Ideas and Ideals

Ordering the world of things and phenomena is one of the tasks of symbolic activity as an important anthropological characteristic of man. An individual builds and uses a system of reference points in the socio-cultural space of traditional and modernist societies with the help of objectifi cation and de-objectifi cation of symbols. A monument as one of the forms of symbolic culture historically plays the role of such a reference point: it perpetuates generally signifi cant meanings that have the highest value, provides an axiological connection between generations, sets existential coordinates on the path of life. However, at the modern (post-historical) stage, traditional and modernist meanings and values  are losing their signifi cance as universal pointers. Nevertheless, the need for orientation not only does not disappear, but turns out to be extremely relevant in the conditions of uncertainty of a complex world. Today, a number of artists create their works in new territories of a complex world, inhabited through art. The author examines this trend using examples from works by Anish Kapoor (ArcelorMittal Orbit, Cloud Gate and the sculpture at 56 Leonard Street in New York City) and Antony Gormley’s project (One & Other). These artistic experiments offer an unconventional experience for the viewer, revealing the possibility of harnessing the creative potential of uncertainty. The works discussed in the article act as accumulators of ambiguity. Installed in public spaces, they not only accumulate uncertainty but also transmit it back into the human world, repeatedly concentrated through artistic means. The author demonstrates that among the goals of contemporary monumental art, one of the main objectives is reconciling people with an unstable reality through pre-adaptation. In modern psychology, pre-adaptation is viewed as a preventative measure that allows people to adjust to constant, unpredictable change. Pre-adaptation, carried out with the help of monumental art, is based on the principles of developing a creative attitude to the world.

This article proposes an ontological revision of the foundations of art historical analysis, which has traditionally relied on the hermeneutics of style expressed through a system of binary oppositions (from Wölffl in to Baxandall). In contrast to this relational model, which defi nes an artistic phenomenon through its difference from another style, the theory of apophatic stylistics is put forward. Borrowing its fundamental gesture from negative theology, the theory postulates that an artistic principle or pattern asserts itself not dialectically, but through a radical negation of all that it is not–of the entire mute materiality of the world of “things themselves.” The article provides numerous examples from various arts, from classical to the most recent, substantiating the necessity of apophatic stylistics as a sub-discipline of art history and, simultaneously, an essential practical component of the philosophy of art, crucial for the accuracy of intermedial generalizations.

The article argues that this approach has direct ontological implications, resonating with Graham Harman’s project of Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO). Within OOO, a work of art is understood not as a representation or a product of artistic will, but as an autonomous object possessing a “withdrawn reality.” The task of the artist, therefore, shifts from mimesis to the act of revealing this objecthood, which transforms the formula summarizing the spirit of Duchamp’s enterprise: “the whole world readymades itself.” Through a reinterpretation of Rosalind Krauss’s concept of the index and the category of “zadannost” (“givenness,” in the Neo-Kantian and Bakhtinian tradition), the article demonstrates how apophatic stylistics shifts the focus from anthropocentric categories of intention and cultural context (“point of assemblage”) to an encounter with the otherness of the artistic object itself in its self-suffi cient being (“point of vivifi cation”).

The article substantiates the apparatus of apophatic stylistics, provides a detailed innovative terminology for this discipline, and justifi es its analytical procedures. This enhances the practical signifi cance of the article, making it not only a contribution to the philosophy of art but also an instructive foundation for analyzing any work of art using the author’s proposed method.

This article is a critical attempt to understand the phenomenon of Derzhavin’s infl uence   on the ideologies of the median culture in Russia. The research methodology is based on the concept of A.S. Ahiezer. He proposed a “mediational methodology for the socio–cultural analysis of Russian society”, in which there are categorial concepts: ‘inversion’, ‘mediation’, ‘median culture’, ‘inversion trap’, etc.  The main issue for Derzhavin was the question of self–determination of the individual in the context of serving the state system. In these conditions, individuals will have to leave the fi eld of ‘inversion’ traditional thinking through ‘mediation’, the search for mediation. Derzhavin, engaged in serving the autocratic state, sought to avoid the extremes of the binary approach.

 The author tried to analyze the phenomenon of Derzhavin’s poetic and prose vocabulary in order to discover elements of the median culture in the writer’s texts. It is important for the author to show Derzhavin’s poetic space fi lled with binary oppositions that are intricately related to each other.  This space, in turn, is connected to the socio–cultural space of Russian Classicism in general. The author presents his methodology for studying the Russian Enlightenment of the XVIII^th century.

Derzhavin’s work is presented as a focus on developing a new type of relationship with the government. The poetic discourse is a response to a system of historical challenges, the main one being the challenge of binary consciousness. The deployment of mediation practices in some cases determines the specifi c structure of his literary work. The author shows how all of this relates to the poetics of Russian classicism and the state ideology of autocracy. The new forms of social organization in the 18^th century involved the struggle for personal liberation including from state violence. Speaking about the relationship between the individual and the state, Derzhavin enters into internal polemic with the revolutionaries on the one hand and the court conformists on the other.  

