scholarly journals ТЕОРІЯ СОЦІАЛЬНОГО МІФУ Ж. СОРЕЛЯ: ІДЕЯ VS ІДЕОЛОГІЯ

2018 ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Н. П. Москальова ◽  
О. М. Стасенко
Keyword(s):  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Basic Function ◽  
Relevant Today ◽  
The Social ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Future ◽  
Global Planning ◽  
The Masses ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Social Myth

G. Sorel’s meditation on the evolution of man and the nature of social might be the first to bring the idea of social myth as a factor in the social organization and evolution of human communities into the philosophical discourse. M. Asher, O. Voronyansky, D. Zhvania, I. Klimov, A. Lewis, C. Mannheim, K. Mochalov, V. Naidish, B. Paramonov, Z. Sternhel, A. Surkov, M. Schneider at different times paid attention to this side of the social philosophy of G. Sorel in the context of his research. However, the question of the essence of social myth as the implementation of the idea in opposition to ideology as a result of scientific analysis of reality still remains relevant today as the basic foundation of the philosophical problems of social consciousness and the influence of the latter on the formation of the historical process.The objective of the article is to analyze the provisions of G. Sorel’s theory of social myth about the opposition of the influence of ideas and ideologies on the dynamics of social reality.The philosopher drew attention to the fact that myths have a significant potential for social mobilization, the ability to manage and construct a social reality. According to G. Sorel, the social features are determined more by irrational soul contests, mysterious representations of justice than the ideas of mind without feelings and analytical calculations.Pluralistic understanding of rationality, according to G. Sorel, does not allow to consider the history of human communities as rigidly deterministic. According to him, social and living laws are not similar to physical and astronomical ones, and it is impossible to predict the future accurately. G. Sorel’s position can be defined as a warning against the global planning of the future in the uncertainty of the source data that underlies this planning. At the same time, the philosopher criticizes the ideology as analytical concept of planning and forecasting – as the one based on the results of scientific research.According to G. Sorel, a significant difference between the ideal as a social myth and ideology manifests in the way, in which they provide themselves with social support. Ideology in its nature is aimed at educating or persuading one or another social group. The ideal is creativity of the spirit, it is rooted in the very nature of the masses, so there is no need to persuade individuals in its charms; they gain confidence in it, living one life with similar people.According to Sorel, myths are necessary in order to accurately lay out the conclusions of social philosophy in accordance with the ideals that people live with. G. Sorel does not see another possibility to arrange the transition from principles to action, and this is the basic function of science. According to G. Sorel, the myth is an instrument for awakening social enthusiasm. The myth is the realization of hope and will through action. It does not serve the doctrine, since all doctrines are speculations that have little to do with the interests of ordinary people. A myth is an intermediary between action and idea. Any era in the development of one or another community sooner or later provides an opportunity or even gives impetus to the emergence of marginal ideological and spiritual phenomena, in which there is condensation, firstly, of all needs of this being (everything declared, but not implemented), and secondly, the pathos of denial and transformation. New social strata capture abnormal ideas and, firstly, pragmatically master them, and secondly, form their own outlook, whose critical direction helps to separate ideological manipulative elements from those that can be valid in the future and with which these strata share their own destiny.

scholarly journals Social myth as a factor in constructing images of the future

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-376
Author(s):  
Andrey G. Ivanov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Wide Audience ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Images Of The Future ◽  
Modern Myth ◽  
Social Myth

The article defines the contemporary social myth as a value-laden phenomenon with the potential and significance, but which is used in different ways by actors – an indwelling by a myth, a creator of a myth and a critic of a myth. The process of myth-making is considered as launching the so-called work on myth, which includes both the activity of myth-makers and the functioning of the myth in the masses. The appeal to the project function of the social myth and the consideration of the degree of awareness of the myth by individual groups actualize the question of the myth as a factor in constructing images of the future. Taking into account the ideas of R. Barthes and C. Bottici, the author concludes that the myth already contains significant images that allow the future to become more concrete. Using the example of the state as the main generator of myths for a wide audience, it is suggested that all the trajectories of creating potential images of the future are confined to the myth of the hero. Conclusions are drawn about the demand for such images of the future, which are built around the figure of a leader correlated with a mythological hero, that the scale of the state is a suitable level for reasoning about the spread and limits of the influence of modern myth-making, and that the constructive potential of the myth is involved in creating images of the future.

