universe (in the modern sense).

For a long time, philosophical and scientific concepts were practically not differentiated. Cosmos was a single organism with soul and mind, and man - part of it. Together with this, scientists figured out the trajectories of planetary motion, discovered stars and galaxies. So it was in the Middle Ages. True, the two concepts are increasingly separated from each other.

In our time, the lexical meaning of the word "cosmos" more often represents a scientific meaning and means a territory outside the Earth and its atmosphere. In this sense, the term "outer space" is often used.

Cosmos: the meaning of the word in philosophy

The palm of primacy in determining the meaning of the word should be given to astronomical science. But the second meaning of this term is still preserved as a philosophical category. It is also the basic concept in metaphysics and is represented by an integral structure that has certain properties.

Philosophy considers the basic characteristics of the Cosmos as the appearance and excretion of components, a clear hierarchy of components, and dynamism. It is assumed that it has a logical, connected and regularity. This, in turn, leads to harmony and aesthetic perfection.

The cosmos is identified with the order, rationality, and therefore, is predictable. It can be foreseen and even modeled. In contrast to it, Chaos stands, which represents a destructive, uncontrollable force.

Space

The modern lexical meaning of the word "space" in the first place implies interstellar space, which does not include the territory of our planet. The term is also used in the phrases "near space" and "far space". The first is the space that a person is exploring, the second is referring to a more distant territory - stars and galaxies.

The division into near and far space appeared in the second half of the 20th century, when the USA and the Soviet Union actively explored outer space. Then great advances were made in the study of the moon, the first artificial satellites were created. Man first appeared in interstellar space, first landed on a natural satellite of the Earth.

Mythology and religion

Mythopoetic creativity also affects the concept of the cosmos. Here, along with the ancient philosophical ideas, it is associated with the universe. Myths that tell about the creation of the world are called cosmogonic.

Most of them report a single ocean from which all life is born. In some nations, for example Scandinavian, space is born from chaos. That is, from the universal disorder there is a world order and harmony.

However, creating a world order is not all. They need to somehow manage. Therefore, in many ancient representations, the cosmos is ruled by a deity. In Greek myths this role was fulfilled by Zeus. Now the mythological motifs have grown into a religion. But the essence remained - the world order and harmony is governed by a great divine principle.