The Branch of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), the Institute of Sociology of the Federal Center for Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the RAS, the RAS Institute of Philosophy, and the RAS Institute of Psychology are arranging “Individualization and Collectivism in Contemporary Russian Society” scientific conference, to be held in Moscow, April 2024. The event marks the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 95th birth anniversary of the Russian philosopher and social theorist (...) A.S. Akhiezer. Its primary objective is to foster the development of criteria for analyzing intersubjective relations within the act of social development. The conference’s focus on the investigation of social development is grounded in the dominants of contemporary philosophical-sociological non-classics and proposes several topics for discussion. These include the transition from the absolutization of Kant’s categorical imperative, which mandates the consideration of humans solely as the ultimate end in the system of intersubjective communication and the knowledge process, to an alternative consideration of humans as means of self-improvement and a crucial resource for social development (V.S. Bibler). It encompasses the rejection of absolutizing the function of contrasting faith and knowledge, the Self and the Other, the “own” and the “foreign,” scientific and everyday consciousness (V.A. Lectorsky, I.T. Kasavin, V.N. Porus). The interpretation of the meaning of personality shifts from concepts like cogito ergo sum, “pure Self,” “Self,” “Ego,” “Super-,” to the “ability of the Self to respond to the call of the Other,” thereby forming the smallest cell of the socio-individual as a synthesis of the social and the individual (M.M. Bakhtin, V.A. Lectorsky, R.S. Grinberg). Overcoming the established inequality of economic systems is addressed through the socio-individualism of small and medium-sized enterprises (A.S. Akhiezer, R.S. Grinberg). The conference also anticipates discussions on the following topics: How do the transfer and exchange of accumulated global knowledge from the individual to the other, and vice versa, contribute to the formation of small creative groups, serving as a communicative platform for nurturing socially oriented individuals – agents of social development? Moreover, how can dialogue be effectively constructed among participants of partnership relations who operate on differing premises (J.-P. Sartre)? The discussion is aimed at contemplating the contradictory, oxymoronic, yet dialogue and synthesis-oriented concepts of “individualization of the social,” “socially oriented individual,” and “socio-individualism.”. (shrink)

The article explores the conditions enabling the celebration within the context of philosophical, enlightening, and educational activities. The authors contemplate the role of leisure in human life, referencing Plato’s view of leisure as a prerequisite for philosophical discussion, Aristotle’s concept of intellectual leisure for the free citizen, Josef Pieper’s understanding of leisure as a means for personal and spiritual development, and Sebastian de Grazia’s perspective on the interconnection between leisure and creativity, culture, individual freedom, and society. It is argued that (...) leisure as an intellectual activity has not become customary in society since Aristotle’s time and, in the modern world, the definition of this concept is confined merely to the realm of entertainment. This limitation necessitates the search for new forms of intellectual leisure that are relevant in the context of contemporary mass culture. The authors analyze the philosophical ball as a form of intellectual leisure, particularly focusing on the years of experience in organizing annual festive events by the family philosophical club “School of Socrates” at the Central House of Artists in Moscow. The external, attributive form of the philosophical ball is linked with Mikhail Bakhtin’s concept of the carnivalization of culture: its spectacles, theatricality, the presence of masks and costumes, and the involvement of all participants in a unified action. The internal content of the philosophical ball is determined by philosophical concepts, historical figures, or artistic images relevant to the specific era and culture, facilitating the perception and discussion of the proposed philosophical ideas. The narrative is further enriched by a case study detailing the methodological orchestration of a philosophical ball themed around Russian Symbolism. The authors conclude that the philosophical ball, as a form of intellectual leisure, addresses epistemological tasks and serves enlightening and educational functions: it engenders an authentic milieu of philosophical festivity, nurturing the creative impetus of its participants and facilitating a profound and universally accessible experiential odyssey into the realms of worldview and cognition. (shrink)

The article analyzes the reports of the Club of Rome issued subsequent to its semicentennial celebration. The analysis uncovers the evolutionary trajectory of the Club’s conceptual frameworks, transitioning from the stark alarmism prevalent in the early 1970s to a grounded optimism characteristic of the early 21st century. The majority of its publications, in explicit or implicit form, essentially respond to a question of Hamletian scale that arose within the discussions of the “limits to growth” model: Is it possible, and if (...) so, how, to overcome the antagonism between the continuous growth of the needs of an increasing humanity and the relatively limited natural-resource potential of the biosphere? The analysis introduces an analysis of world development scenarios by 2050, ranging from inertial extrapolation of current trends to radical transformations of global political, socio-economic, and cultural processes. The discourse reflects on the report authors’ contemplations regarding societal adaptability to undergo a “true human revolution,” entailing a fundamental reassessment of established economic models and advancement toward innovative global governance strategies. The paper scrutinizes the assertion that society’s “unlearnability” is one of the key obstacles to the sustainable development of civilization. Significant emphasis is placed on the imperative for a comprehensive transformation encompassing the global educational landscape and the cultivation of a novel (sustainable) mindset, one that appreciates the intricate interplay among economic, environmental, and sociocultural perspectives on the global dynamics of the “humanity – biosphere – civilization” system. Humanity, overcoming the turbulences of contemporary world development, possesses all the prerequisites for a constructive analysis and design of strategic perspectives of the foreseeable future. (shrink)

