Distinguish humanitarian and natural sciences. The first are engaged in human consciousness and the related phenomena, and natural sciences study the nature in all its manifestations. Nevertheless, many industries of scientific knowledge call natural this conditional division as the person is a part of the nature: it is physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and others.
Natural and humanities
In the history of science till the 19th century the natural and humanitarian directions were not allocated, and scientists till this time gave preference to natural sciences, that is studying the natural phenomena existing objectively. In XIX at the universities the division of sciences begins: the humanitarian disciplines which are responsible for study cultural, public, spiritual moral and other types of activity of the person, are distinguished to the certain area. And all the rest gets under a concept of natural sciences which name comes from the Latin word "essence".
History of natural sciences began about three thousand years ago, but separate disciplines then did not exist – philosophers were engaged in all areas of knowledge. Only by the time of development of navigation the division of sciences began: there was a geography and astronomy, these areas were necessary during the travel. In process of development of technology in independent sections the physics and chemistry were allocated.
The principle of philosophical naturalism is applied to studying natural sciences: it means that laws of the nature need to be investigated, without mixing them with laws of the person and excepting action of human will. The natural sciences have two main objectives: the first – to investigate and systematize data on the world, and the second – to use the gained knowledge in the practical purposes for conquest of the nature.
Types of natural sciences
There are basic natural sciences which exist as independent areas for a long time. It is physics, biology, chemistry, geography, astronomy, geology. But often spheres of their researches are crossed, forming on joints new sciences – biochemistry, geophysics, geochemistry, astrophysics and others. Physics – one of the major natural sciences, its modern development began with the classical theory of gravitation of Newton. Faraday, Maxwell and Om continued development of this science, and revolution in the field of physics when it became known that the Newtonian mechanics is limited and imperfect belongs to the 20th century. The chemistry began to develop on the basis of alchemy, its modern history begins since 1661 when there was a book by Boyle "Chemist skeptic". The biology appeared only in the 19th century when at last the difference between live and lifeless matter was established. The geography was formed at the time of search of new lands and development of navigation, and the geology was allocated to the certain area thanks to Leonardo da Vinci.