Perspectives of Social Philosophy

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Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences 7 (2014 7) 1104-1111 ~ ~ ~

УДК 316.4:141.201

Vyacheslav E. Kemerov* Ural Federal University named after the B. N. Yeltsin 51 Lenin, Ekaterinburg, 620083, Russia

Received 19.01.2014, received in revised form 28.01.2014, accepted 15.04.2014 Understanding of the problems and perspectives of the Russian society does not fit into the traditional philosophical forms. The Russian culture confronts the task of constructing a social philosophy of a new type. This is what is discussed in this article. Keywords: social philosophy, sociology, social knowledge, philosophical tradition, social pesspectives.

Russian philosophy has always stressed its individualism, personality, etc. Thus the concept humanitarian orientation. However its concepts of sociality appears rather not a means of of humanism have always remained extremely concretization of the understanding of people, but vague. That is why its himanitarian orientation an obstacle on this path. was also indistinct, and quite often just illusory. There is only a seeming paradox in In a post-perestroyka peroid Russian this situation. Behind the strange logics of philosophy (and social philosophy in particular) the concepts there is real Russian history, cannot ant longer remain on a level of indistinct in particular the history of the last seventy humanitarian concepts, humanistic slogans and years, when the social forms were not only myths. It is necessary to draw the ideas of man alienated from the living human individuals, and people as close as possible to the reality of but this quasiindependence of them was in human relationships and social forms taking itself interpreted as an expression of the unity shape in these relationships. of individual and group interests, as the focal However this is a very complicated task to a point of the values of a just society. number of reasons. Social philosophy must show society its The first of them – not in importance, but in reality, offer the people perspectives of activity. order – is that the concept of sociality in general But to fulfil its duty it has to rethink the соnсept and of social philosophy in particular turns out of sociality, till it with the Individuals human to be ambiguous. Moreover in the process of a meaning. And this means it has to rethink its consistent analysis it proves both on a common- own sociality itself in the first place. sense and on a theoretical level to be alien, even Let us pose a question: a non-social the opposite to the notions of humanitarianism, philosophy at all possible?

