Ideas and Ideals

In the international academic community, U.S. economic statistics enjoy a reputation for exceptional reliability, with the United States consistently placed among the highest-ranked countries for accuracy in measuring GDP dynamics. To evaluate the foundation of this confi dence, the authors draw on their experience conducting alternative GDP estimates for the USSR, Russia, India, and China. This study examines the precision of U.S. economic statistics over the period 1970–1987 in three sectors – industry, construction, and agriculture. GDP volumes at current prices were defl ated using the manufacturing output price index for the processing industries and the fuel-price index for the extractive industries. The resulting alternative estimates of industrial GDP were compared with the offi cial fi gures published by U.S. statistical agencies. The offi cial GDP index in construction was checked based on the dynamics of housing commissioning and the share of housing construction in the total construction volume. In general, the analysis of statistics on the dynamics of US economic GDP confi rmed a high assessment of its reliability for the period 1970–1987, with the exception of price statistics.

Doubts about the reliability of American statistics for 1970–1987 arise when comparing favorable offi cial indicators of GDP dynamics with a large increase in the US national debt and a small (3-4%) share of construction in GDP for the period from 1990 to 2010. To assess the real dynamics of US GDP, natural indicators of production were adopted. They allow us to move on to calculating the dynamics of production in sectors of the economy that raise doubts about their reliability: manufacturing and construction. The greatest diffi culties arose with assessing the dynamics of the service sector. The authors assumed that labor productivity in it remained unchanged.

The calculations of the dynamics of production and labor productivity for 1990-2010 by sectors of the real economy showed an unprecedented drop in labor productivity in American economic history, which indicates deep troubles in the American economy during this period. The calculation of an alternative estimate of GDP dynamics revealed minimal growth indices: by 8% in the 1990s and by 4% in the 2000s, instead of the offi cial growth of 38% in the 1990s and 18% in the 2000s. Both estimates reveal a signifi cant slowdown in economic development in the 2000s. Possible reasons for this are considered. A conclusion is made about the most serious defects of American economic statistics in the period from 1990 to 2010.

Return on assets is an integral indicator that characterizes the effi ciency of using an organization’s property, which determines the need to identify reserves for its improvement, and this, among other things, is possible in the process of applying factor analysis. However, traditional models of return on assets do not refl ect the specifi cs of organizations’ activities, which determines the conduct of factor modeling and the development of new factor models. The purpose of this work is to develop tools for factor analysis of the profi tability of an organization’s assets and to develop a new model of profi tability of assets that takes into account the specifi cs of the activities of power generating organizations. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to achieve this goal. Qualitative methods included analogy and comparative analysis, which made it possible to identify the specifi cs of the activities of power generating organizations. Quantitative methods covered the methods of economic analysis: horizontal, vertical, factorial, coeffi cient. The use of modeling made it possible to form a new fi vefactor asset profi tability model. The use of tabular and graphical methods made it possible to visualize the results of the study. Among the identifi ed specifi c factors for electric generating companies, it is worth noting the specifi c operating costs, capacity potential and capacity utilization factor. The results obtained can be used by power generating organizations in the process of managing the effi ciency of their assets.

