Abstract: The author of the article notes that the sides of human existence mean the kind of life styles and human activities that people can’t live without. In particular, labor has always accompanied human existence. However, the role of labor is singular for each society and depends on the values of each particular culture. In the European history, for example, labor has been glorified and appraised in poems but at the same time the role of labor has been underestimated and his importance for human existence has been denied. The author of the present article bases himself on the concept of labor offered by Karl Marx, in particular, his idea about labor being a true reflection of human nature. Arguing with Marx’ conclusions, the author, at the same time, shows how popular his ideas have been as well as his critics of the capital by using the two modes of human existence — to be or to have. The author also tries to discover the natural and social grounds of labor as a special type of human activity. To study the issue the author uses historical research methods. Pavel Gurevich describes how the concept of the genesis and development of labor as a specific activity was created in the history of European philosophy. The author also provides a comparative analysis of the theories of labor offered by Marx, Jaspers and Arendt. The novelty of the article is in the author’s intention to describe labor as a side of human existence and therefore underline a special role of natural and social grounds in the genesis of labor activity. The author also offers a hypothesis that labor is not always a necessary side of human existence but only under certain conditions described in the article.

Keywords: philosophy, human existence, human, human nature, labor, nature, transcendence, possession, function, sides of human existence.

Abstract: The article presents methodological grounds for developing modern strategies of environmentally safe thinking based on the theory of biology and the theory of complex adaptive systems. Being a science about interaction of living beings and their communities with the environment, today’s environmental studies go far beyond the initial borders of biology and become the core discipline in the middle of perspective inter-disciplinary synthesis of knowledge. The environmental approach appears to be quite usefully for researches of social studies and humanities. Environmentally safe action, environmentally safe mind, environmentally safe life style, knowledge and creative work, environmentally safe thought and word, environmentally safe ideas, environmentally safe communication and environmentally safe management — all these conceptual theories prove that environmentally safe thinking is becoming an important part of the humanities and social studies where it reveals possibilities for new and fresh approaches. The author of the present research article describes the meaning and importance of the term ‘Unwelt’ and the teaching about Unwelt (Umweltslehre) introduced by Jacob von Uexkull over 100 years ago, for the development of modern environmental universalism and creation of strategic imperatives of environmentally safe thinking. The concept of Unwelt as a specific world certain species and a particular living creature are adjusted to became the inter-disciplinary platform for development of the theory of environmental studies and achievement of a sensible position when discussing the sustainable development and sustainable future as well as the role of education in the global sustainable development. To develop the environmentally safe thinking, Elena Knyazeva has used the fundamental concepts of Jacob von Uexkull’s teaching about Unwelt as well as methodology of the researches of complex systems. The scientific novelty of the research is in its inter-disciplinary nature and application of theoretical biology, Uexkull’s teaching about Unwelt, theory of complex systems and newest terms of cognitive science (in particular, dynamic co-emergence and inactivism) for the development of the theory of social management and social forecasting (i.e. study of the future) and the concepts of sustainable development and environmental ethics.

Keywords: interdisciplinary synthesis of knowledge, complex systems, sustainable development, evolutionary thinking, environmental ethics, environmental universalism, environmental studies, Umwelt, Umweltslehre, sustainable future.

Abstract: Under the influence of scientific theories and philosophical teachings on the music writing practice of the 20th century the so-called stochastic music was created (from the Greek στοχασμός which means ‘guess’) when the music was composed using mathematical probability systems (statistical distribution of music parameters, elements and etc.). Stochastic music was mostly developed during the period of prosperity of aleatory music, which a composing principle that allows the process of music creation and performance to be influenced by chance. Like no other composing method of the previous century, stochastic composing method had serious philosophical grounds that made artists to rethink their creative experience and offer a totally new creative paradigm which had never been in art before. As Iannis Xenakis, Lejaren Hiller, Karlheinz Stockhausen and other adepts of stochastic music believed, that music writing tecnique reflected the basic principles of universal development which composers tried to follow in their music. Composers addressed to stochastic music to find a new mean of music expression that would correspond to their internal world views being formed under the influence and philosophy oft he 20th century.

Keywords: music, science, philosophy, stochastics, aleatory music, chance, composition, music writing technique, composing method, composition.

