Abstract

At the end of the twentieth century social sciences are terminologically shifted from “information society” to “knowledge society” (“capitalism of knowledge”, “cognitive capitalism”). Vari ous scientists pay a special attention to the analysis of contradictions and risks when discussing the prospects for the development of society with the “knowledge-based economy”. Much of the prospects for social development underscore the unprecedentedness of transformations affecting all social spheres.If the system of social development, one way or another, concentrates around the production and translation of knowledge, the transformation of traditional methods of knowledge operating is inevitable. Therefore conceptualization of the contemporary society is associated with the transition to a new research paradigm. Main issues are called transformations of the institutes and phenomenon which are directly related to the production and translation of knowledge. This way, enlightenment activities can be considered as the most important institution for communication between science and society, which study allows us to identify changes in the ways of knowledge translation.The traditional model of communication between science and society that has developed in the Modern Era presupposed an unequal access to knowledge, hierarchy of knowledge and the vertical model of interaction between popularizers and other people. The digital revolution has given humanity unprecedented opportunities of information openness. At the same time, the search for new strategies of enlightenment is a necessary condition for the development of contemporary society. Contemporary enlightenment means the awakening in a person of the desire to comprehend facts, phenomena, events, understanding of the integral picture of certain social, political, cultural realities. In this regard, the formation of critical competencies and training in research methodology are necessary elements of new enlightenment practices.