Bonifaty Kedrov’s Materialistic Classification of Science: Opportunities and Boundaries for Modern Social Sciences

The article presents a general reconstruction and analysis of the fundamental project of Bonifaty Mikhailovich Kedrov, a Soviet chemist, logician, and philosopher of science. The basic principles of the systematization of scientific disciplines within the reconstructed hierarchy are outlined. The interpretation of scientific knowledge by B.M. Kedrov is characterized, particularly in terms of the relationship between natural and humanitarian sciences in a scientific-informational context. A philosophical analysis of the materialistic approach underpinning the discussed project is proposed. The applicability of the materialistic system of sciences to modern scientific bibliographic activities is assessed, including improvements to existing classification systems in social and humanities. Two approaches to developing the hierarchy are identified: from the perspective of the natural essence of scientific knowledge itself and from a socio-epistemological viewpoint regarding the development and applied organization of science. Special attention is given to the philosophy of humanities and social sciences as presented by B.M. Kedrov, particularly in relation to questions about the structure of socio-historical sciences and their place within the overall classification system, as seen through the lens of Marxist theory. The prospects and limitations of applying Kedrov’s classification to the post-classical framework of modern social sciences are evaluated.