Abstract: The subject under review is the philosophy of history. This is the branch of philosophy that studies the historical process, the meaning and goals of history, the breakdown and sequence of the main historical eras and the relation between nature and history, freedom and necessity in the historical dynamics and the end of the historical process or, on the contrary, the endless future of the historical process. These general targets are achieved through solving more particular issues and answering more concrete questions such as: why do people keep memories about the historical process? Why would it be so dangerous to forget our history? What are the special features of the profound historical thinking? Is there a logic pattern in the development of history? What does the saying ‘History always gives a choice’ mean? What is the difference between the traditional society and modern society? Why are social revolutions so dangerous? What is the ‘Russian Idea’? Is the historical development linear or cyclic? What is the information society? Is there any progress in history or is the history and the world just coming to the global catastrophe? These historical questions and issues need more research and analysis. In his research the author of the article mostly bases himself on the historical method that allows to describe the logic of the historical process. The author also criticizes the positivistic approach to the description of the historical process. The scientific importance and novelty of the research is that the author tries to throw light on the main issues of modern philosophy of history. Obviously, these issues cannot be solved without considering a number of gnoseological and logical methodological issues. In particular, the French school ‘The Annals’ was founded based on the idea of social constructivism. According to the author of the article, the historical evidence as itself needs further research and interpretation.

Keywords: philosophy, philosophy of history, power, history lessons, the meaning of history, power mania, freedom, tyranny, war, poetics of everyday life.

Abstract: The subject of the present research article is the philosophy as a special form of the knowledge of being. The purpose of the research is to describe the subject content and ontological nature of philosophy in terms of phenomenology. The essence and the mission of philosophy have been actively discussed by philosophers throughout the past century. Researchers offer several approaches to describing the subject of philosophy. The process of interpreting philosophy involves several procedures of the analytical analysis of being: definition of the subjective measure of being (being-for-myself), description of the phenomenal picture of being (conceptual structure of being) and determination of the features of integrated phenomena in terms of the ‘general subjective’. The main research method used by the author is the phenomenological approach that defines the place of the discourse as well as its mental landscape. Based on this approach, philosophy sees being (and the world) as a subject of interpretation. Philosophers try to understand the meaning (or meanings) of the integral phenomena of being. The author also offers his own interpretation and definition of philosophy. According to the author, philosophy is the existential phenomenological analytics and pragmatics of the general-subjective being that can be understood only if we focus on human existentials and the general-subjective in the world of phenomena that are reflected in human mind. The results of the research and aforesaid provisions can be used in teaching philosophy as well as arguments in never-ending discussions about the subject of philosophy.

Keywords: philosophy, knowledge, subject of philosophy, existence, world, meaning, being-in-general, being-for-myself, phenomenon, general-subjective.

Abstract: The process of scientific development starts with the appearance of numerous unrelated branches of knowledge. Later these branches of knowledge usually are usually combined in larger spheres. However, as these spheres develop and extend, the tendency towards formation of narrower majors appears. On the contrary, different spheres of technology have been always developing interdependently. As a rule, breakthrough in one sphere of technology has been always accompanied with the breakthroughs in other spheres. However, today we can witness the intersection of a whole number of different waves of technological revolutions. In particular, there is the revolution that has been ongoing in the sphere of information and communication technologies since the 80’s of XXth century followed by the biotechnology revolution and the recent revolution in the sphere of nanotechnology. Attention should be also paid to the rapid development of cognitive science during the last decade. The interaction between information technologies, biotechnologies, nanotechnologies and cognitive science appears to be especially interesting and significant. The phenomenon was called the NBICS-convergence (where N means Nano-, B means Bio-, I means Info-, C means cognitive and S means socio-humanitarian studies and technologies). Convergent technologies mean Nano-, Bio-, Info-, Cogno and Social and Humanitarian technologies. The author of the article analyzes the risks and social and economic consequences of the development of these technologies such as the dramatic change in the picture of the world and research methodology. The scientific picture of the world demands us to return to the natural philosophy (philosophy of nature). Even Newton started with the natural philosophy 300 years ago. ‘Philosophy of nature’ covers both natural and humanitarian sciences. Convergent NBICS-technologies serve as an essential tool for solving this task. However, besides positive aspects NBICS-convergence is fraught with dangers and social and economic risks. Key risk factors in many ways depend on particular possibilities and scope of application of the convergent technologies.

Keywords: convergent technologies, socio-humanitarian technologies, socio-economic risks, safety, conceptual grounds of the theory of knowledge, nano-bio-info-technology, cognitive science, scientific picture of the world, suprasectoral technology, technological revolution.

