Abstract: The subject of the research is the image of the Megalopolis and its interpretation in the works of P. Geddes and L. Mumford. The image of the Megalopolis, on the one hand, is connected with the development of the utopian tradition in culture. On the other hand, it has a direct relation to the concepts of technogenic civilization and the idea of technical progress. The aim of the work is to examine the image of the Megalopolis in the context of the concepts of neo-technical development by leading urbanism and philosophy of technology theorists of the 20th century – P. Geddes and L. Mumford. The relevance of the topic under development is determined by its significance for understanding the patterns of modern urban development. The study of the image of the Megalopolis in the works of leading urbanists and philosophers of the 20th century is highly relevant for contemporary urban studies and urban planning, as solving the problems of modern city development largely requires studying them in a historical context. A comprehensive methodological approach was used in writing the article, combining hermeneutic interpretation of a number of concepts and terms from the philosophy of the city by P. Geddes and L. Mumford, exposition, as well as comparative analysis of the content of their works. The novelty of the research lies in the interpretations of the image of the Megalopolis in light of the concept of neo-technical development. While the issues of the Megalopolis in the works of P. Geddes and L. Mumford have been examined multiple times, relating it to the theory of transition from paleotechnology to neotechnology, formulated by P. Geddes and developed by L. Mumford, is innovative. The intensive growth of European cities that began during the industrialization era was subjected to thorough analysis in the philosophy of technology and urbanism of the 20th century. In the studies of P. Geddes and L. Mumford, very accurate forecasts were made that anticipated the most important trends in urban environment development and were confirmed in practice. Issues of modern urban planning, such as the rapid growth of metropolitan megalopolises and the desolation of peripheral cities, the problem of resource conservation in the process of renovation and gentrification of urban areas, can be addressed using the approaches proposed by P. Geddes and L. Mumford within the framework of the concept of the neo-technical city (ideas of "reconstruction," "practical economy," etc.). Therefore, the critical reflection on the image of the Megalopolis by these thinkers remains highly relevant in the context of modern urban planning strategies.

Abstract: The subject of the study is to determine the main features and vectors of development of the Victorian utopia based on the analysis of W.G. Hudson's novel "The Crystal Age". For a long time in the era of antiquity and the Renaissance, one of the main aspects of the development of utopia was the correlation of an ideal society with socio-political, economic transformations and technological discoveries. The New European utopia was in many ways a continuation of this trend, increasingly bringing together the social and technological vectors of utopianism, when social well-being was directly correlated by thinkers with scientific and technological progress, urbanization and mechanization of labor. The Victorian utopia belongs to the period of the second half of the 19th century and combines the features of New European progressivism with the cult of nature, characteristic of sentimentalism and romanticism, and also anticipates some utopian ideas of the coming post-industrial era. W.G. Hudson's novel "The Crystal Age" is a combination of various genres of utopian literature (pastoral utopia, apocalliptic utopia, escapist utopia), and therefore is of particular interest for analysis. The article uses a comprehensive methodological approach combining a descriptive method with a semiotic analysis of the text of the novel, and analyzes the research literature on Victorian utopian literature. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the little-studied nature of W.G. Hudson's novel "The Crystal Age" in modern cultural and philosophical discourse, despite the fact that the novel contains certain ideas unique to that era, for example, the ideas of conscious consumption, excluding satiation and waste of resources. This thesis fully corresponds to the ecosophical strategy of the post-industrial era, but it is completely out of character for 19th-century industrialism. At the same time, the novel lacks a technotopian view of scientific discoveries and technical inventions as a guarantee of social well-being. In the "Crystal Age", technologies that are ahead of the time of writing are not depicted at all. The basis of the utopia of the "Crystal Age" is the anthroposocial transformation of society, the change of human nature along with the social structure. The socio-philosophical and socio-cultural significance of Hudson's novel is very high, since this work reflects the transformation of social relations, the way of life and the value system of the Victorian era: the changing role of women in society and the family, the desire to harmonize man with the natural environment in conditions of rapid industrialization.

Abstract: The subject of the study concerns one of the most significant problems of computer gamification of education – the question of criteria for the development and evaluation of educational computer games, including optimization of their game mechanics, game structure and forms of integration of players into their space, taking into account their specifics, goals and main educational purpose. The concept of "game flow", which originated in the gaming industry under the influence of the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi, represents an original interpretation of the criteria of internal motivation of human activity and, as the goal of game design, assumes the achievement of the highest immersiveness of the game and the creation of space for the construction of meanings. The concept of game flow is widely used in modern trends in the development of educational games: the use of innovative game mechanics that complement and enrich the traditional and most common model of PBL gamification and allow achieving the greatest human involvement in the process of playing and learning is gaining great promise in them. The article uses a comprehensive methodological approach, including a descriptive method applied to various concepts of learning gamification and motivation theories, as well as a comparative and hermeneutic analysis of research on the development of educational computer games. The scientific novelty of the research is due to the correlation of the concept of game flow and the theory of the state of flow by M. Csikszentmihalyi with the main tasks of educational games and trends in their development. The conclusions of the article state that the development of virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, 3D visualization, and the improvement of computer graphics open up new prospects for the use of computer games in education, including in the humanities. Despite the fact that the issue of determining the prospects for the development of computer learning games is solved in modern pedagogy by studying the mechanisms of formation of internal motivation and involvement in learning, the theory of the "state of flow" by M. Csikszentmihalyi is of great interest in this sense. Optimization of the game mechanics of modern educational computer games is aimed at personalization, creating a space of free choice for the player and involves individual selection of the level of difficulty of tasks. These and other characteristics of game design can significantly improve the effectiveness of training.