This article evaluates the limitations of an exclusively rational approach to comprehending reality, emphasizing that true understanding often extends far beyond logic and rests on irrational, absurd, random, and unpredictable elements. From the standpoint of the rational–irrational dichotomy, the paper offers a brief overview of key cultural-historical periods and the contemporary situation. Based on essential cultural-historical modes of human activity and psychological consulting practice, the author proposes a concept of fi ve levels of consciousness (egocentric, gentile, social, cosmic, theurgical) and fi ve levels of the unconscious (animalistic, ancestral, collective, personalistic, higher), along with their corresponding developmental tasks (adaptive, reproductive, functional, existential, awakening). This framework is intended to illustrate the subtle interplay between the rational and the irrational. The concept can be used to diagnose and differentiate dynamic interrelations between these polarities, serving as a guiding vector for formulating strategies and tactics of development or problem-solving at individual, social, and global levels. The dialectic of the rational and the irrational is exemplifi ed through a comparison of Eastern and Western cultures. The author puts forward the hypothesis of an anthropo-socio-historical principle of complementary opposites, through which the Western tendency to incorporate irrational aspects of Eastern cultures and the Eastern tendency to adopt elements of Western culture are analyzed. The article concludes that a shift from one polarity to another – whether within the psyche of an individual, a society, or an entire civilization – leads to a dead end. Instead, the author proposes a strategy of integrating opposites as a way out of the developmental impasse. The paper highlights that historically, only a few individuals have embodied examples of true wholeness, and argues that achieving such wholeness has now become a necessary imperative from an anthropo-socio-historical perspective in order to overcome the global crisis. The solution lies in a synthetic position that unites the experiences of both poles. With regard to the inner world of the individual, this implies the development of all available capacities – rational and irrational – philosophical, scientifi c, artistic, and religious worldviews and perceptions.

The article examines the contribution to the formation of modern philosophy in India of the Bengali thinker Aurobindo Ghosh (1872–1950), whom representatives of the current generation of Indian philosophers evaluate in different ways: not only as the country’s fi rst modern philosopher, but also as an “apostle of nationalism” and an extremist, and Western ones say about him as a mystic. All these assessments have their reasons. The author of the article traced these foundations in the facts of Aurobindo’s biography, and in the statements of Aurobindo himself in his two books “The Ideal of Human Unity” and “The Human Cycle”, as well as in his unpublished article “The New Nationalism” and notes to his biographies. All of it are included in his Collected works in 36-volumes, the last volumes of which are being prepared for publication now. The materials studied make it possible to reconstruct the portrait of the thinker who, having started with a passion for Western ideas and values, returned to the spiritual values of Indian culture on a new theoretical level. Based on his own synthesis of the achievements of Western and Indian thought, he redefi ned the meaning of human life in a global perspective. The arguments for this meaning became the consideration of world history, in which different forms of communities were formed: family, tribe, class, city-state, nation, empire, etc. The meaning seen by Aurobindo excludes extremism as a form of violence; it presupposes trust in the Divine Absolute, which, according to Ghosh, is worshipped in all regions of the world. The Absolute, called Nature in the books reviewed, has its own plan for humanity as a whole. This plan is beyond rational understanding, but it must be boon to humanity. Aurobindo’s contribution to the transition of Indian philosophy to the modern philosophical discourse (the introduction of new concepts: evolution, reason, nation, nationalism, etc., and new methodological tools – in particular, historico-comparative and hypothetico-inductive methods, open truth) confi rm his high status as the fi rst modern philosopher of India.The article examines the contribution to the formation of modern philosophy in India of the Bengali thinker Aurobindo Ghosh (1872–1950), whom representatives of the current generation of Indian philosophers evaluate in different ways: not only as the country’s fi rst modern philosopher, but also as an “apostle of nationalism” and an extremist, and Western ones say about him as a mystic. All these assessments have their reasons. The author of the article traced these foundations in the facts of Aurobindo’s biography, and in the statements of Aurobindo himself in his two books “The Ideal of Human Unity” and “The Human Cycle”, as well as in his unpublished article “The New Nationalism” and notes to his biographies. All of it are included in his Collected works in 36-volumes, the last volumes of which are being prepared for publication now. The materials studied make it possible to reconstruct the portrait of the thinker who, having started with a passion for Western ideas and values, returned to the spiritual values of Indian culture on a new theoretical level. Based on his own synthesis of the achievements of Western and Indian thought, he redefi ned the meaning of human life in a global perspective. The arguments for this meaning became the consideration of world history, in which different forms of communities were formed: family, tribe, class, city-state, nation, empire, etc. The meaning seen by Aurobindo excludes extremism as a form of violence; it presupposes trust in the Divine Absolute, which, according to Ghosh, is worshipped in all regions of the world. The Absolute, called Nature in the books reviewed, has its own plan for humanity as a whole. This plan is beyond rational understanding, but it must be boon to humanity. Aurobindo’s contribution to the transition of Indian philosophy to the modern philosophical discourse (the introduction of new concepts: evolution, reason, nation, nationalism, etc., and new methodological tools – in particular, historico-comparative and hypothetico-inductive methods, open truth) confi rm his high status as the fi rst modern philosopher of India.