Of course, nowadays the majority of First of all it is probably important to stress philosophic teachings do talk of man and the the responsiveness of Russian philosophy to some being of man in society in one way or another. social ideas of Marxism. Then it is necessary to But very few philosophic trends can say what bear in mind that Marxism that had overmastered particular man do they have in mind. And it’s Russian social thought, was one the dogmatic understandable. What can one tell a man about versions of a complex and far from uniform set himself and his perspectives operating with on Marx's ideas. It is necessary also to remember abstract notions of history, humanism, society, that the social teaching of Marx was most sociality, etc. actively employed in Russia not in its theoretico- This is particularly true of Russian methodological, but in a politico-ideological part, philosophy, though it is not alone in this. It was that many complicated conceptual systems of invariably inattentive to the social being of real Marx's research were interpreted and propaganded people, unprofessional in the analysis of their (including the education system) in extremely life forecasts. It is hugely responcible for the fact simplified and hackneyed forms: it was true of all that the inhumal conditions of people’s life and the methodology of social analysis, of concepts activity on the level of ideology and psychology of the social process periodization, of the notions were regarded as a noem. of determinism, personality, social systematics, culture, etc. Making even with past Marx's methodology does employ the Clarification of Russian social philosophy’s techniques of reduction of the individual being perspectives is of course closely connected the people to abstract social forms (to cost, with the analysis of its former illusions and public forces reproduction, classes, groups, delusions. And this analysis unlike the kitchen their relationships). In his work the meaning of talks and the heated meeting debates should these techniques is seen first of all in finding of be, if possible, methodologocally accurate. In the original logical carcasses for consideration this case there arises a situation of the social of particular problems, in construction of the philosophy turning oh social philosophy itself original ontologies, or in description of a situation as a special cultural-historical subject. As a which is purely economic, for example, the logic results of such a consideration the tendencies of things when it is posiible and necessary to of practice, thinking, bahaviour of people distract attention from the individual human experessed directly or in a transformed way in content of the events and clarify the general social-philosophy patterns make take shape; outline of the process. social-philosophic dogmas and myths will It is true that Marx himeself had founded the stand out as stable links of the social being tradition of incorrect use of his methology, when of people not overcast by separate figures and in the course of a political polemics he operated names, political campaigns and ideological by such reduced and simplified notions of the «dislocations». people's being. But that belongs to the history of In the last years a dehumanized character of the 19th century. Our task today is to understand Russian social philosophy is a rule explained by why the vulgarized Marxism happened to become subordination to Marxist ideology. To a certain an official ideology in the 20th century Russia, it’s true, and the problem lies exactly in acquiring why on the foreground a concept of abstract, in the means to measure up this extent. dehumanized and deinndividualized sociality was – 1105 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy firmly established, why is it in fact maintained of Marxism closed. But the problem of sociality until today (i.e until the 2Ith century) and what it outgrows the problems of the relationships of is necessary to do understand its nature, to reason Russian culture with Marxism. We have to look it out and overcome methodologically? for some other, deeper (in historical and spiritual In the context of our reasoning it’s good aspects) roots of reproduction of abstract sociality. to remind of «forgetting» by the philosophy of But.... bolshevism of all those aspects of the teaching The scores of Russian social philosophy of Marx, which reflected the nature of alienation with Marx’s concepts and his methodological of individuals from their social bonds, the programs is still intact. Rejection of the dogmatic antihumane nature of the socialized to the extent Marxism has by no means deepen the potentials of a complete break from the individual being that could, for instance, be used for the analysis of men of economics, production, state, ideology, an alienated sociality, for clarification of realistic science. Practically any work that tried to establish perspectives of its humanization (2). Work with a pronounced connection of sociality with the such