Abstract: The author of the article analyzes economic culture as an object of social and philosophical reflection. Based on the legacy of classical philosophers, the author tries to define the nature of interaction between cultural and economic spheres of social life and describe this interaction as an individual branch of social reality. This becomes possible after the author explains the distinction between culture and economy and emphasizes economic culture as the connecting link between culture and economy. The author also describes functions of the esthetical in culture and touches upon the origin of the myth and ritual as well as their role in the genesis of religion and their connection with the public production. Moreover, the author describes the nature of values, their connection with labor and material and spiritual displays. The results of the author’s research prove the economic approach to have its own limits and therefore not allowing to take into account all the variety of determinants of the economic relations in a society. The author also emphasizes the need for philosophical reflection in solving economic issues.

Keywords: economic culture, values, production, labor, experience, esthetic, economics, life, spirit, harmonization.

Abstract: The purpose of the present research article is to provide a critical evaluation of John Rawls’ theory of justice. The first part of the article is devoted to the main tasks and goals set by John Rawls at the moment of him writing his main work as well as the description of John Rawls’ method of ‘reflective equilibrium’. The second part of the article is aimed at studying arguments used by Rawls when proving his principles of justice, from intuitive arguments to Ralws’ attempt to revive the social contract. The third part of the article is focused on criticizing weak points in Rawls’ theory. In his research the author uses the method called ‘constructive interpretation’ offered by Ronald Dworkin. The goal of this method is to present a subject under research from the best side in order to increase the efficiency of expected criticizing. The present article is devoted to the critical review of one of the most powerful theories of justice that have been created lately. Today this theory of justice is taken by the majority as common sense. The goal of the author is to prove that Rawls’ theory does not quite follow the principles that were developed based on that theory.

Keywords: justice, Rawls, social contract, reflective equilibrium, Dworkin, freedom, equality, principles, social inequality, natural inequality.

Abstract: The author of the article discusses life acquisitions and losses related to the processes and states of violence and nonviolence of human against his mind and of the mind against human. The author outlines the rational borders of the existential experience and discusses the conceptual relations between different ideas, history, eternity, time, past and present. Fatenkov also reveals the special features of the mental or theoretical reenactment of the historical process. He also views and specifies the phenomenon of the end of history and analyzes special features of historiography. According to the author, one’s attitude to the ‘echo of Stalinism’ demonstrates how one feels about the actual past of Russia. Methodological basis of the article is the existential realism and dialects. The author views social historical experience as an essential part of one’s existential experience. According to the author, existential realism offers quite rational views on the end of history and at the same time denies scenarios of the end of history that are too ideology-driven. Only the two scenarios are accepted, the catastrophic and apocalyptic ones. The main feature of reenactment of the past in the situation of the end of history is the tendency towards shortening the distance between the interpreter and the events as well as collapsing of the time gap between particular events.

Keywords: present, past, event, existential, feeling, experience, human, history, historiography, the end of history.

Abstract: The author of the present research article studies the history of the development of philosophical thought of ancient slavs. The author provides key historical and cultural facts of its development and underlines the original nature of the philosophical ideas of the ancient slavs. Chorniy also touches upon the relations between protoslavs thinkers and the philosophy and culture of the ancient greeks. Based on the analysis of the historiographic sources, he focuses on the specifics of the philosophical ideas and problems of the ancient slavs.

Keywords: philosophy, culture, slavs, greeks, education, history, literature, fact, idea, thought.

Abstract: Specific feature of Russian history is the regular genesis of single-type systemic crises. In order to brake the vicious circle and to realize actual potentials it is necessary, first of all, to understand the deep inside reasons of this process. Sources should be found in both ancient and modern history of Russia that provides enough material for analysis and search for better solutions of eternal problem, self-identification being the central problem here. Many century history of this problem is described as the result of the strongest West influence and painful opposition to it. This inferiority complex is most clearly found out at the level of values. The way to self-affirmation in the global world (also as well as in feudal) is the search for values and goals which would be harmonic for our culture instead of the fashionable purposes and values.

Keywords: self-identification, evolution, value, an inferiority complex, reforms, Westerners, Slavophiles, adaptability, history, elite.

Abstract: The author of the article describes personal qualities of Oriental actors in communication with the West. Based on the example of new Indian intellectuals — philosophers of the Bengali Renaissance (from the XIXth till the first third of the XXth century), the researcher shows the difference and similarity of their personal position. These philosophers are the Others both for their Indian surroundings and Western actors of the cross-cultural communication. Along with the Indian identity, this difference defines the specific role of Bengali philosophers and their work created in the dialogue with the West. The methodological basis of the research is the concept ‘Soi-mêmecommeunautre’ (I am Myself as the Other) offered by Paul Ricoeur. The research is based on the methods of phenomenological hermeneutics and analysis of sources telling us about the development of the Bengali Renaissance. The scientific importance and novelty of the research are determined by the demonstration of opportunities of applying Paul Ricoeur’s concept to studying the phenomenon of non-Western intellectuals of the epoch of traditional societies’ modernization and describing that phenomenon based on the Indian sources. The results of the research show that a Bengali philosopher of that epoch acted like an autonomous Western personality that grew up in the Indian environment which allowed him to communicate with the West on equal grounds. His ability to speak a foreign language gives more opportunities for a philosopher to understand the West as the Other. At the same time, a Bengali philosopher explores his own country and reveals advantages of his native land in the course of communication with the West. The philosopher undertakes the initiative and responsibility for his own thoughts, reformative and cultural activity which makes his understanding of the West and India even more fundamental.