Abstract: The present article is an introduction to Cholanyuk’s final thesis ‘Anthropological Meaning of the ‘Living Metaphor’ in Paul Ricoeur’s heritage’. The subject under research is the ‘living’ basis of a metaphor which anthropological meaning is being interpreted in terms of Paul Ricouer’s hermeneutics. Special attention is also paid to the provision of a general insight into the history of creation of the ‘living metaphor’ for which cause the polysemanticity of the anthropological knowledge has been substantiated and evaluated in the similarly named author’s work. Therefore, the researcher makes an attempt to describe the anthropological meaning of the living metaphor ‘in action’ by using a famous strategy of a discourse during which both communicative and transferring functions are perceived by a person who does the interpreting. Methodological and theoretical grounds of the research consist of the provisions of philosophical hermeneutics. Thus, the main research method is the hermeneutic method that involves a modern anthropological and philosophical interpretation of additional meanings of a text with reference to the ‘living metaphor’ described by Paul Ricoeur. The scientific novelty of the research and the main theoretical concept thereto are based on the following provisions: 1) the present research article is the first one in Russian philosophy to trace back the development of a diversified anthropological definition of the phenomenon of the ‘living metaphor’ in Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics; 2) the researcher establishes to which degree the phenomenological concept of the metaphor interpretation relates to the traditional anthropological tradition and constitutes an original approach to understanding the human nature during the second half of the 20th century; 3) the researcher analyzes the theoretical basis of the philosophical and scientific popular literature that can be related to the ‘living metaphor’ from the point of view of modern anthropology; 4) the researcher also makes his own attempt to study the metaphor taking into account the anthropological meaning of the ‘living metaphor’; 5) the researcher provides philosophical grounds for the poetics of the metaphor and describes the role of the metaphor in human communication and mutual understanding. At the end of the article the researcher comes to the conclusion about the dialectic singularity of a metaphoric discourse that is performed by our imagination even if we realize that a reader or a listener may have quite different interpretations of what they read or hear. Paul Ricoeur expressively relates an interpretation of a metaphor to a ‘living basis’ of such a metaphor, thus giving to a reader or a listener an opportunity to ‘think more’ based on a metaphoric plot as a previous and future imitation of human activity. Critical anthropological evaluation of the living metaphor model assumes that its living nature isn’t the only condition for the heuristic hermeneutics of the metaphoric discourse. Being a mean of expression and distribution of an idea in general anthropological terms, the living metaphor contains the reference of its author just like any other metaphor in a typical metaphoric communication.

Keywords: metaphoric communication, living metaphor, polysemanticity (multiple meaning) of understanding, mimesis, mythos, transferences, references, vision as, imagination, death of an author.

Abstract: The given article presents an attempt to describe Chizhevsky’s philosophical and anthropological views in terms of modern science. The importance of the research is caused by the fact that there were certain views and opinions of Chizhevsky that had a heuristic value for the science. Moreover, those views and opinions are proving to be true by the modern (scientific and other) theories and practices which allows us to see them in a different light today. Therefore, the present research is important for both science and philosophy. Chizhevsky’s metaphysical views on human are being analyzed taking into account the history of the development of the main grounds of the global evolutionism (the theory of the evolution of the Universe and synergetic studies). The following methods were used in the research: analysis of text- based sources (including materials from the funds of the 1703 Archive of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation), comparison, analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, classification, generalization and historical method. The scientific novelty of the research is in the successive and systematic analysis of Chizhevsky’s philosophical and anthropological views in terms of the universal evolutionism, i.e. the most important paradigm of modern science allowing to create the general scientific picture of the world. The general conclusion made by the researcher is that Alexander Chizhevsky’s metaphysical views on human specify and develop modern concepts. The only exception is Chizhevsky’s deterministic approach to human and the antinomia of science and humanity reflected in Chizhevksy’s works.

Keywords: philosophy, philosophical anthropology, cosmism, Chizhevsky, science, universal evolutionism, evolution of the Universe, synergetic studies, determinism, accident.