scholarly journals Motive of Hope in Works by Mykola Bazhan

2019 ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
Roman Tkachenko
Keyword(s):  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Class Struggle ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Human Being ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Ideal

The paper off ers an attempt to read the works of M. Bazhan focusing on the evolving motive of hope. It is stated that this motive has its cultural and historical scope and practical content. Presently the experience of hope becomes energy of progress and cultural creation. Hope is energized by active work and nourishes work, art, science, creativity. The methods of overcoming despair in Bazhan’s poetry have been updated over the course of decades in connection with the changes in perception of the social role of poetry. Although initially the comprehension of integrity was seen in the stream of the class struggle, later the poet preferred healing the soul with art. The philosophy of the author of the “Hoff man’s Night” was not contemplative; it was focused on existential and social problems and directed by humanistic values. It is no coincidence that the poet chose the least irrational of the three main Christian virtues, the most earthly and human one – the hope. Instead, most poets at all times cultivated predominantly faith and love. This fact might explain why Bazhan’s poetry never gained vast popularity but constantly attracted attention of critics and scholars. The author’s path from despair and fear to hope is the path from the local, psychological, individual to the universal, social, and philosophical. The continual motive of hope gives some unexpected coloring to a seemingly trivial Enlightenment-like picture of the future. The concepts of progress are being filled with drama and dynamics. Existential problems proved to be much more important than the ideal future projects. The sources and plan of the progress are contained not in the objective laws of the history, but exclusively in a human being, permanently fighting in the darkness and chaos. From this point of view, Bazhan is not a representative of the Soviet-style Marxism. In fact, his worldview is rather in tune with E. Bloch’s neo-Marxism or J.-P. Sartre’s existentialism.

scholarly journals The Future as a Subject of Social Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-344
Author(s):  
Alexander Pavlov
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Theory ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Digital Capitalism ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Natural Capitalism

The subject of this article is a critical analysis of the “concept of the future” as proposed by the British social theorist, John Urry (1946–2016). The author briefly examines the intellectual legacy of the sociologist and his contribution to the creation of a new social theory, pointing out that Urry’s books that were translated into Russian do not fully represent his scientific work, but reflect the later period of his research activity. What is the Future?was the sociologist’s last book and was published the same year he died: we can consider it as a kind of last will. This testament, however, reflects many aspects of the writings of the last sixteen years of Urry’s life. As Urry observes, he challenges the social sciences with his book because the social sciences are still not concerned the future as a subject of research, giving it to the mercy of futurology. This article gives an answer to the question of whether we can actually consider Urry’s book as such a challenge. The author argues that some kind of theoretical weakness is inherent in Urry’s concept. Thus, the sociologist calls for the theory of complex developing systems to help to analyze the future, but the conclusions he comes to do not have any heuristic value. However, as the author of the article notes, Urry’s book is valuable not as a theory, but as an attempt to talk about the future from the perspective of social philosophy and its focus on practice. On one hand, the sociologist uses rich empirical material when talking about utopias and dystopias such as fiction, cinema, publicistics, and reports of various organizations, as examples. On the other hand, when discussing such problems as 3D-printing, urban spaces without cars, climate change, dystopias, and so forth, Urry uses the method of scenarios in offering four scenarios for each phenomenon considered. These scenarios by themselves already allow us to imagine what the future might look like. The final chapter of the book is dedicated to a “low-carbon civil society” and the conceptualization of responsible-to-nature “natural capitalism.” The author of the article puts a special emphasis on this, considering that this concept should be supplemented by other ideas about the newest — digital — capitalism. Finally, the article considers the question of the relationship of Urry’s social theory with the theory of postmodernism.

scholarly journals Transhumanism in Analytical Prospects of Classical and Non-Classic Sociology

Discourse ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-93
Author(s):  
A. V. Shcherbina
Keyword(s):  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Explanatory Models ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Genetic Method ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Classical Sociology