Keywords: cultural research, I am Myself as the Other, Indian philosophy, Bengali Renaissance, understanding of the Other, cross-cultural communication (dialogue), problematic philosopher, dialogue with the West, identity, difference.

Abstract: The author of the article views the fear of self-actualization as the main obstacle in one’s personal growth and adoption of general human values. In order to develop an efficient method of overcoming the fear of self-actualization, the author views this phenomenon from the dialectic positions of deficient and existential cultural mentalities. Based on the analysis of the phenomenological model of individual consciousness offered by the author, Rudykh offers a step-by-step analysis of the method of overcoming the fear. The author describes the role and opportunities of personal innovations, spiritual crisis and the awe-fear in the process of personal development and adoption of the values of Being. The author proves that the existential fear enhanced by the spiritual crisis takes the form of the ‘awefear’ which, in its turn, makes the fear of self-actualization even stronger and an individual appears to be more open for the true personal innovation. In this case any deficiency fear creates the picture showing what values should be reviewed and changed in order to get rid of the fear once and for all. The present article will be interesting not only for philosophers and psychologist but also for all who are interested in human being and existence.

Keywords: philosophy, culture, psychology, values, self-actualization, fear, existential, deficiency, myth, innovation.

Abstract: The author of the article tries to answer the question if we can talk about the logic of mythological thinking and if we can, then what the logic of mythological thinking is all about? The author proves that we can’t apply the term ‘logic’ as it was understood by Aristotle here. The author also describes how the views on the logic of mythological thinking have been developing with time and defines the most promising points of view for his study. He describes the consciousness of archaic people and finds out that special features of their consciousness were conditioned by particular forms and rules of thinking. In his study the author uses the evolutionary approach, comparison methods, generalization method and the method of new typification. The author establishes that the archaic thinking was based on certain principles and specific paradigms. As a consequence, mythological thinking is a special type of thinking activity operating a great number of unique methods and techniques. Under the influence of these factors, the process of myth creation has appeared to be a rather determined, theological, efficient and psychologically and esthetically efficient.

Keywords: myth, consciousness, image, concept, reality, determinants, opposition, schemes, paradigms, correlation. ETHICS

Abstract: Moral statements always have a universal or generalized meaning this way or another. They are universal at least because these statements are based on standard generalizations in accordance with values that are typical for particular cultural environment. The level of universality of thinking including moral thinking develops historically and increases as the abilities for generalization and abstracting grow. The starting point in abstracting is the understanding of particular situations and communications, decision making process and evaluations. Based on the conceptual reconstruction of particular episodes from Homer’s poems the author of the article analyzes different forms of generalization made on the basis of a concrete situation. Such generalization is usually performed by the means of the following: 1) sayings that participants of particular situations address to one another; 2) advise given by other people regarding the situation; 3) participants comparing their goals and desires with the opinions of ‘imaginary others’ including ‘generalized’ and ‘sacral’ figures; 4) speech of a poet who expresses his opinion ‘above the situation’ and ‘above personalities’; 5) comparison of decisions made in particular situations with universal values; 6) expression of general sentences made on the basis of opinions that arise in a particular situation.

Keywords: morals, universality, universalism, moral genealogy, universalization of valuable statements, ways of universalization, mutuality, communication, Homer, epos.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the visual thinking as an aspect of the synthetic thinking capable of changing and expressing actual relations through their visualization in art work. The author studies cognitive potentials and functions of the visual thinking allowing to understand the nature of the process of thinking in art. The author proves that in the process of creation of art work, an artist can change the art material that has the ‘primary’ sense into the art work that has the ‘secondary’ sense by using his visual thinking and skills. In order to describe the essence and nature of the visual thinking, the author of the article used empiric and theoretical methods of researching interrelated problems such as tendencies of evolution of art, nature of art creative process, artistic and expressive aspects of the art image. The author establishes that the visual thinking allows the artist to express his idea in an integrated image and the product of such creative work gains a cultural value. The author also underlines the importance and topicality of this research. According to the author, audo-visual culture is becoming an essential part of our being and the development of higher levels of visual thinking can create rich and full art images.

Keywords: visual thinking, art work, the process of creation of artwork, artist, rational, sensual, cognitive functions, visual expression, language.