The article presents a critical analysis of the logical and pragmatic foundations of the “science of memory” as an independent subject area of socio-humanitarian
research. Articulation of the mechanisms and ways of functioning of group (collective) memory helps the authors to reveal the consistent logic of the formation and development of the memoriological paradigm. The methodological
principles and tools used in the work are designed to smooth out the contradictions of internalist and externalist strategies of scientifi c analysis, demonstrating the complementarity of internal and external factors in the genesis of memoriological
knowledge. At the formative stage, social memoriology developed in a specifi c polemic with historiology in terms of challenging the exclusivity of historiographical
methods and techniques for studying the past. The modern stage of the relationship between offi cial historiography and memoriology is characterized by the smoothing out of differences in understanding the nature and essence
of historiographical activity, and the convergence of their methodological principles and rules. In the pursuit of increasing inclusivity and plurality in the representation of the past, there is a noticeable local tendency towards the resacralization, remythologization and partially profanization of historical experience. The article attempts to problematize the epistemological status of modern memorial research in the logic of the Nietzschean strategy of ‘forgetting’ as an
opportunity and ability of society to balance and poise group ‘mnemonic experience’ and the experience of organized collective amnesia. The recognition of the redundancy and toxicity of a part of historical experience, the social provocativeness of certain fragments of world and national
history gives grounds to assert that oblivion can prevail over memories at a time when ‘memory events’ are explicitly or implicitly capable of deepening existing forms of intolerance and xenophobia, as well as becoming a dangerous manipulation tool on the part of the main benefi ciaries of confl ict and destructiveness in society. In the current mental context, according to the authors, it is not the
maxim of the existence and functioning of group (collective) forms of memory that is being problematized, but their modern institutionalized and codifi ed explications
and embodiments in mnemonic practices of subjects of media police and media culture.

The idea that there is a special aspect of cognition existing in art practices was introduced in antiquity. Nevertheless, the terminological form of ‘artistic cognition’ is found only in the Russian philosophical tradition. At the same time there is no clear historical and philosophical comprehension of the specifi city of this concept and the reasons why it turns out to be relevant precisely as compared with scientifi c knowledge. The author of the article believes that the concept of artistic cognition was born and developed in the fi rst years of
Soviet power against the background of the convergence of art and science, especially in the context of futurism and socialist realism. This term can be traced to the work of the ‘cardinal’ of the Russian avant-garde N.N. Punin named “Art and the Proletariat”. It has two epistemological aspects. On the one hand, the new concept satisfi ed the existing ideas about the ‘objective reality’ as concrete for art cognition. On the other hand, largely due to the use of literary examples in the works of K. Marx, F. Engels and V. Lenin, artistic cognition was considered as a way of analyzing the historical and sociological aspects of the class struggle which is comparable to the scientifi c one. Although N.N. Punin’s work caused a resonance in the periodicals of the fi rst decade of
Soviet power, it was forgotten later on. A few decades later it was rediscovered in a purely philosophical environment in the critical representation of P.V. Kopnin, who proposed an epistemological version of the connectivity between
scientifi c and artistic cognition. The philosopher believed that scientifi c and artistic cognition are in fact just two sides of a united cognitive process. At the same time, he denied the signifi cance of the image in artistic cognition
which distinguishes his position from both subsequent and modern philosophizing on the topic. In the consideration of P.V. Kopnin, the specifics of artistic cognition turned out to be insuffi ciently defi ned and became the subject of research of the subsequent tradition.

The object of research of this paper is the subject fi eld of philosophy of education in its domestic historical and cultural empirical data. The subject of analysis is such a component of the philosophy of education as Russian pedagogical anthropology, which originated from the pedagogical research of K.D. Ushinsky; developed in the philosophical, theological and pedagogical works of L.N. Tolstoy and became an integral part of the cultural and creative activity
of the ‘senior’ symbolists of the Silver Age (Merezhkovsky, Gippius, Filosofov, etc.). Philosophy of education as a cultural phenomenon is considered from the position of identifying the fundamental issues of the educational process and
determining the signifi cance of educational activity in the formation of a person as an individual. In Ushinsky’s pedagogical anthropology, for example, the process of
upbringing is conditionally divided into natural (associated with family upbringing with its spiritual and moral guidelines) and artifi cial, schematised and quite aggressive
in relation to the traditional socio-cultural tradition. In Tolstoy’s work with his adherence to the philosophy of non-violence and free upbringing – the upbringing of children should be based on the beginnings of metaphysical or religious. Only
Christian values instilled through education, Tolstoy believed, are able to reveal in man his spiritual essence. This is one of the most important issues of the pedagogical
anthropology of the founder of the Silver Age culture. The methodological foundations of this study are based on the application of the principle of historicism,
the method of cultural-comparative analysis and the cognitive possibilities of philosophical refl ection. The results of the research are confirmed by the theoretical and practical relevance of the chosen topic, empirical material from the history of pedagogical practice and its comprehension in Russian philosophy of the turn of the XIX–XX centuries. The article formulates conclusions about the methodological
signifi cance of Russian pedagogical anthropology for the development of philosophy of education in Russia.