The phenomenon of resemblance between the meaning and content of the intellectual search by Modern Eastern thinkers and Pyotr Tchaadaev’s social-philosophical thought is considered in the article. Based on a juxtaposition of his works and Modern Indian thinkers, the author substantiates the methodological value of Tchaadaev’s heritage for Oriental studies. The thinking paradigm had been created in Lettres Philosophique and other texts by Tchaadaev; it was founded in different cultural areas of the East in the beginning of Modernization and the meeting of traditional societies with the West and, therefore, it could serve as the model of juxtaposition. Tchaadaev’s Paradigm originates from the thinking features in the space of society that involves interaction with the West: religiosity, correlation and understanding of the Other in dialogue, a critical attitude towards society’s condition. The fi rst principle to indicate the paradigm is the strict adherence to principles of truth in verifying all ideas and judgments. The base of Tchaadaev’s philosophical approach is the principle of universality (catholicity) of the spiritual and social world; and because of this, the national (the Own – country, tradition, people, culture) is considered as one special part of a universal whole – humanity, and the question of foundational differences between distinct societies is raised. The foundational questions include the spiritual and cultural traditions of peoples in their development in history that help explain the present condition and features of the Own and to predict its future. The method of posing the problem is a correlation of the Own with the Other, ‘our’ with the ‘universal’, in an East – West context. ‘Tchaadaev’s questions’ are asked and certain themes are raised to discover the critical cognition of the Own in the process of correlation. There are two levels of philosophizing in the paradigm. The fi rst is religious, to ground the religious-philosophical foundation of thinking based on native tradition. The second level is social philosophizing based on understanding and interpretation of the Own, such as tradition, history, people, and their development in time and modern condition. The image of the Own is created in self-cognition with clearly outlined advantages and disadvantages, values and ideas, a role and a place in world history, and the perspectives of the future are defi ned.

This article examines the infl uence of the Russian school of painting on the development of Chinese visual art, as well as the characteristics of creating the image of the country in the works of Russian and Chinese artists and how they are perceived by audiences, participants in art exhibitions, auctions, and biennials held in Russia and China in recent years. In modern academia, there are numerous scientifi c studies focusing on the issue of intercultural dialogue, as well as artistic creation. This research, which focuses on the problem of perceiving the image of a country through works of art, is based on the study of the lives, traditions, and values of people from another country. It also explores how Chinese artists refl ect the ideals and values of a different, sometimes radically different culture in their works, whether they are immersed in the historical and contemporary art atmosphere of another country during their studies at Russian universities or in China under Russian instructors. Based on the analysis of the works of A.A. Mylnikov and K.M. Maksimov, who taught Chinese students and their followers in the second half of the 20th century, the infl uence of the Russian classical school of realism on the formation and development of Chinese visual art as a whole is traced. Using the examples of two major exhibition projects, it is shown that the previously popular historical and narrative painting remains relevant today, alongside landscapes depicting natural and urban spaces. Based on the analysis of the creative works of Chinese painters such as Qian Shanxi, Wang Tianyou, He Yao, and Hu Deri Chaolü, who belong to different generations of the Chinese art world, the infl uence of the Russian realistic school of painting on the works of contemporary Chinese artists is traced. Most of these artists are attracted to the tradition of mood landscapes and philosophical landscapes, and they choose original creative techniques to bring them to life. This research provides an opportunity to observe the characteristics of the development and mutual infl uence of the visual arts of the two countries in promoting and strengthening the intercultural dialogue between Russia and China.