Abstract: The conversation with A. Ogurtsov was written down as a part of the editorial project ‘Who makes philosophy in Russia today’ and devoted to the modern trends in Russian philosophy. The conversation touched upon works written by A. Ogurtsov, S. Neretina and other philosophers who all discussed the topic of the influence of philosophy on the ruling elites. A. Ogurtsov maintained the original position of the ethos of such a discipline as the philosophy of science. According to A. Ogurtsov, one of the grandiose goals when studying the history of philosophy is to understand this or that cultural environment — agorian, patronage, university or academic environment where researchers do not teach but focus solely on their research work. The interlocutors use the historical analysis methods allowing to define particular tendencies in understanding the philosophy and methodology of science. They also apply the hermeneutic approach allowing to interpret the modern situation in Russian philosophy. This is the last interview recorded right before A. Ogurstov’s death. In this conversation A. Ogurtsov outlined methodological concepts of the future science and explained the difference between ‘philosophy’ and ‘philosophical studies’. A. Ogurtsov insisted that the history of philosophy were not only about archives but involved creation of new categories in the process of solving the issues of theoretical philosophy.

Keywords: Ogurtsov, Nilogov, Neretina, modern Russian philosophy, philosophy in Russia, history of philosophy, methodology of science, concept, ethos of the philosophy of science, philosophical studies.

Abstract: The authors of the article analyze tendencies in modern urban studies from the point of view of the controversion ‘rationally manageable — spontaneous’. The researchers offer their evaluation of such tendencies in urban development as de-urbanization, de-industrialization, comprehensive planning, legal regulation of economic issues and conversion of urban industrial enterprises. Evaluation of modern social phenomena are carried out based on the theory of the automated society offered by Adam Schaff. The tendencies and directions in the development of modern post-industrial city as these are viewed by the researchers demonstrate that there is a whole range of unsolved problems in modern urban studies. The direction of this socio-cultural dynamics is rather controversial and contradictory. According to the authors, only time will show which tendency — spontaneous development or planned development — prevails. There is only one thing which is quite clear though: today’s architects and architectonic experts have failed to control the spontaneous development or manage the processes that have been going on in cities over the last decades by engineering or municipal governance. We still have to answer the challenges of the industrial age.

Keywords: social philosophy, architectonics, automated society, suburb migration, urbanization, conversion, de-industrialization, urban development, industrial city, post-industrial city.

Abstract: The author of the article discusses essential relations, differences and similarities of nation and ethnos as the two scientific categories of the social and philosophical discourse and as social communities that actually exist in the reality and describes their ontological grounds. The author also touches upon peculiarities of the processes of ethno-genesis and nation-genesis including the processes of ethno-cultural fragmentation of nations under the conditions of globalization and multi-culturalization, discusses the role of nations and ethnos as systematically important social group actors in the processes of formation, transformation and differentiation of the modern global society and provides an insight into the theories of socio-genesis, their classification and methodological concepts. The researcher carries out a comparative social and philosophical analysis of the main concepts of socio-genesis in terms of nation and ethnos as the actually existing phenomena of social reality and categories of the social and philosophical discourse studied in the process of their historical development. The author establishes a hypothesis about the qualitative difference between ethnos and nation as long-existing different social communities which genesis is related to different spheres of social existence, in particular, spheres of everyday life for ethnos and political spheres for nation. Results of the comparative analysis of the theories of socio-genesis show that a sustainable dualism of the theoretical approaches to the genesis of social communities (constructivism-primordialism) reflects the non-similarity of nation and ethnos as continuously stable phenomena of different social nature.

Keywords: ethnos, nation, socio-genesis, ethno-genesis, nation-genesis, constructivism, primordialism, instrumentalism, ethnocultural fragmentation, globalization.

Abstract: The bishop of Alexandria Athanasius the Great was famous only as a theologian but also a successor to the tradition of Apologists who taught Christianity to pagans. All scientists who study the history of Christianity speak highly of St. Athanasius’ activity. The author of the present article studies philosophical grounds of the classification of religious worships and substantiations of polytheism provided in ‘Orations Against Hellenes’ of St. Athanasius the Great. Oratio contra gentes is not only a polemic but also educating work by St. Athanasius. In his speech the theologian tried to find the reason why people estranged from the natural knowledge of God. He believed that the reason was in people’s attraction to sensuality. However, St. Athanasius believed that the moral decay is not only in one’s estrangement from observing spiritual reality but in one’s focus on himself. The author of the present research article shows how St. Athanasius’ views developed from the basic concepts to the classification of diversified forms of the polytheistic cult and myth. Therefore, St. Athanasius can be considered the founder of the philosophy of religion in the history of Christianity.