The development of digital technologies and the transformation of media spaces are reshaping not only the tools of artistic production, but also the very
paradigm of image perception. The aesthetics of fragmentation, the rejection of stereotypical smoothness and harmony – all of this creates a unique visual environment
for experimentation and the rethinking of artistic norms.
This scientifi c article analyzes three digital styles that fall under the term «ugly»-anti-design, meme art, and digital brutalism – united by a common visual aesthetic, the unconventional use of “marginal” imagery and surprising popularity. The classifi cation of contemporary visual styles is based on tools, creation techniques, contextual usage, as well as presentation and design features. The phenomenon of new ugly, expressed in these styles, is a sought-after trend
in modern culture, which tends to disorganization and the disruption of established rules. Aesthetic expression and symbolic meaning take precedence over functionality and practicality. These characteristics of «ugly styles» refl ect contemporary culture, serve as a means of communication and identity expression, and embody the challenges and changes of the modern world. The study includes a brief overview of the origins of these movements (where applicable) and their transformation under the infl uence of digital technologies, internet culture and social media. The cultural and social context of these phenomena is linked to the «new ugly» trend, which vividly demonstrates
how “ugly” styles become a language of visual protest, a form of ironic self-expression, or an approach of showcasing new ethics. The article examines and clusters visual practices that go beyond traditional notions of beauty and harmony,
as well as interprets the phenomenon within the broader context of contemporary culture.

The novel “The General and His Family” develops and summarizes the style of Timur Kibirov. It actively uses the quotation technique, so that the text gravitates toward centonicity. The genre subtitle “historical novel” emphasizes the traditionalist component of the writer’s artistic thinking. The breadth of coverage of Soviet reality prompts us to see in Kibirov’s novel a continuation of Pushkin’s text – “an encyclopedia of Russian life” at the Soviet stage. The author not only accuses, but also loves this past, which is an essential feature of the so-called artistic method of “critical sentimentalism” by Sergei Gandlevsky, implemented by
Kibirov following the members of the “Moscow Time” group. The image of the narrator in the novel is largely autobiographical, and at the same time he is the
bearer of the generalized voice and point of view of the post-Soviet intellectual with its characteristic socio-cultural features. The most important character in the novel is General Vasily Ivanovich Bochazhok. In it, the writer deconstructed the Soviet and especially post-Soviet stereotype of an offi cer as a narrow-minded soldier. General Kibirov is a knight without fear or reproach, devoted to his
military duty and his family. He does not swear, does not drink, does not cheat on his wife. In addition, he deeply and almost professionally loves classical music. In the character of General Bochazhok, Kibirov, by his own admission, tried
to continue Dostoevsky’s project in the novel “The Idiot”: to depict a positively wonderful person. General Bochazhok dreamed of a feat all his life and fi nally accomplished it: this is a completely Christian feat of love for his daughter, when
her father let her emigrate, thereby putting an end to his own military career. In his novel, Kibirov solves a diffi cult question: can there be an atheistic righteous man in an atheistic era? Having created the image of General Bochazhok, the writer answered this question in the affirmative. The novel “The General and His Family” was staged the following year after its publication at the Novosibirsk Academic Youth Theater “Globus.” Director Alexey Kriklivy paid close attention to the source material, creating an authentic production that faithfully embodies
the essence of the author’s idea by stage means. The performance is noteworthy in itself as an artistic event with deeply thought-out staging moves and talented acting by actors from the Novosibirsk. 

The aim of this study is to analyze the socially conditioned concept of ‘maiden beauty’, quality of all unmarried maidens in Russian folk tradition. The analysis of beauty is supplemented by consideration of such categories of folk culture as: fate, will, freedom, playing an important role in refl ection within maiden and wedding folklore. These categories of worldview have retained their archaic connotations, characteristic of the Indo-European and East Slavic archaic worldview in general, and at the same time are key to describing youth as a social group within the Russian agricultural community. Considering the general confusion of
terms, their layering on each other within folklore, in this article an additional category of ‘force’ was introduced. ‘Force’ is also a part of the language of folk culture
as a synonym for vital forces: age, skillfulness, glory, fate, holiness, both for a person and for the mythopoetic ‘forces’: spirits-masters of the land, folklore characters and folk Orthodoxy. But devoid of mythopoetic connotation, ‘force’
acts as ‘that which allows the possible to become real’. In its most general form, ‘force’ is inherent in everyone, not only people, but also events, deities, spirits, the dead, things, due to the anthropologization of the world around us within
the framework of the folklore picture of the world. Revealing the Slavic idea of ‘vampirism’ as a variation of the archaic concept of ‘closed space’ in which all who are endowed with ‘force’ act, a value confl ict is shown: the danger of acquiring
power for an individual, and those who are allowed to do so: monks, elders. Maiden beauty becomes a form of power, a conscious act of invading oneself as the Other, into the perception of the people around, but also as a purely maiden
ability, it is also a manifestation of one of the forms of feminine essence, which must be realized in the short time frame of youth and a form of acquiring this force permitted within the framework of Russian folk culture.

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.