The article explores the transformative impact on human and social sciences in response to anticipated societal shifts driven by the forthcoming proliferation of artificial systems, whose intelligence will match human capabilities. Initially, it was posited that artificial intelligence (AI) would excel beyond human abilities in computational tasks and algorithmic operations, leaving creativity and humanities as uniquely human domains. However, recent advancements in large language models have significantly challenged these conventional beliefs about AI’s limitations and strengths. It is projected that, in (...) the near future, generative AI models will adeptly replicate individual qualities, desires, beliefs, opinions, and the essence of human identity and consciousness to a degree that is nearly indistinguishable from that of humans. This lends support to the connectionist approach to understanding consciousness, suggesting an inherent similarity between biological and artificial neural networks. The discussion posits two innovative areas of scientific inquiry: “mathematical anthropology” and “multi-dimensional calculus of value.” The former suggests that viewing human nature through a mathematical and calculative lens not only preserves but enriches our understanding of the complexity of anthropological experience and its perceived contradictions. The latter hypothesis explores how mathematical models could facilitate various social interactions. The advanced simulation capabilities of neural networks suggest that traditional social and political frameworks face a growing vulnerability to AI-driven manipulations. This trend underscores the urgency of developing social interaction models that incorporate explicitly defined calculative rules. In conclusion, the paper advocates for a paradigm shift in how mathematics is perceived – not merely as a tool for computation but as a foundational science for crafting sophisticated models. In conclusion, the article advocates for transitioning from perceiving mathematics solely as a science of computation to viewing it as a discipline dedicated to constructing various formalized models, thereby deepening our insight into the complexities of human and social phenomena. (shrink)

The article delves into the conceptual frameworks surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) by juxtaposing it with natural intelligence and delineating the correlated notions. It enumerates the issues propelling the discourse on the explored topics. The author proposes a bifurcation between two polar concepts of artificial intelligence. The first is dubbed “imitative,” where AI is perceived in relation to natural intelligence as its technical recreation, capable of not only emulating but significantly outstripping its natural counterpart. A prerequisite for embodying this concept is (...) understanding natural intelligence; three approaches are examined: (a) acknowledging the lack of a precise understanding of natural intelligence, (b) exploring it from a biological perspective, and (c) analyzing it from a psychological perspective. The author articulates their own interpretation of natural intelligence, portraying it as a multifaceted amalgam of cultural, historical, social, and anthropological elements. From this vantage point, natural intelligence emerges not merely as a natural formation (thereby, discussions about the laws governing its function and evolution are warranted), but also as an “extra-natural” formation, its existence dictated by randomness and uniqueness, meaning natural intelligence evolves in a “singular” manner. In the context of comparing natural and artificial intelligence, the discussion encompasses several issues: the feasibility of the control of natural intelligence processes, the structure of neural networks, the superiority of computer programs in chess, the use of neural networks to write academic papers, and so forth. The conclusion posits that given artificial intelligence, despite its complexity, remains a technical invention orchestrated and brought to fruition by humans as a tool; society, if inclined to bestow AI with autonomy for tackling specific tasks, ought to do so prudently to prevent self-detriment and retain the ability to curtail or utterly revoke such autonomy. (shrink)

The core objective of this article is to advocate for the cultivation of philosophical thinking, a pivotal element that fosters a profound understanding of the evolutionary trajectory of the information society and the human role within this paradigm. An examination of the unique attributes of the information-communicative educational space, coupled with the tenets of post-classical knowledge, underscores the imperative for nurturing human capabilities and personality traits essential for efficacious self-identification within the information society. The anthropological nature of philosophy focuses on (...) understanding that rational, abstract-universal, theoretical thinking is fundamentally value-laden, not free from human interests. These interests determine the directions of scientific research and, if necessary, limit freedom of choice. The philosophical perception of communication, seen as a wellspring of new knowledge generation aimed at pragmatic problem-solving and emerging from human solidarity, promotes the cultivation of creativity, an intrinsic quality of the persona. A favorable factor for the successful development of dialogical thinking is the transformation of the previously dominant written culture into an oral one, where natural spoken language plays an increasingly important role. The exigency for a high degree of personal individualization and thought individualization, prerequisites for successful self-identification, calls for the fostering of stereoscopic and pluralistic thinking. Such thinking, inherent to the philosophical discourse, inherently possesses an authorial essence and proffers diverse interpretative responses to identical queries, thereby catalyzing the development of contextual thinking adept at unraveling the meaning of events in situational contexts. Globalization, accompanied by an increase in the world’s diversity, contributes to the development of global thinking – the ability to solve local problems considering global patterns. As a counterbalance to informational pluralism, the visual turn emerges, epitomized by the capacity to encapsulate voluminous data into intricate montaged images and to adeptly interpret such constructs. This paradigm shift necessitates the enhancement of visual thinking, which, as contemporary philosophy posits, is oriented toward assimilating social experience, laying the groundwork for self-identification. The presented arguments substantiate the conviction that the development of philosophical thinking in the educational process is not an auxiliary factor, but an imperative of the modern information society. (shrink)