The article considers the Russian estate of the XVIII–XIX centuries as a unique cultural phenomenon embodying the idea of the Garden of Eden – a sacred space symbolizing the harmony of man and nature. The research is aimed at identifying religious, philosophical and aesthetic aspects of manor gardens, as well as analyzing the synthesis of Western European Catholic and Russian Orthodox traditions in their organization. The methodological basis of the work includes a comparative analysis of the symbols, compositional solutions and functions of garden and park ensembles of two cultural paradigms. Special attention is paid to the infl uence of the Orthodox and Catholic worldviews on the structure of gardens: if the Catholic tradition formed a strict, symbolic order of space, then Orthodox culture focused on the naturalness and sacredness of nature. Kuskovo Manor demonstrates a unique synthesis of French regular parks with the Orthodox concept of the garden as a spiritual space. The Catholic idea of the garden as a lost Eden is intertwined with the Orthodox idea of a created world embodying the divine principle. This interaction contributed to the formation of a special artistic language of the Russian estate, which combined Western European principles of gardening art and national tradition. The results of the study confi rm that the Russian estate of the XVIII–XIX centuries is not only an aesthetic, but also a philosophical space refl ecting cultural dialogue and mechanisms of integration of various worldviews. The revealed symbolic role of the estate as a guardian of the image of the Garden of Eden allows us to take a fresh look at the issues of identity and preservation of national heritage. The fi ndings can be used in the restoration of historical estates and in the formation of a state strategy for the protection of cultural monuments. The study demonstrates the importance of the Russian manor as a space of spiritual search and cultural synthesis, which allows preserving national heritage and rethinking issues of identity and cultural memory.

The article considers the Russian estate of the XVIII–XIX centuries as a unique cultural phenomenon embodying the idea of the Garden of Eden – a sacred space symbolizing the harmony of man and nature. The research is aimed at identifying religious, philosophical and aesthetic aspects of manor gardens, as well as analyzing the synthesis of Western European Catholic and Russian Orthodox traditions in their organization. The methodological basis of the work includes a comparative analysis of the symbols, compositional solutions and functions of garden and park ensembles of two cultural paradigms. Special attention is paid to the infl uence of the Orthodox and Catholic worldviews on the structure of gardens: if the Catholic tradition formed a strict, symbolic order of space, then Orthodox culture focused on the naturalness and sacredness of nature. Kuskovo Manor demonstrates a unique synthesis of French regular parks with the Orthodox concept of the garden as a spiritual space. The Catholic idea of the garden as a lost Eden is intertwined with the Orthodox idea of a created world embodying the divine principle. This interaction contributed to the formation of a special artistic language of the Russian estate, which combined Western European principles of gardening art and national tradition. The results of the study confi rm that the Russian estate of the XVIII–XIX centuries is not only an aesthetic, but also a philosophical space refl ecting cultural dialogue and mechanisms of integration of various worldviews. The revealed symbolic role of the estate as a guardian of the image of the Garden of Eden allows us to take a fresh look at the issues of identity and preservation of national heritage. The fi ndings can be used in the restoration of historical estates and in the formation of a state strategy for the protection of cultural monuments. The study demonstrates the importance of the Russian manor as a space of spiritual search and cultural synthesis, which allows preserving national heritage and rethinking issues of identity and cultural memory.