motives as the «universal» labour and the individual being of the people, and even more creativity of everyday life, sensual-supersensual so that had found that sociality – its life-giving nature and individuality could prove to be quite and perverted forms – in the content of that being useful for rethinking of the existing patterns of itself met with a hidden «inner-science» or an activity and reasoning ... (3). open, official and ideological opposition. Secondly, lack of understanding of Marxism This organized «forgetfullness» (or lack of on the part of Russian philosophy can be interpreted understanding) a number of important aspects of as its generic feature, i.e. as a feature not related Marx’s research, that went on in Soviet philosophy directly to Marxism, but predetermined by the until the mid-eighties looked, especially in the back of a tradition of an in-depth penetration West the works, using the techniques of Marx’s into the logical and methodological «structure» methodology for characterization of the alienated of other conceptions, and the underrating is forms of sociality, power, knowledge, culture general of the logicomethodological aspect of a were widely acknowleged(1) philosophical culture. Questions of this kind even if posed by It is good to remember that philosophy of Russian philosophers of a previous decade, never Dilthey and Rickert did not receive a notable reached the pages of books and magazines on the response in Russia in a pre-October period, though territory of USSR. It was said: philosophers are in those conceptions perspectives of the social silent (i.e. «if they were not, everything could be philosophy of the 20th centure were outlined. It different). happened because the social-philosophical Now these questions can be discussed problems were posed primarily as methodological anywhere without restrictions. But it does not issues, i.e. seemingly irrelevant to the vital mean at all that they are being answered in any social and human problems. Methodology of way. We can repeat them. And will have to admit: understanding and study of sociality seemed to Society still functions as if independently of the Russian philosophy too abstract, speculative, the people, individuals still, as of the old times, remote from immediate needs of reality. realize their being as if outside sociality. Methodological search carried out The official dogmatic Marxism has lost its by Dilthey, Rickert, M. Weber, and some positions in Russia. And one could regard the issue phenomenologists was closely related to the – 1106 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy attampts to reach a better understanding of the Without sociology problem of sociality through working out of Modern social philosophy is oriented to a the techniques of reflecting the reproduction, practical research work of social-humanitarian understanding the specific, particular, individual disciplines: there lie its pragmatic and theoretical in the life of men. The fate of anthropology, and interests, there are the possibilities for application hence of social philosophy was being decaded on of its methodological hypotheses, for testing its this methodological frontier. However Russian world outlook projects. In other words, nowadays philosophy stayed indifferent to this search. It, the interdependence of social philosophy and as was already mentioned, seemed too remote social-humanitarian disciplines is not only from the needs of the real life. But alongside obvious, but seems to push the traditional link with that they seemed alien also to the spiritual of social philosophy with general philosophic tradition of understanding sociality with its constructions into the beckground, it reduces and leaning on the directness of feeling, irrationality transforms the effect of abstract philosophical of the moves of the soul and the man’s contacts definitions upon the picture of social process with world. created by social philosophy. It is important to bear in mind that within Orientation of social philosophy to a this spiritual tradition an individual man was particular movement of social-humanitarian subordinated to the idea of conciliarity, appeared knowledge, its immersion into the working of to stay in its shadow. The problem of personality social-humanitarian disciplines are «suffered» seemed to dissolve in the idea of conciliarity, by a social philosophy of the 20th century. In vanished or was in some mystical way solved its dramatic experence there is a rejection of within the latter. Let us refer here to such an a specific method of learning a social life, experienced dialectician and phenomenologist as «naturalization» of social sciences, attempts to A.Losev, who spoke of the undeveloped interest of substitute a philosophy of society by a sociology, Russian philosophy to the subject of an individual crisis of the sociology’s claims to leadership, man (4). realization of the need of society and science to We may also remember IN.Berdyaev in substantiate the practical and theoretical