Keywords: Athanasius the Great, philosophy of religion, paganism, polytheism, pantheism, contra gentes, Christianity, Patristics, Hellenism, school of Alexandria.

Abstract: The author of the present research article addresses to the philosophical concept of the lifeworld and offers a philosophical and anthropological interpretation of that concept. First of all, the author provides a brief review of various interpretations of the concept of the lifeworld in order to show different aspects thereto. The main attention is paid to the concept of the lifeworld offered by Jurgen Habermas. The concept of the lifeworld was one of the key element of the social-philosophical and social-ethical theory of the German philosopher and closely related to the criticism of technocraticism and ‘scientification’ of civilization. The main purpose of the article is, firstly, to show modern transformations of the concept of the lifeworld taking into account the expansion of biotechnologies and, secondly, to show how mediator’s function of the lifeworld may intensify anthropological risks of constructivist utopias of the 21st century. In the present research the author has mostly used the interpretation method as well as general scientific research methods such as analysis and synthesis. When analyzing social and philosophical aspects, the author applied the dialectic approach and humanitarian criticism. The scientific novelty of the article is in appealing to Jurgen Habermas whose ideas have been understudied by Russian humanities. According to the author, theoretical views of that German philosopher on the lifeworld have the heuristic potential for the solution of philosophical and anthropological issues. Based on that assumption, the researcher makes an attempt to analyze functions of the lifeworld in the modern socio-cultural environment.

Keywords: lifeworld, everyday life, utopia, constructivism, system, biotechnologies, social actors, Jurgen Habermas, public mind, science and technology.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the methodological concepts lying in the basis of the solution of philosophical and anthropological tasks based on Homer’s poems and expressions of the ‘first philosophers’ (Heraclitus and Parmenides). These tasks are usually solved by applying later concepts and terms to interpretation of ancient Greek texts. By calling that approach ‘stylization’, the author of the present article points out obvious disadvantages of it and tries to find an alternative approach. The purpose of the article is to establish methodological grounds for another approach which would go beyond the limits of the ‘stylizing’ approach. As a result, the author outlines the approach to studying the ancient man through practices mentioned in speeches and orations of Homer, Heraclitus and Parmenides.

Keywords: human, ancient times, philosophical anthropology, Homer, Heraclitus, Parmenides, stylization, truth, personality.

Abstract: The subject under research is the moral essence of a young man Raphael de Valentin in Honore de Balzac’s novel ‘La Peau de Chagrin’ (‘The Magic Skin’). The main attention is paid to studying amoral qualities of the main character who was after sensual pleasures and as a result, came to the idea of overindulgence. The author of the present article focuses on the following paradox: what was the actual cause of the marquis’ death? Was it poverty, richness or any other phenomena and forces that usually make a man to suicide? To answer this question, the author of the present article views the image of Raphael de Valentin from the point of view of catastrophism hanging over Raphael. The research method used by the author is based on the combination of the five types of analysis including legal, philosophical, psychological, literary and musicological analysis. The scientific novelty of the research is expressed in several aspects. From the point of view of legal studies, Raphael de Valentin is classified as an ‘accidental’ criminal with reference to others and an ‘unstable’ criminal towards himself. From the point of view of philosophy, the image of Raphael developed from the victim of catastrophism to the bearer of catastrophism and therefore a threat for the society and particular people, but then he appeared to be the victim of catastrophism again or, in fact, the victim of his own desires. From the psychological point of view, the marquis had a thinking stereotype which made him react similarly to different events and therefore brought him to the continuous neurosis leading to the suicide. From the musicological point of view, Raphael’s conflict had the three phases which allows to understand Raphael’s conflict as a psychological conflict between desire and ability, i.e. desire and inability to achieve his desire. As a conclusion, the author establishes that the never-ending power and control over the society granted by the Devil is just an unreal illusion. In Balzac’s novel the Devil’s almightiness was limited by the three circumstances: quite an ‘average’ personality of the marquise, his blindness for true love and the fact that Satan’s abilities were still less powerful than those of the higher forces.

Keywords: Honore de Balzac, Raphael de Valentin, Foedora, man and devil, desire, talisman, catastrophism, soul and mind, death, image.