The article reveals the creative activity of the only state Jewish theater group that existed in the 1980s in the RSFSR, the Chamber Jewish Musical Theater (CJMT) in Birobidzhan. The author briefl y dwells on the peculiarities of the appearance and creativity of this troupe, which has its own unique style, which allowed it to earn success not only in the USSR, but also abroad. The object of the research was the performances of the Chamber Jewish Musical Theater dedicated to the tragic events of the Great Patriotic War, the genocide of the Jewish people carried out by the fascist invaders. The author emphasizes that attempts to address this topic were made by the fi rst Jewish collective of the Jewish Autonomous Region (JAR), the Birobidzhan State Jewish Theater named after L. Kaganovich during the Great Patriotic War, for propaganda purposes, as for the performances of the new Jewish theater, which appeared in the RSFSR in 1976, they were noticeably different from the productions undertaken by the fi rst Jewish collective of the JAR.

It should be noted that the article for the fi rst time reveals the content of individual plays based on performances – “Tango of Life”, “Higher than Life, Higher than Death”, staged on the stage of the Jewish theater in Birobidzhan during the jubilee years of Victory Day celebrations. At the same time, the theme of the performances analyzed by the author of the article was not devoted to the heroic struggle, not to the exploits of people committed on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, but to the tragic fate of the Jewish people who were subjected to total genocide, ordinary people who found themselves in the territories occupied by the Nazis. As the author notes, this topic was raised for the fi rst time and with good reason. The scientifi c novelty of the research lies in the fact that the article for the fi rst time indicates the names and surnames of actors who played on the stage of the Jewish theater. Using a comprehensive method that combined a source-based analysis of articles from periodicals, archival documents and memoirs, it was possible to state that the performances discussed in the article played an important role in the creative activity of the young cast, revealed its capabilities as a drama troupe. In conclusion, the author states the relevance of this topic in modern conditions, due to the observed growth of nationalism in some countries of the world.

At fi rst glance, it may seem that the large-scale trend, once already designated by the author as a “cinematic discourse on the Soviet” [8, р. 430], has been being implemented unchanged within the contours of the domestic screen discourse for several decades now. Indeed, the number of retrotopic projects offered to the viewer annually since about the beginning of the “noughties” is astounding and diffi cult to account for. However, the author comes to the conclusion that the designated trend is far from homogeneity, and describes a signifi cant transformation of the canon of screen depiction of the Soviet – both as a collective past and socio-cultural prototext. The starting point for the analysis of the changes that have occurred is the consideration of two products of the fi lm industry – the television series “The Star of the Epoch” (2005) and the feature fi lm “Love of the Soviet Union” (2024), both of which are implemented in the same plot-factual coordinate system and go back to the circumstances of the creative path and personal life of the Soviet actress Valentina Serova. The study established that the eight-part fi lm by Yu. Kara, released in 2005, fi rstly, reproduces the Soviet in accordance with the principle of “minimal baggage” (the term was coined by L. Bugaeva); secondly, it attempts to critically refl ect on the Soviet (at least through voice-over comments), and thirdly, it has a pronounced dramatic nature, emphasizing the melodramatic aspects of the narrative. “Love of the Soviet Union”, on the contrary, portrays the protagonists as almost nothing more than glamorous extras, considering both personal and historical events as a pretext for the development and stylization of the Soviet as an extremely cinematic ecosystem. The creators of the 2024 fi lm, however, are not alone in their conceptual vision and, in fact, “sing” the Soviet in a mainstream tonality – as an unprecedentedly rich pool of tropes and a corpus of pictorial and expressive means, as a style and genre; a kind of Sovietcore. The author believes that such a reduction of the Soviet to decorum not only forms the leading strategems of the on-screen depiction of the Soviet, but, in general, it proves to be the prevalent pattern of its reception by the modern public consciousness. It is noteworthy that such a playful theatricalization of the Soviet turns out to be not only consonant with the “visual modes of being” of the digital era and commercially profi table due to its spectacularity, but acts as an actor, capable of signifi cantly transforming the perception of the Soviet by everyday consciousness; after all, the ideological component is completely extracted from popular narratives.

The purpose of the article is to reveal some cultural aspects of the process, which is currently taking place in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) – reproduction of the indigenous breed of Yakut cattle. Phenomenon of Yakut cattle, “Sakha Ynaga”, is considered as a nuclear element in local indigenous Sakha culture and thus, obtaining signifi cant role in the culture of northern cattle breeders.