activity this connection, who focussed his attention of men, and of real human communities. on the topic of an individual man, but treated The experience of Russian philosophy it is isolation from the discussion of sociality, of the 20lh century is a tragic one. It seemed in fact ignoring the importance of the latter at time it ceased to exist altogether. But this for the understanding of a true being of an experience though tragic was not an experience individual. of work on a concrete understanding of social Leaving aside for moment the religious and process, its aspects, stages and states. On moral aspects of the conciliatity idea, one can creation and application of cognitive and active mention that it reduced sociality to jointness, to the forms clarifying the elements and ties of social immediate collectivity. The ideas of sociality as a reality. disjointed, having various means of establishing Russian social philosophy throughout the human ties reality remained dim. This situation, whole of the 20authorities and intended to give a clear definition the evalution of social sciences. of some approaches to social reality, to show – 1107 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy its problem «crosssections», to uncover enough and then in the person of its later dissolved in material, conceptual apparatus to be able to other forms of social thinking; «sociology» as reproduce a detailed picture of the communal life a name itself dropped away from scientific and of the people, to present various models of the cultural use. evolution of society, Assumptions and suppositions Hard pressure of practice, ideology uttered by philosophers in those cases pointed to and philosophy of bolshevism upon social- some paradoxes and contradictions, formulated humanitarian disciplines resulted in their people’s reactions to events, but on the whole practically total loss of taste to independent they remained on the level of commonplace theoretico-methodological work and the very constatations and hypotheses. ability to obtain realization of their subjects, One of the reasons for this was the tasks, perspectives, etc. Psychology closed on defectiveness of social science as a complex or a cognitive-pedagogical problematics leaving system of social-humanitarian disciplines and, in the subject of personality and its development the first place, the underdeveloment ( and from comletely outside. Pedagogy was busy mostly the twenties to sixties a virtual nonexistence) of with teaching and formation of social individuals sociology. in the spirit of their adjustment to the dominant Sociology as a science began to develop in political and ideological stereotypes. Psychiatry Russia long before the revolution of 1917. By its in its personality – and social understanding results and potential it was in the beginning of just never started. Economics found itself the twentieth century quite compatible with the completely dehumanized, which lead afterwards sociology of Europe and America. But at the same to «convuesive» attempts to complement it with a it should be mentioned that its influenece on social «human factor». philosophy, science, culture, everyday thinking Being unable to exercise its independence of the Russian society was minimal. It correlated in theoretico-methodological constructions quite well with what N.Berdyaev characterized as some social sciences tryed to compensate their the «ascetic abstinence the limits of the utilitarian defectiveness by experimental (in a winder needs for aims moral, social, or religious.». sense empirical) work of a natural-science The lack of differentiated ideas of sociality type or character. Attempts of this kind were in society’s conscienece was to a great extent made in psychology as well as in economics, determined by an insueficient structural and archeology, though they did not have any organization of social reality itself, immaturity contributed to further «smearing» of issues of the of practice employing the economic, legal, moral content and forms of social-human subjectiveness standards for a construction and reproduction studied by sciences in their joint and separated of various relationships between the people and activity). groups. It is possible that in the course of time The characteristic calls to establish ties sociology could have exerted a much greater between practice and science, and to follow real influence upon the practice and the society’s life, topical interests of society more than anything conscience in the aspect of clear differentiation of else teastify to the fact that the ideologists and social ties and the notions of them, but the course quite a number of «social scientists” believed of historical events «smeared» that perspective. (and believe to this day) that social reality was After the October revolution sociology was pushed something given, directly available for change back to the periphery of social life and thought, and interpretation. – 1108 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy

An illusion of the immediate perception of appears as vagueness of notions of real standarts social reality characteristic for Russian conscience of human behaviour and reducing them to the and Russian social philosophy was preserved form of a commonly accepted norm, on everyday throughout the bolshevik period and has even practical level turns out to be a chaotic tangling outlived it. Until today in scientific and other of social ties, a social and personal irresponcibilty circles there are widely spread notions according of people. to which the vision of reality appears and exists Thus the immediate perspectives of social without special personality and research efforts, philosophy seem to be sufficiently clear. First of and the understanding of social reality is possible all confronts the task of creating such a picture without specific work of sociology, economics, (model, ontology) in which basic structures of history, psychology, without clear definition of social being will be represented as the forms their subjects and methods, their integration, of activity, communication, self-realization without social and philosophic understanding of of people. Such an ontology must have an the state of social-humanitarian disciplines and antinaturalistic and in this sense metaphysical perspectives of their evolution. orientation. The meaning of such a metaphysics This illusion in the period of reformation that is to stress the lack of coincidence of everyday of started in late eighties confirms the widespread society, to demonstrate processuality, dependence belief that transformations in the Russian of social ties on constantly reproducing itself life society can be fulfilled at the simultaneous and activity of people. reduction of social and humanitarian education, Metahpysics of this kind inevitably becomes corresponding areas of research, with just a metohodology fying the subjects and methods «commonsense» as a safe foothold. Numerous of sciences of men and society, and at the same supporters of this view don’t understand (do time acquiring in the concepts of specific not want or are unable to understand) that disciplines the understanding of the patterns of undifferentiated, unferflectorized, vague human life, «entangling» into an ever appearing and «ambiguous commonsensc» is a part of and vanishing picture of social being lighting on unstructured, undeveloped to a sufficient degree, a screen of social philosophy. and hence elusive and uncontrollable sociality. The lack of understanding of what is the real Gaps and problems group composition of the Russian society, what A tradition of an individual «finish» of true interests determine its dynamics fully sociality was never formulated in Russian social corresponds to the helpeessness of people in philosophy, and correspondingly there was no determining their abilities, means, rights and social-conceptual formulation of individual boundaries of activity. being, it was not represented in elementary social What on the of social philosophy maniferst forms of action, communication, means of human itself as the lack of the picture of social being, activity, instruments and dimensions of human including specific characteristics of human behaviour. individuals with their forces. Means and forms The absence of this tradition points of activity, on the level of separate social- indirectly to vagueness of these forms (means, humanitarian disciplines takes the form extremely instruments, dimensions) in the practical life of vague definitions of their subjects and methods, society itself. Both proffessional and everyday their specific description and social-reformation experience of human behaviour point to their – 1109 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy unformulatedness. The culture of their application need of society to have a detailed structural in the sense of habit, rules, understanding of their representation of its being and conscience, and social value has not become a constant of human the very unformulatedness, vagueness of this relationships. need are tangling into а «ргоЫет knot» which Still less can sociality be represented as a social philosophy would have to disentangle in system of stimuli for individual activity. In its the first place. And only having resolved this basic components and relationships it acts not problem situation would it be able to approach as an «intensifier» but rather a restriction for the more complicated methodological issues, to individual activity. Its institutions are meant for determine the world view perspectives. such an operational regime which docs not require We can try to express the same in the on the part of the individuals any introduction of language, which is traditional for the Russian new ideas and «construction» of social ties. social philosophy, i.e. through the notions of At the present moment already a «third conciliarity and spirituality. attempt» is being made in Russia to create a civil The idea of conciliarity proves to be wider society and a legal state. What is the message of than the idea of immediate communality, this «revision of never learned», this «return to monolith sociality. In the social form of individual the unperformed»? Apart from other things it being of men, their indirect connection, their tells that the elementary means for the solution of practical and spiritual development acquires ever this problem are still unformed: both everyday, greater importance for «coming to council» and practical, clarifying the value of individual life of maintaining of social ties in their independent the people, and structural, normative providing activities. This «coming to council» requires coordination and subordination of various human from the individuals the ability to adjust forces. All previous unsuccessful attempts as correctly their own actions to the actions of well as today's difficulaties once again prove: a others, practical and spiritual skills of bringing civil society and state are impossible where the them to proporitons. civil, i.e. in the first place personal ties do not This issue of the ability of the individuals form an inseparable part of everyday sociality, to bring to proportion their real actions and where the elementary legal or rational standards forces, to use in their everyday activity some do not connect and balance the actions of various clear social measure points to the rational people. aspects of spirituality. Rationality appears not Social philosophy can longer in an just a pragmatic estimation of people, things, «indirect way» through its insufficiency and and situations, but rather a means of uncovering «incompleteness» of social knowledge describe social values and human meanings of a current this situation as such. By all means society or future action. Rationality as a specific ability (though not in a very clear way) does express of men is wider than calculation of useful effects its demand for a more detailed social and (e.g. exchange): it sets a system of coordinates, philosophic description of its perspectives and, connecting the near and far removed actions of correspondingly, for an analysis of the barriers the people, their projects and self-accounts. This which systematically block its way to a civilized rationality appears to be a significant aspect of development. existence of spirituality, « a boundary zone» The insufficiency of social philosophy, between the «high» spirituality (as it is usually «incompIeteness» of social knowledge, the referred to) and the practical needs of the people. – 1110 – Vyacheslav E. Kemerov. Perspectives of Social Philosophy

The complexity of today’s problems in Social philosophy's real work in human Russia, their mosaic and polyphonical character experience begins when it points to its demand of course a new strategy of human insufficiency, its limited character. Insufficiency behaviour. But this strategy must have a cultural for what? For clarification of problems people and historical foothold and first of all in everyday themselves are trying to find a solution to. This forms of human activity. Otherwise social reforms is how the real being of sociality is « carried out» can become an eternal return to the issues of beyond the limits of the «natural», traditional and elementary forms of human interaction. wellknown.

References 1. Goldner A. The Coming Crisis of Western Society. L. 1971: Homans G. Bringing Men Back In// American Sociological Review, 1964, v.29, №3. 2. See for example: Kemerov V.E. Methodology of social knowledge: problems, stimuli, perspectives. Sverdlovsk, 1990: Kemerov V.E Society. Sociality. Subjectness. M., 2012. 3. Losev A.F. Philosophy, mythology, culture. M.1991. 4. Berdyaev N. The fate of Russia. M., 1990, p.81.

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