Abstract: The subject under research is the possibility of application of the term ‘metapoetics’ to music art. The purpose of the research is to define the most efficient approaches to developing metapoetics of music based on the analysis of modern concepts in literature, music theory and philosophy. The results of the research show that being oriented at corresponding opinions in the sphere of literary studies, metapoetics of music has its own specific features that are defined by the non-verbal, non-artistic but procedural nature of music. These specific features are based on the importance of a metatext. In music art the metatext is a flexible and open system of metaelements of the music composition. This shows the prevailing role of the implicit approach to metapoetics of music as a need to focus, first of all, on a musical form as the unfolding meaning associated with the considerable generalized and abstract nature of images and events represented in music. In this regard, the most correct, well-biased and promising approach to metapoetical developments in the sphere of music is the philosophy of poesis as the dialectics of formation and development comleted with the method of transflection or transference allowing to define the emergent and transparent nature of a musical composition. The aforesaid approach takes into account all specific features of music and at the same time does not contradict to any methods declared in metapoetical researches and therefore possesses the necessary heuristicity, ethics of the mutual need and openness for new knowledge. The author’s provisions and conclusions can be used in cultural-philosophical, esthetical, musical theoretical and cultural researches as well as in research activities and academic work performed by university students, Master’s Degree students, post-graduate students and young scientists. The main research method used by the author is the integrated discursive approach aimed at covering different opinions, demonstrating respect attitude to authors and researches and searching for the truth at the crossing points of different views. The novelty of the research is the following: 1) integration of different views and concepts within the framework of the metapoetic discourse has allows to describe special features of metapoetics of music and define the most promising ways of its development; 2) the author shows despite the significance influence of Western European theories including Martin Heidegger’s views, Russian researchers often overcome the anthropological orientation in their works and describe an important role of both ‘horizontal’ and ‘vertical’ chronotopos of music as the poesis of co-existence; 3) the author proves that there is also the need for explicit metapoetics, i.e. the literary heritage of a composer and his epoch, not so much to clarify a composing method but rather to define philosophical and artistic views of a composer; 4) the researcher applies both implicit and explicit approaches to metapoetics of music accompanied with the method of transference in his academic and research activity with university music students and young scientists and these methods prove to be efficient. Conclusions: methodological and technical aspects of metapoetics of music prove the novelty and theoretical and practical importance of the research. However, the topics covered by the article only outline he path for further development of this interesting and important branch of knowledge.

Keywords: metapoetics, implicit, explicit, music art, music poetics, poesis, formation, development, transflection, transference.

Abstract: CKTS (convergence of knowledge, technology and society) is expressed at all levels of knowledge, technology and social life and, as a rule, is a result of diversified reasons. Convergence is in the front row of scientific discoveries and technological development and promises to become the fundamental and integrating sphere of knowledge and transformations as it already happened in case of information technologies and nanotechnologies. Social convergence has a great potential to significantly and efficiently improve human abilities and his economic competitive ability and life safety. There is a certain need to assume this opportunity and undertake particular measures to make convergence a more efficient solution of the problems that are faced by the humankind today. We can even say that the phenomenon of NBICS-convergence is a completely new stage of the technological progress. Convergence is viewed as a developing interaction between scientific disciplines, technologies, communities and human activities for the purpose of achieving their compatibility and integration. Convergence is important for the information society and by analyzing social consequences of convergence we can actually solve problems that cannot be solved by usual science divided into disciplines and branches as well as to create new technologies and knowledge. The process of convergence has been improving over the last few decades. At the first stage the development of nanotechnologies triggered integration of scientific and technological disciplines that used to be independent from one another such as biology, chemistry, condensed matter physics, materials technology, electric engineering, medicine and others). NBIC-convergence was the second stage when new technologies were integrated based on their mutual fundamental concepts such as the theories of atoms, genes (DNA), bites and neurons. CKTS is an another stage of convergence which expands based on the mutual relations and borders of technologies and bring us to the general humanitarian, planetary and social grounds. At this stage associated human, technical, social and natural resources and capacities are combined in order to answer the questions that otherwise cannot be answered by usual sciences and to create and distribute new knowledge, technologies, industries, products and solution for improving the well-being of people. Attraction of humanitarian technologies also gives us a right to talk about creation of a new convergent NBICS-technology were S means socio-humanitarian technologies.

Keywords: CKTS, NBIC, NBICS, convergent technologies, cognitive science, education, world view, social technologies, resources of knowledge, intellectual unification.