During long-term socio-cultural changes in the Sakha people ethnos, this breed of cattle has been objectively excluded from its original environment and habitat, which almost led to its total extinguishing. Nowadays the situation changed: the unique domesticated cattle breed is undergoing some conservation work. Yes, the problem of its revitalization is still very acute. In addition to general scientifi c methods of analysis, the research work uses the following methods: cultural studies; the use of special scientifi c apparatus and terminology; cultural and interdisciplinary research; systematic approaches in studying history and origin of the subject under study; cultural theories of cultural and ethnogenesis; structural and functional approach; methods of extrapolation, analogy, generalization. The results of the study can be useful for undertaking a comprehensive integrated approach to solving the mentioned socio-cultural problem. Aside material issues, the study touches upon aspects of ethno cultural genealogical self-identifi cation and self-development of the Sakha small-numbered ethnical community people.    The study raises the issues of linguistic, cultural, spiritual, religious conditions of well-being of the ethnos in the modern globalized world, which challenges further self-existence. Perspectives of this research are seen in attracting attention of wider audience and scientifi c resources of the republic and country to the studied problem. In-depth study of the problem highlights the issues of conservation and development of the alas (taiga permafrost meadows) culture, being the core subsistence element. Ethno-cultural, ethno-genetical self-identifi cation and self-development of ethnos representatives as local, but unique and the whole existence within global human community also directly depend on the local “breeding” culture.

The authors substantiate the role of media as the most important instrument of state information policy for preserving the historical memory of Russians. Based on the analysis of conceptual, doctrinal and strategic documents, the paper shows the growing hostility of the United States and Western European countries towards Russian foreign policy, culture, and domestic spiritual and moral values. Based on an analysis of media content and methods of participant and non-participant observation, the authors assess the role of modern domestic media in countering the attempts of unfriendly states to distort world history and belittle the role and signifi cance of Russia in its most important events. Signifi cant emphasis is placed on the need to counter Western historical policies of falsifying the history of the Second World War and belittling the role of Russia in the liberation of the peoples of Europe and the Soviet Union from the Nazi invaders. The authors’ recommendations and proposals are given to increase the role and effectiveness of the media in the formation and preservation of historical memory among younger generations of Russians.

This round table is dedicated to the issues discussed by the participants in the collective monograph “The Wheel of Time: a new axial Turn.” We are talking about the situation of social uncertainty that has developed as a result of a number of processes: globalization with its mixture of values, demographic processes, the aggressive offensive of artifi cial intelligence, and the emergence of new technologies. This situation changes a person’s place in the world and changes his consciousness. In particular, there is a process of gradual loss of subjectivity, when new ways of communication penetrate the intellectual sphere. Artifi cial intelligence is beginning to actively replace natural intelligence. And what is a digital person with whom we are starting to communicate more and more? How does this affect our consciousness and our understanding of the soul and consciousness? This is especially evident in the education system. And, of course, it is necessary to fi nd means to foster critical thinking and not switch to imitating intellectual activity. But at the same time, we see how the use of gadgets changes thinking, making it completely dependent on a variety of information that is completely uncritically perceived. If education is a cultural translator, and not just a preparation for future well-paid activities, then its goal should be, fi rst of all, the formation of a personality, and only then a specialist. In the management of society, the obvious insuffi ciency of the technocratic way of thinking is revealed. Along with the processes of individualization, there is a process of disintegration of society into separate groups, and gaps are growing between these groups. The gaps between generations are also growing, and this is happening at the value level. As one of the approaches to overcoming this situation, it is proposed to turn to the philosophy of Russian cosmism. And there is still hope for the preservation of traditional values among young people. The problem of specialization is discussed separately, when the opportunity to discuss some common topics is lost. And also the problem of possible editing of the species diversity of mankind.