Ideas and Ideals

In the proposed article a comparatively novel concept of megaregion has been offered in modern analytical discourse, i.e. by economic, socio-cultural and geopolitical dimensions. The megaregion has been interpreted as the combination or constellation of the regions, close to each other by territory and history, i.e. Space and Time. Different concepts of the megaregion have been observed, i.e. a) geographical and geopolitical determination b) megaurban actual trends c) socio-cultural diversification, consolidated in the “frame” of the megaregion. First of all, and mostly, the work is correlated with the exact enormous by its space and resources the megaregion Siberia, which, according to the world classification spreads from the Urals up to the Pacific Ocean. Conceptual analysis of any megaregion suggests it to be carried put by the temporal (historical) and special (geographical) squares and along three axes — economic, socio-cultural and geopolitical ones. Without doubt, it’s important to investigate organizational, governing and legal institutions in the context of the megaregion, but this ought to be the subject of the next article.

This article investigates the parameters which allow to consider Siberia in the capacity of a megaregion. From the historical point of view the relationships are analyzed between the state and spontaneous mastering of Siberian territories from the geopolitical and managerial aspect. The role and place of the center of gravity of the Siberian territories is examined, and it is shown that none of the major cities has become such a centre, either economically or culturally. This question is considered also from the point of view of the concept of provinciality. It is shown that the most interesting developmental projects of the Siberian megaregion take it as a whole territory, stretching from the Urals to the Pacific and northward to the Arctic, and only such an approach (not dividing it to particular clusters) can fully reveal its geopolitical significance. Culturally, the difficulty of life in Siberia, as well as the usual diverse contacts of different ethnic and religious groups predetermined the original tolerance of the Siberian population.

In this article the problem of reflecting historical dynamics of a society in modern humanitarian knowledge is discussed. The author shows, that in the modern humanitarian knowledge the tendencies to imitation the cognitive activities are widely presented that is reflected in the reduction of real conceptual and logical complexity of theoretical descriptions of social phenomena. This reduction is generated, among other things, by actual ignoring the principle of historicism in characterizing the studied objects. First of all, with such an approach the qualitative variability of social phenomena is ignored. To reveal the qualitative variability of social phenomena is possible on the basis of special reflection of their historical dynamics. The paper proposes a method to overcome such imitative trends in the consistent implementation of sociocultural cognition on the basis of the principle of historicism. According to this principle any phenomenon should be described theoretically in the whole process of its own internal development. Any social object at every moment of its existence is the result of its own genesis. That is why the consistent categorical description of dynamics of its development as a quality formation through internally irreducible to one another stages would really implement the cognitive principles, declared in the sociocultural approach. The proposed solution is constructed on the basis of socio-philosophical reflection of the historical cognition characteristics of a society as a dynamic system.

The main thesis of the article is that the concept of economic reality cannot be interpreted from the point of view of such a category as “matter”, although in the Marxist tradition this is exactly the case. This was associated with characteristic intention of Marx to direct transfer of the scientific picture of the world created by the earlier scientific forms of natural science into the area of economic and general social knowledge. However, as it is shown in the article, the scientific picture of the economic world is represented by the forms of culture that are fundamentally different from natural phenomena. For example, according to F.A. Hayek it is linked to the concept of "subjectivity", according to K. Popper's – with the “Third world”.

At the round table the problem was discussed of using mathematical methods in the analysis of historical process, or methods of historical macrosociology. On the one hand, it is obvious that in the history different societies have certain regularity, which can be examined by statistical methods. This applies to demographic waves as well as to certain economic realities, etc. For instance, we can point to the Kondratieff’s waves. If we take it for granted, it appears that it is possible to speak about the corresponding laws. However two problems appear straight away – the quality of data on which to rely, and the ratio of the peculiarities of the history of some particular societies and the general laws which characterize any society. Economists, the most advanced in application of mathematics, are building system models, while historians are just approaching to this. There is inductive approach to these issues as well, when historians use statistics to analyze certain specific processes. Also such issues were discussed such as the transformation of professional history into applied political science, which is certainly counterproductive from the point of view of science as such, and the problem of the access to the archives. In addition, it was indicated that there is a deep connection between historical research and such complex discipline as adaptology. Participants also discussed the problems of interpretation of historical data and the status of social sciences in general.