Abstract: The article examines the cultural and philosophical and socio-philosophical significance of polycentric urban planning strategies in the framework of the historical process of urbanization. Network and polycentric urban planning began to develop in the 19th century, was associated with a new course for the conscious and planned development of cities and assumed an even distribution of public facilities and communications, the unification of urban space with connecting axes, the integration of transport and engineering infrastructure. These trends in urban planning were caused by interrelated technological, economic, social and political factors, such as scientific and technological progress, the industrial revolution, rapid urbanization. The purpose of the article is to determine the social and cultural significance of urban planning strategies implemented in some European capitals of the XIX century in the context of the general process of urbanization. The scientific novelty of the article is determined by the correlation of the topic under consideration with the problems of modern urban structures. The article is based on an interdisciplinary, complex and systematic theoretical approach. A theoretical analysis of urban planning strategies and urban space development was carried out in order to identify the most promising and progressive trends in urban planning that anticipated the modern principles of urban space formation. The conclusions of the article include the characterization of the influence of polycentric urban development on the formation of a psychosocial environment and typical characteristics of the spiritual life of citizens. A review of studies on socio-cultural and philosophical problems of urbanism helps to identify the impact of polycentric urban planning, including on modern society, residents of modern cities.

Abstract: The subject of the study is the social and technological aspects of the European utopia of Modern times. The European utopia was influenced by the most iconic images and plots of the ancient and Renaissance utopia. It embodied and reinterpreted the images and plot elements of the famous "State" of Plato, the utopias of T. More and T. Campanella, the model of the ideal Christian state presented in the treatise "Description of the Christianopolitan Republic" by I.V. Andre (1586-1654). The article gives a general description of the New European Utopianism based on the concepts of F. Bacon, S. de Bergerac, S. Fourier. If in the Middle Ages social inequality and injustice were considered an expression of the natural order of things or a consequence of the imperfection of human nature, then in later periods of history people begin to try to improve the life of society through changes in the political, economic and social structure. The scientific novelty of the research topic is due to the correlation of European Utopianism with the most pronounced socio-cultural characteristics of the era. In the Renaissance, the social utopia was considered by the authors in an inextricable relationship with the architectural and urban aspects of the formation of the human habitat. In the Modern era, social utopianism correlates with technological utopianism. The conclusions of the article include the characteristics of the utopia of the XVIII century, when the utopians' attention is most focused on the legislative and political organization of society, as well as the XIX century, when the optimal economic structure is considered the key to social well-being.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the theory of interconnections between architecture and tectonics of the XX century and the transformations taking place in social space, and thus, in the individual mental life of a person. The study was conducted based on the works of one of the most prominent representatives of anthropological approach in the architectural philosophy – the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. His philosophical concept Sloterdijk builds through determination of the essence of consciousness of a modern human, which reflects the phenomena of social restructuring along with the transformations in sociopolitical and cultural life. The article examines the analyzed by the philosopher strategies and patterns common to urban development and architectural engineering of the XX century. Methodology contains the descriptive characteristics of P. Sloterdijk’s architectural philosophy in the Russian-language scientific literature; hermeneutic analysis of his works; and comparative analysis of his ideas with the theories of other prominent representatives of the architectural philosophy. The scientific novelty is substantiated by the insufficient knowledge on Sloterdijk’s architectural philosophy in the Russian-language scientific literature. In conclusion, the author systematizes and generalizes Sloterdijk’s key ideas pertinent to interconditionality of architecture of the XX century with the sphere of psychosocial, as well as compares his philosophical concept with the content of theories of other architectural philosophers.

Abstract: The subject of the research is the problem related to representation of symbols and images of ancient Greek culture in creative work of one of the most famous English architects and scenewrights Inigo Jones (1573 - 1652). The author interprets the influence of ancient Greek culture in terms of the development of Inigo Jones' creative method that is characterised with the eclectic interaction of two oppositely directed styles, Baroque and Palladianism. Another issue to be analyzed is the phenomenon of consciously constructed symbolic values that use the images of ancient Greek culture to transmit state policy of Stuart dynasty in Britain at the beginning of the XVIIth century. Inigo Jones' hypothesis about the origin of Stonehenge the present article is devoted to is a good example there of. The methodology of the research involves description of Inigo Jones' architectural and scenographic methods, historiogrpahical review of research literature on the matter and analysis of Inigo Jones' treatise on the origin of Stonehenge. The novelty of the research is caused by the fact that the author focuses on understudied hypotheses of Inigo Jones about Stonehenge in terms of the allegoric representation of the myth about Stuard dynasty. The conclusions made by Khasieva in her research reveals little-known aspects of symbolisation of ancient Greek culture in Inigo Jones' works as well as the role of that hypothesis in terms of Inigo Jones' strategy of developing the image of state and monarch. 

Abstract: The subject of the present research is the interpretation of Dostoevsky's fiction by literary critics V. Woolf and L. Strachey. The Bloomsbury Group's interest in Dostoevsky's fiction was mainly predetermined by the overall Europe's fancy for the Russian culture and received a considerable impression of the colonial orientalism, however, signified the stage of the true acquaintance of British intellectuals with the Russian literature. Even though Woolf and Strachey had mostly the same evaluation of Dostoevsky's poetics, they had rather different opinions on the comic element of his fiction. The research methodology involves both a review of a number of works written by Woolf and Strachey and hermeneutic analysis of these texts considering historical and cultural environment that influenced the perception of Dostoevsky's fiction by the Bloomsbury Group. The scientific novelty of the research is caused by the fact that humour in Dostoevsky's fiction is an understudied topic in the European criticism of the early XXth century. By reviewing Woolf's and Strachey's articles the author of the present research draws conclusions about differences and similarities in Woolf's and Strachey's interpertation of humour in Dostoevsky's fiction and analyzes the grounds for their critical positions.