Abstract: The present article is devoted to the philosophical research of the concept and definition of culture. The author of the article provides a retrospective view of cultural ontology reflected in researches carried out by V. Plotnikova and V. Chupov. He shows that these works correspond to V. Vernadsky's teaching about a living creature and culture is presented as a natural and historical manifestation of life. The author expands the objective space of the concept of culture and shows that generalizations and analogies in the Nature create grounds for the Universal Definition of culture. For the first time in history, the author describes the two forms of the Universal Definition of culture based on the Universal Principle of Maximum Information. The first form is just the framework that defines culture as a managing energoinformational system. The second one is the explicit form that defines the purpose and the main functioning mechanism.  The author also describes the principle for creating the system hierachy of existing definitios of culture. Noteworthy that the author suggests that 99 percent of these definitions are out-of-date. 

Keywords: philosophical research, ontology of culture, life, concept of culture, objective space, maximum information, managing system, energoinformational system, definition of culture, system hierarchy

Abstract: The author views the symbols of statehood that have been built in Moscow as the capital of Old Russia, Russia and the Russian Federation. These symbols include the Kremlin with Ivan the Great, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Tatlin's Tower, Palace of the Soviets and Moscow City International Business Center. Noteworthy that there were no significant symbols of statehoo in Moscow architecture in the 1920's and since 1960 till the 1980's when democratic ideas and functional architecture dominated. The author underlines that each architectural symbol presents the idea about the international role of the Russian state. 

Keywords: cultural research, national symbol, Old Russia - Russia - the Russian Federation, Moscow, architecture, city building, planning axis, history, image, simulacrum

Abstract: The article is devoted to the question about transrationality in Russian religious philosophy at the end of XIX - early XX century. The desire to overcome 'abstract concepts' is typical not only for V. Soloviev's philosophy but also for other famous philosophers of the religious renaissance.   

Keywords: philosophy, mythology, theurgy, logomyth, Soloviev, Frank, Shestov, transrational, myth, objectivation

Abstract: The author of the article views the history of gramophone recording in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe at the second half of XX century. The 'Era of Democrates' lasted for 30 years from 1945 to 1995 and was a unique phenomenon in Russian music. Even though the period is officially over, the topic is still interesting and important due to the fact that it still lacks thorough researches. The author of the article presents a conceptual model of the institution of gramophone recording as a specific social and communication phenomenon and describes its place in the system of mass communication. Special attention is paid to legal and communicative features of the development of gramophone recording of pop- and rock-music in the 'Eastern block' countries during socialism. 

Keywords: East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, label, rock-music, gramophone recording, Hungary, Poland

Abstract: The article is devoted to the process of formation of classic music from the Middle Ages when it was seen as the 'sound cosmos' connecting human with God to the theory of music of our times. The appearance of so called Modern European Personality played an importat role in that process. The Modern European man seeked new ways to realize his desires and emotions. When studying the latter, the author analyzed the two interdependent spheres of human life, artificial (activity) and natural, in particular, emotional experience. The author offers his own theory of 'psychic realities' as well as the teaching about signs and schemes. At the end of the article the author concludes that classic music and certain qualities of Modern Human have being formed simultaneously. Noteworthy that formation of classic music was a necessary condition for formation of Modern European Personality and on the contrary, modern personal qualities created the grounds for formation of classic music. 

Keywords: music, personality, theory, inclination, scheme, sign, activity, emotional experience, realization, proof