Abstract: The article is devoted to the nature of participation of various institutions of civil society in formation of the national research and development policy in modern Russia. This is a subject matter of the scientific research conducted by the author. In this regard the author raises a problem of publicity of state policy in general and research and development policy in particular.Describing the main approaches to formation of priorities of national policy, the author develops V. V. Lobanov's idea. Lobanov defined political, subjective and objective approaches to the problem. The current approach used by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation is described by the author of the article as a 'national and administrative' approach representing combination of the objective approach with certain elements of the subjective approach. Further the author of the article describes the role of institutions of civil society in formation of the national research and development policy and as well as the role of the government as a moderator of this process. Analyzing views of a number of researchers who studied the problems of development of civil society, the author makes a conclusion about insufficient degree of openness and publicity of the specified process. In particular, the author stresses out very insignificant role of political parties, weakness and small number of specialized NPOs and the lack of a good dialogue between the state institution and academic community concerning definition of priorities of the national research and development policy and reformation of Russian science. 

Keywords: state institution, civil society, public policy, national research and development policy, priorities of the national policy, Institutions of Political Mediation, Institutions of Civil Society, political parties, academic community, non-profit organizations

Abstract: Axiological, cultural, social and economic traits, merits and drawbacks of various professions are compared with the aim of their tribute into positive and negative anthropological development. A special attention is paid to contradictions in life-providing potential of professions. Esthetic image of jobs and professions is related to actors’ mastership. Nowadays, on the contemporary level of human labor activity, there grows a necessity to “play’ one’s profession, that is to build “an esthetic canal” to realize and transport one’s professional abilities. This tendency strengthens economic and social status of professions. The article paves the way to a new branch of research–anthropological praxiology which sets problems of human development in respect to labor differently as do sociology, economic theories, culturology and classic praxiology and anthropology.

Keywords: philosophy, praxiology, labor, socium, esthetics, mastership, profession, anthropologic development, cultural contradictions, civilization progress

Abstract: At the Millennium Summit held in 2000 the General Assembly of the UN adopted the Millennium Declaration in which the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) were stated. These 8 goals concern the most actual problems of modern society – poverty, hunger, children's and maternal mortality, distribution of diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, gender inequality, environmental situtiation, lack of access to education, insufficiency support by international community of the least developed and developing countries. The Millenium Development Goals are to be reached by 2015. To get a better idea of progress in achievement of these goals, the author of the article outlined particular subregions on the world map because the level of social and economic development of countries varies even within one region. At the present time there are less than 3 years left till the due date mentioned in the Millennium Declaration, 2015. Progress in achievement of goals is obvious, however, it goes more slowly than it was planned. What is the probability of successful implementation of the most ambitious UN program in history?

Keywords: sustainable development, extreme poverty, Millenium Development Goals, development goals, Millenium Declaration, Millennium summit, the United Nations, aid givers, development aid, subregions

Abstract: Methods used by the system thinking allow to view the development process from the point of view of the unity of cogitation, ideas and social practice. The present article contains the system analysis of global transformations ongoing in our society and the rest of the world now as well as the current stage of development. The authors prove that the current stage of development is a transitional period from linear thinking which is based on the concept of truth to the system thinking which is based on the concept of adequacy. 

Keywords: materialism, idealism, dualism, idea, cogitation, truth, unity, world view, ideology, current stage

Abstract: The article is devoted to democratization of the Russian society from the point of view of liberal ideas. The authors' thesis is that Russian democracy has to adopt to a very complex landscape and yet there are chances for democracy in Russia. On one hand, Russia has very infavorable consolidation conditions for democracy. Nevertheless, these negative features can be compensated by huge efforts and the Russians' will to change. It should be said that the Western liberal idea of deideologization already has influenced the spiritual and moral development of Russian youth. Young people have appeared to be completely helpless when they faced the pressure of the Wetern mass culture emphasizing such faults as the cult of money, violence and erotic, escape of young generation into an illusionary world created by drugs, and etc. Researches conducted among young Russians show that deideologization of the Russian society deprived the young generation of ideology and it is well known that an individual without ideology turns into an animal looking like human. Such individuals have no values that could elate human and form his dignity and faith in the humanistic future of the mankind.     

Keywords: government, civil society, democracy, ideology, liberalism, liberal reforms, national idea, political institutions, political values, evolution of society

Abstract: The authors of the article analyze the Russian Orthodox Church' position concerning participation in political activity in general and in elections at different levels in particular. In late 1980's the question whether to participate or not to participate in elections of Deputies was essentially new to religious confessions in the USSR. In 1989 six religious figures from the Russian Orthodox Church were elected as deputies. However, they were elected not as representatives of their religious organizations but as candidates from allied and republican public organizations. During elections of Deputies of RSFSR in 1990 48 priests of the Russian Orthodox Church were elected as deputies in city and regional village councils and 5 bishops and 11 priests were elected as deputies in regional councils.  In December of1989 due to elections of Deputies of RSFSR and local councils, the Council for religious affairs under the Council of the Ministers of RSFSR published the document "Extract from Definitions of the Hierarchal Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church". The main point of recommendations was to that in each particular case the question whether a priest should participate in elections had to be resolved by the head of the confession. After events of 1993 when Orthodox priests appeared on opposite sides of the barricades that could lead to the split in the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexis II made the decision to forbid priests to participate in state elections.In 1995 the statement of the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexis II was published. Later participation of priests in authorities and elections was condemned by the Hierarchal Cathedral in 1997. 

Keywords: USSR, the Russian Federation, politics, Russian Orthodox Church, election of deputies, patriarch, Alexis II, the Bishops's Council, Moscow Patriarchate Journal, fund