PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF THE HISTORICAL METHOD IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES
Problem Statement and Purpose. Contemporary transformations of scientific knowledge, driven by globalization, digitalization, and interdisciplinary integration, have intensified the need to reconsider the role of the historical method in the natural sciences. Traditionally, historical analysis was associated primarily with the humanities, while natural sciences relied on experimental and quantitative approaches, often treating nature as an ahistorical system governed by universal laws. However, increasing recognition of the dynamic and historically conditioned character of natural systems challenges this dichotomy. The purpose of the article is to provide a comprehensive philosophical and methodological analysis of the historical method as a fundamental component of contemporary natural science methodology and to substantiate its role as a universal instrument for explaining, integrating, and forecasting natural processes. Data and Methods. The research is based on an interdisciplinary methodological framework that combines the principles of historicism, systemicity, complementarity, and scientific reflexivity. The study employs historical-genetic and comparative approaches to analyze the evolution of methodological ideas concerning the historical method. Philosophical analysis and hermeneutic interpretation are used to examine key concepts of the philosophy of science and their transformation in different intellectual contexts. The empirical basis includes works of Ukrainian and foreign scholars in the fields of philosophy of science, history of science, geography, ecology, and Earth sciences, as well as historical sources, scientific publications, and materials from interdisciplinary research. Special attention is paid to the integration of historical analysis with quantitative, spatial-temporal, and digital research methods. Results. The study demonstrates that the historical method in the natural sciences should not be reduced to a descriptive reconstruction of past states of nature. Instead, it performs explanatory, integrative, and prognostic functions by revealing the genesis of natural processes and identifying causal relationships between different stages of their development. It is argued that the historical method operates at multiple levels of scientific cognition, combining philosophical reflection, general scientific procedures, and discipline-specific practices. The analysis highlights the methodological potential of interdisciplinary fields such as historical geography, historical ecology, and historical landscape studies, where the historical approach serves as a system-forming principle. The article also emphasizes the contribution of the Ukrainian intellectual tradition to the development of historical-scientific methodology and the necessity of overcoming purely descriptive models of analysis. It is concluded that historicism functions as a fundamental methodological principle that ensures a holistic understanding of nature, integrates spatial and temporal dimensions of research, and provides a basis for scientifically grounded forecasts of environmental change.