In the article on the material of reconstruction of Z. Bauman’s book "The Relevance of the Holocaust" and the analysis of other studies the understanding of complex sciences, which are based on interdisciplinary research and focused in terms of practical applications in engineering and technology in the broadest sense, is introduced. First, the criteria of distinguishing between legal and illegal modernization of philosophical and scientific works are discussed. Special features of interdisciplinary research are characterized in every detail: partial implementation of methodological strategies and ideals of science, balancing and configuration of monodisciplinary discourses, which are included into interdisciplinary research, epistemic knowledge requirements obtained in these studies.

The duality of a man's relationship to Deity as the "I" and "we" turns into a dual character of any social cohesion, that is both free and repressive at the same time. The concept of genetic connection between "we" and "I" is a perfect reflection of the ideal foundation of empirically given communities. It is an abstract unity, "we", which has elevated beyond "I", and submitted itself to its tyrannical "must" provoking an uprising of "I". Manifestations of obligation are empathy, legitimation, sacralization. The conflict of “I” and “we” values inherent to the very basis of the ideal society is different for specific communities. Social empiricism has different understandings of genetical connection between "I" and "we." It has always been a cyclical conflict of "I" and "we" as an alternation of anarchy and despotism. In today's society it has acquired the form of the conflict between capitalism and socialism, but has retained its sacred source – Understanding of God (Bogoponimanie). The idea of coordination and non-hierarchical position of "we" and "I" is the concept of the ideal society, which depends on the right Understanding of God (Bogoponimaniye). The evolution of Understanding of God (Bogoponimaniye) changes the ratio of transcendence and immanence of the sacred Divine image; however, its antinomy will never be overcome and it is given objectively in the collective consciousness. Therefore, the absolute ideal theosis of a man coexists with the optimization ideal "service to the people" which includes the requirements of social subordination and discipline. Disclosure of the God’s immanence to a man softens the brutality of the legal and moral norms. Their arbitrary softening leads to chaos and social disasters. The ideal society is formed with the help of a unity of principles: service to the people, solidarity, and freedom. Service to the people is antinomic: a man is obliged to promote the growth of the Good and prevent the world from the Evil. These requirements are mutually exclusive. The first one requires following the Grace of God, and the second one - following the "law." Service to the people needs both strengthening the "law" and its weakening. Saving the world from the Evil is uppermost coercion of freedom in human actions. The reference to antinomianism of the optimization ideal turns into the assumption, that anthropological perfection as the growth of the Good frees a man from the objective social order.

Widely discussed global systemic crisis is redoubled by the lack of the ideas that can generate a new paradigm in the science, philosophy and intellectual culture in general. Philosophy is able to become the beginning of the intellectual culture output from the recession. This requires the fulfillment of the conditions: a new way of the problematizations, the inclusion of new philosophical problems into interdisciplinary discussion; identification of a number of the humanity ideas with poorly reflected philosophical intuitions and their coordination with problems. Philosophy mission in the XXI century is to establish some synthesis. In the broad sense this is an association of a human, nature and society in some system while prescribing their consistent attachment to the self-development of the Universe. In the narrow sense this is a synthesis of philosophy, physics and mathematics, where the prerogative of philosophy is the organization of interdisciplinary researches and projects. Another actual for philosopher’s task turns out the work at the basis of scientific social theory which is capable to analyze social processes including simulation tools on the computer; to serve as a basis for selecting some development strategies. For philosophers it is important to perceive intellectual culture in general as the main area of their activity when science is a part of this culture.

The author has devoted his article to the consideration of the moral aspects of such an important phenomenon of human communication as a RESPONSE. In our responses we humans behave honestly / dishonestly, resolutely / hesitantly, directly / evasively, respectfully / impudently, responsibly / irresponsibly, humanely / ruthlessly, adequately / with servility. It happens not only on the atomic level of the relationship between two individuals, but also where there is a line connection between an individual and a group, between two groups, an individual and a community, a group and a community. And there is every reason to attribute the answers, given by the actors to each other, to the semantic field studied by the ethical science. The answer is not simply a reaction to the event that has caused it. It's an emotional experience, a thought, an evaluation, or an action of the subject caused by significant moral circumstances. In response, people actively express their attitude to the events, showing their moral culture. Consideration of the generalized situation structure where there is a morally significant answer (SUBJECT – ADDRESSEE – OBJECT – CONTEXT – MOTIVATION – PURPOSE – TOOLS – RESULT) extends the ethical philosophical possibilities in understanding human culture, identifying the moral resources of an individual, a group, and a human community.