Introduction. The purpose of the study is to analyze and generalize the views on transhumanism (TH), presented in the modern discourse, and conceptual approaches to assessing the consequences of its spread. The relevance of the sociological analysis of TH is determined by the intensity of discussions and the inconsistency of its assessments in social media and the expert community, the growth of its international influence and the threats of the implementation of new norms set by the ideology of TH. The scientific novelty of the work consists in a typological interpretation of the concept of TH in its activity and information and communication aspects.Methodology and sources. In the work the results of studies presented in domestic and foreign publications on TH are used, as well as the materials of the public pages of the online communities Transhumanism and Transhumanism Without Borders in the social networks VKontakte and LiveJournal. Explanatory models of classical and non-classical sociology are involved: the theory of imitation of G. Tarde, the sociocultural approach of E. Durkheim, the structural-functional analysis of T. Parsons, the genealogical analysis of M. Foucault, the theory of rationality of J. Habermas. The historical-genetic method is used, which is adequate to the individualizing nature of socio-historical knowledge.Results and discussion. TH is a new global ideology that configures images of the social world dating back to archaic myths with representations of a synthetic theory of evolution, technoscience, and social philosophy. TH is an ideology adequate to the conditions that gave rise to it and a new type of social subject: weakening nation-states and the formation of the information contour of global society, a new communication infrastructure as a space for universal material and spiritual exchange, a new social subject – “communities” mobilized to fight for personal rights and self-determination in the anthropological field. The lifestyle constructed in the experimental mode is given a normative value. TH meets the imperative of globalization as a cultural ideology, since it interprets culture as a universe of methods, tools, and technologies that allow a person to rationally influence himself. Rationality in the TH is the highest value, a criterion for assessing and selecting the normative constructions of the future, developed by communities (minorities), which are underlined by features of ethnicity and cultural and historical identity.Critical arguments and polemics with TH in religious discourse are examined. The ideological status of TH is discussed. There is a radicalization in the TH of the ideas of liberalism and communism. TH is being studied as a platform uniting the ideological subcultures of communities oriented toward “rationality”, the analysis of which draws on the potential of non-classical sociology.Conclusion. TH is a utopia in a specific sense: it is a socio-anthropological practice, represented in the theoretical consciousness as an image of the future, and in practical terms as an experimental present. We must evaluate the social consequences of the spread of the ideology of TH at the same time by methods of historical analysis and futuristic modeling.

scholarly journals The social myth and human domination of nature in Georg Sorel and Stanisław Brzozowski

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystof Kasprzak
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Motive Force ◽  
Main Work ◽  
The Sublime ◽  
The Social ◽  
Elemental Nature ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Social Myth

AbstractIn this article I aim to bring to the fore a problematic trait of Polish philosopher Stanisław Brzozowski’s (1878–1911) thinking, which is his insistence on the metaphysical importance of human domination of nature through work, technology, and maximization of production. The focal point of the article is Brzozowski’s interpretation of Georg Sorel, with an emphasis on Reflections on Violence and the concept of the social myth. I argue that Brzozowski considers the primary strength of the social myth to lie in its contribution to such domination, because its principal trait is to provide man with a sublime feeling of elevation above nature. Furthermore, this feeling becomes a motive force for struggle against nature. In conclusion, I suggest that the perspective of the sublime is a fruitful path for future critical encounters with Brzozowski’s work. The first part of the article stresses the importance of the sublime in Reflections on Violence. Sorel uses this concept throughout his main work to describe the affective nature of the violence of the social myth, which coordinates the inclinations of the masses towards emancipation. The second part discusses how Brzozowski understands the social myth, law, and nationhood from the perspective of human domination of elemental nature.

scholarly journals Global View Of A Sustainable Society And Its Stability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Burkhardt
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Invisible Hand ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Regional Deprivation ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Global Planning

It is often said, and at present it is probably true that famine and poverty in some parts of the world are a problem of distribution rather than one of production of the necessities of life. The improvement of our distribution system, however, does not only solve an acute problem of regional deprivation, but also creates regional interdependence. Thus, with present day transcontinental trade the questions related to sustainability become global issues. The whole world is an interconnected network. Is there some "invisible hand" which guides local actions in a direction beneficial to the whole or does this connectedness necessitate deliberate global planning?A similar question arises when we look far ahead in time. Many people have a blind trust in the future and are unconcerned with questions of long term sustainability of human civilization. Those who believe in science and technology respond to warnings of global sustenance problems: "The engineers will invent something that will solve our problems." Those with a religious bent say: "Why worry about tomorrow? 'He' who has provided for us in the past will do so in the future." How useful is this fatalistic stance today? Given the knowledge we possess, are we not responsible for irreversible damages to the Planet which will burden future generations? Is mankind capable of consciously choosing its future path?This paper analyses the state of the World and the stability of the processes in it. We take a global and long term perspective. The basic tool used is a balance equation for material, cultural, biological, social and ecological substances. Conditions for sustainable, dynamic equilibria are derived and presented in per capita values in order to facilitate intuitive comprehension. Possible contributions to sustainability of the natural sciences and engineering and of the social sciences and the humanities are outlined. In conclusion some desirable and some accidental paths to sustainability are given.

