Sciences, language and social interaction

The traditional perception of terminology as a tool for scientists used mainly in standardisation and for the regulation of the term-concept relationship is currently undergoing a critical re-appraisal with the intention of transcending purely pragmatic considerations at the moment of formulating the foundations for a new theory of terms. The present paper concentrates on three issues. First it critically examines the traditional concept of what constitutes a scientific discipline; secondly it re-assesses the idea of the objectivity of scientific knowledge from the standpoint of the concept of "Denkstil", and, finally, it discusses the difficult tension between popularisation of science and social interaction.