Ideas and Ideals

The paper concerns the “observer” concept and the necessity of the observer presence in the technical reality consideration. The idea of observer brings the systematic foundation to both scientific view of the world and philosophical thinking. The observer of techno sphere becomes an active cognitive agent binding the diversity of natural and artificial machines and devices into a special kind of polycentric and evolving autopoietic unity.

In this article, firstly, the approach of the United Nations to development through such programs as "Millennium development goals" (2000) and "Sustainable development goals" (2015) is provided. The first place in literal sense is won by poverty problem. The problem of poverty is considered as an obstacle which slows down development of each certain person, each country and world in general. Secondly, the indicators of monitoring of process of the solution of the tasks providing goal achievement number one on the example of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union are analysed.

The article focuses on the modernism/postmodernism terms definition. The author conceptualizes the two terms in the three theoretical frames. Firstly the dichotomy of modernism/postmodernism is described in the context of artistic practice and aesthetic programs. Secondly the two notions are analyses as the stages of cultural evolution. Thirdly the dyad is comprehended as the two ways of world understanding. The core issue in the differentiation between modernism and postmodernism, in the author’s opinion, is the category of integrity. The article is addressed to philosophers, specialists in cultural studies and aesthetics, cultural scientists and educators.

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon "aestheticization of politics". The authors present political aesthetics within the boundaries of "symbolic politics" concept. "Symbolic politics", as a special kind of political communication, fits into the modern context of political life "virtualisation". The aesthetic mode of politics perception is viewed by the authors as socio-cognitive practices that are relevant to modern standards and principles of rationality. The paper studies the discourse of an "information war" in the context of correlative coherence of aesthetic and pragmatic elements of symbolic politics.

The article focuses on research of the language of architectural forms. The author considers the language of architecture as the artificial language living under the same laws of syntax and semantics as a natural language. The researcher’s attention is paid to simultaneity of the language of architecture perception as its characteristic feature, in contrast to linearity of natural language, which is perceived sequentially. The author considers the interdependency of the language dynamics of architectural forms and the historical period of their existence as well as social and political structure of the society. It is highlighted, that the language of architecture serves as a tool of a person’s orientation in space and as one of the forms of practical activities organization. Architecture is the art which combines not only decorative and esthetic functions, but primarily the pragmatic one.

The author considers melancholy and its companions "anguish and fear", which play an important role in the formation of personality. He also examines melancholy as a state of mind, not a diagnosis, which affects the human perception of the world, when a number of opportunities for self-actualization are open before a person. Each historical period has its own emotional ways of expressing feelings in the state of melancholy either by one person or a society as a whole. Also the article analyzes the historical problems of the appearance of melancholy, its symptoms, feelings, which at one time was considered to be a depression, in another time - hopeless despair, anguish, grief, sorrow of mind, in today's world it is considered to be "the twenty-first century plague."

The article displays globalization’s influence onto philosophy’s transformation. The traditional philosophy systems reflect local or regional humanity’s experience. The modern global society demands of creation such philosophy that would reflect global experience – philosophy of the civilization’s survival. It has to create principals of solving of global processes. The forms of civilization experience, that made possible to solve the problems of survival in local and regional scales, will have to become the base of philosophy of survival.

The article identifies the social-philosophical roots of neoliberal ideology, which as a project is in a very strong position in today's globalizing world. Classic authors of the neo-liberal approach are Western scholars Karl Popper and Friedrich Hayek, who developed the concept of "open society" ("extended order"), where the reference methodological designs are hard anthropocentrism, evolutionism and market relations. According to theorists of neoliberalism, the meaning of the historical process as a movement from "closed society", support for which was made by the collectivist structure, to the "open society", where relations of exchange based on individual aspirations and initiative are at the forefront. From this follows the introduction of a number of concepts, turning into a neo-liberal ideology – individual freedom, a market. The article shows the limited explanatory possibilities of the theory of Karl Popper and Friedrich Hayek, as well as the abstractness of the mentioned ideologies that often forces neo-liberal leaders to resort to double standards in the course of political practice. However, the strength of neoliberal tenets are not in scientific, but in their class nature that makes them useful as expressions of the interests of leading social groups.

The paper deals with the practical and theoretical implications that justice becomes a real factor in achieving solidarity in the social life of social actors. The different conceptions of justice, revealed their intrinsic and structural differences. The authors conclude that the outcome of the discussions around the theme of justice, continuing the last thirty years, has become a significant semantic shift in the understanding of justice that resulted, in turn, the emergence of new forms and methods of achieving it. It is noted that justice has properties which do not have the truth, and that helps her to stay in the field of philosophy and social sciences, despite the failure of attempts to give her a satisfactory explanation. This property is a special sensitivity towards her by individuals, as well as social and cultural groups. Levels of justice, it was found that the social structure is the foundation of justice. The authors criticize emotivism asserting the impossibility of rational justification of social values, and contrast it justice concept fleksibelnoy methodological basis of which is the idea of transversal reason.

This article continues explanation of the anthropological approach to development of the world philosophy. Its basic scheme is based on relations between pre-philosophy (naive philosophizing) and professional philosophy, formed and organized in intellectual networks. Two factors drive a person with innate interest to philosophizing (which was defined by Kant as “metaphysica naturalis”) into the intellectual networks: strive for emotional energy and the possibility to intensify philosophizing by putting oneself into a stricter framework of professional communication. “Autonomy of philosophy” is considered as the ideal mode of professional philosophy. It is juxtaposed to the idea of “philosophical life”. The article finishes with a sketch of civilizational factors that force this period in history of the world philosophy, defined as «institutional period», to end.