scholarly journals Global View Of A Sustainable Society And Its Stability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Burkhardt
Keyword(s):  
Distribution System ◽  
Invisible Hand ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
Regional Deprivation ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Global Planning

It is often said, and at present it is probably true that famine and poverty in some parts of the world are a problem of distribution rather than one of production of the necessities of life. The improvement of our distribution system, however, does not only solve an acute problem of regional deprivation, but also creates regional interdependence. Thus, with present day transcontinental trade the questions related to sustainability become global issues. The whole world is an interconnected network. Is there some "invisible hand" which guides local actions in a direction beneficial to the whole or does this connectedness necessitate deliberate global planning?A similar question arises when we look far ahead in time. Many people have a blind trust in the future and are unconcerned with questions of long term sustainability of human civilization. Those who believe in science and technology respond to warnings of global sustenance problems: "The engineers will invent something that will solve our problems." Those with a religious bent say: "Why worry about tomorrow? 'He' who has provided for us in the past will do so in the future." How useful is this fatalistic stance today? Given the knowledge we possess, are we not responsible for irreversible damages to the Planet which will burden future generations? Is mankind capable of consciously choosing its future path?This paper analyses the state of the World and the stability of the processes in it. We take a global and long term perspective. The basic tool used is a balance equation for material, cultural, biological, social and ecological substances. Conditions for sustainable, dynamic equilibria are derived and presented in per capita values in order to facilitate intuitive comprehension. Possible contributions to sustainability of the natural sciences and engineering and of the social sciences and the humanities are outlined. In conclusion some desirable and some accidental paths to sustainability are given.

scholarly journals The problem of moral liberation of personality in the philosophy of Russian populism

2020 ◽  
pp. 104-111
Author(s):  
Aleksei Viazinkin
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Human Nature ◽  
Social Philosophy ◽  
Social Solidarity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Moral Demand ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Rational Egoism

The subject of this research is the problem of moral liberation of personality in ideological heritage of Russian Populism. In the social philosophy of Russian populism this problem is an integral part of the theory of holistic liberation of personality (moral, socioeconomic, political). Emphasis is made on the concept of “rational egoism” and principle of oneness of human nature (unity of material and moral) of N. G. Chernyshevsky; significance of subjective method in social sciences in formation of anthropological (“moral”) ideal of P. L. Lavrov; as well as theory of solidary relations as the key concepts of ethicism of social philosophy of Russian Populism. The scientific novelty consists in examination of the problem of moral liberation in the context of theory of holistic liberation of personality, developed by the Russian populists on the basis of socio-philosophical ideas of Enlightenment. The problem of autonomous (sovereign) personality in the social philosophy of Russian populism is viewed in the context of “liberation of personality”, with emphasis on the anthropological ideal of “moral personality”. Advancing the theory of “rational egoism”, N. G. Chernyshevsky came to the conclusion that autonomy of personality is achieved due to social solidarity. P. L. Lavrov, having continued the inner logics of populist thought on the development of solidary relations in the society, basically neglected the autonomy of personality. An attempt to solve the problem of correlation between moral freedom and moral demand, applicable to the ideal personality, led to formation of the fundamentals of solidarism within the philosophy of Russian populism.

Current Postvention Research and Priorities for the Future

Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Andriessen ◽  
Dolores Angela Castelli Dransart ◽  
Julie Cerel ◽  
Myfanwy Maple
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Intercultural Collaboration ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Suicide Bereavement ◽  
Ethical Approval

Abstract. Background: Suicide can have a lasting impact on the social life as well as the physical and mental health of the bereaved. Targeted research is needed to better understand the nature of suicide bereavement and the effectiveness of support. Aims: To take stock of ongoing studies, and to inquire about future research priorities regarding suicide bereavement and postvention. Method: In March 2015, an online survey was widely disseminated in the suicidology community. Results: The questionnaire was accessed 77 times, and 22 records were included in the analysis. The respondents provided valuable information regarding current research projects and recommendations for the future. Limitations: Bearing in mind the modest number of replies, all from respondents in Westernized countries, it is not known how representative the findings are. Conclusion: The survey generated three strategies for future postvention research: increase intercultural collaboration, increase theory-driven research, and build bonds between research and practice. Future surveys should include experiences with obtaining research grants and ethical approval for postvention studies.

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