On methodological problems of studying public consciousness

Vol. 34 Iss. 2 pp. 156–166 | St. Petersburg State Institute of Psychology and Social Work | ISSN: 1993-8101
2020 • Issue 2 • Volume 34Discussion club

PDF Download

Abstract

The article deals with the theoretical and methodological problems that arise in the study of the genesis, structure and historical dynamics of public consciousness. It is shown that the most relevant such problem is the problem of "methodological hang-up". Its essence is that the facts related to the study of public consciousness no longer fit into the generally accepted picture of the historical dynamics of society, and a new picture for them has not yet been created. It is shown that the solution to the problem of "methodological hang-up" needs to involve those empirically justified aspects of the analysis that have been insufficiently taken into account in traditional methodology until now. These aspects include: a metalanguage view of historicism as having its own historicity; a systematic view of the phenomena and objects studied as inherently complex; a fundamentally new view of the principles of the semantic organization of culture, including the dynamics of semantic connections; and the use of data related to the study of the "dialogical apparatus of culture". The empirical consequences arising from the consideration of these factors are considered. It is shown that, ultimately, all of them are closed to the problem of the "circle of understanding" ― the main methodological problem of our time, the true scale of which is still not realized. It is also shown that the problem of the "circle" can be solved by using the "black box" method adopted in computer science. The issues related to the problem of entering a fundamentally new paradigm of thinking that really works for the improvement and consolidation of mass consciousness are touched upon.

Keywords

the historicity of «historicism», methodology of empirical generalizations, the principle of «initial complexity», the «circle» problem

Citation

Citation — Harvard Notation

References

  1. Bashilov B. Pushkin i masonstvo (glavy iz knigi). In Bashilov B. A. S. Pushkin: Put k pravoslaviyu [Pushkin and Freemasonry (chapters from the book). In Bashilov B. A. S. Pushkin: the path to Orthodoxy]. Moscow: Otchiy Dom Publ., 1996. pp. 270–299. 335 p. (In Russian).
  2. Bertalanffy von L. Obshchaya teoriya system: Obzor problem i rezultatov. [General Theory of Systems ― Review of Problems and Result.]. Sistemnyye issledovaniya: Yezhegodnik ― System Research: Yearbook. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1969, pp. 30–54 (in Russian).
  3. Vernadskiy V. I. Ob usloviyakh poyavleniya zhizni na zemle [On the conditions for the emergence of life on earth]. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. VII seriya ― Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. VII series, 1931, (5), pp. 633–653 (in Russian).
  4. Vernadskiy V. I. Biosfera [Biosphere]. Moscow: Mysl Publ., 1967. 376 p. (In Russian).
  5. Vernadskiy V. I. Razmyshleniya naturalista. Prostranstvo i vremya v nezhivoy i zhivoy prirode [Reflections of a naturalist. Space and time in inanimate and living nature]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1975. 175 p. (In Russian).
  6. Vernadskiy V. I. Khimicheskoye stroyeniye biosfery zemli i yeyo okruzheniya [The chemical structure of the biosphere of the earth and its surroundings]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1987. 339 p. (In Russian).
  7. Vernadskiy V. I. Filosofskiye mysli naturalista [Philosophical thoughts of a naturalist].. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1988. 520 p. (In Russian).
  8. Vernadsky V. I. Nachalo i vechnost zhizni [The beginning and eternity of life]. Moscow: Sovetskaya. Rossiya Publ., 1989. 704 p. (In Russian).
  9. Gadamer Kh.-G. Istina i metod: Osnovy filosofskoy germenevtiki [Truth and Method: Fundamentals of Philosophical Hermeneutics]. Moscow: Progress Publ., 1988. 704 p. (In Russian).
  10. Gadamer Kh.-G. Aktualnost prekrasnogo [Relevance of the beautiful]. Moscow: Iskusstvo Publ., 1991. 366 p. (In Russian).
  11. Goryunkov S. V. O sootnoshenii mifologii i ontologii (v svete idey V. I. Vernadskogo) [On the relationship between mythology and ontology (in the light of the ideas of V. I. Vernadsky)] In Ivanov V. V. (Ed.) Noosfera I khudozhestvennoye tvorchestvo: sbornik statey [Ivanov V. V. (Ed.) Noosphere and artistic creation: collection of articles]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1991. pp. 88–100 (in Russian).
  12. Goryunkov S. V. O zhizni, smerti i bessmertii kak o metayazykovom soderzhanii mifov [On life, death and immortality as the metalanguage content of myths]. Materialy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferetsii «Zhizn. Smert. Bessmertiye», dekabr 1993, Sankt-Peterburg, Gosudarstvennyy muzey istorii religii [Proc. of the Scientific and Practical Conference «Life. Death. Immortality» of December, 1993 in St. Petersburg held by The State Museum of the History of Religion]. St. Petersburg: Obrasovaniye Publ., 1993, pp. 16–18 (In Russian).
  13. Goryunkov S. V. Na poroge novoy mirovozzrencheskoy paradigmy [On the verge of a new ideological paradigm]. St. Petersberg: Aleteya, 2020. 550 p. (In Russian).
  14. Gouldner A. Nastupayushchiy krizis zapadnoy sotsiologii [The coming crisis of Western sociology]. St. Petersberg: Nauka Publ., 2003. 575 p. (In Russian).
  15. Gribanov N. I. Filosofskiye osnovaniya nauki i fenomen predposylochnogo znaniya: avtoref. dis. … d‑ra filosof. Nauk [Philosophical foundations of science and the phenomenon of background knowledge: D.Sc. (Philosophy) dissertation abstract]. Samara: Russian State Library Dissertation Departmernt Publ., 1996, 263 p. (In Russian).
  16. Gumboldt V. von. Izbrannyye trudy po yazykoznaniyu [Selected Works on Linguistics]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1984. 397 p. (In Russian).
  17. Dal V. Tolkovyy slovar zhivogo velikorusskogo yazyka: v 4 t. [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language: in 4 vols.]. St. Petersburg: Diamant Publ., 1996. 688 p. (In Russian).
  18. Danilevskiy N. Ya. Darvinizm. Kriticheskoye issledovaniye: v 2 tomakh [Darwinism. Critical Research: In 2 vols]. St. Petersberg: 1885. I (I). 541 p. (In Russian).
  19. Darvin Ch. Sochineniya. T.3 [Works. Vol 3.]. Moscow, Leningrad: the USSR Academy of Sciences Publ., 1939. 830 p. (In Russian).
  20. Zavadskiy K. M., Yermolenko M. T. K kritike nomogeneza: Filosofskiye problemy sovremennoy biologii: Sbornik statey [To the criticism of nomogenesis. Philosophical problems of modern biology: Collection of articles]. Moscow, Leningrad: Nauka Publ., 1966. 248 p. (In Russian).
  21. Ivanov V. V., Toporov V. N. Invariant i transformatsii v mifologicheskikh i folklornykh tekstakh. Tipologicheskiye issledovaniya po folkloru [Invariant and transformations in mythological and folklore texts. Typological research on folklore]. Sbornik statey pamyati Proppa V. Ya. [Collection of articles in memory of V. Ya. Propp]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1975. pp. 44–76. 320 p. (In Russian).
  22. Kara-Murza S. G. Oppozitsiya: vybor yest: Tayny sovremennoy politiki [Opposition: there is a choice: Secrets of modern politics]. Moscow: Algorithm Publ., 2006. 368 p. (In Russian).
  23. Kassirer E. Filosofiya simvolicheskikh form: v 3 t. T. 1 [Philosophy of symbolic forms: in 3 vol. Vol. 1] Moscow, St. Petersburg: Universitetskaya Kniga Publ., 2002. (I). 272 p. (In Russian).
  24. Levi L. Okhota za myslyu (zametki psikhiatra) [Hunting for thought (psychiatrist’s notes)]. (In Russian). Available at: http://knigosite.org/library/read/614 (accessed 21.12.2020).
  25. Levi-Stross K. Strukturnaya antropologiya [Structural Anthropology]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1985. 536 p. (In Russian).
  26. Levi-Stross K. Mif, ritual, genetika [Myth, ritual, genetics]. Priroda ― Nature, 1978, 1 (749) (in Russian). 160 p.
  27. Leontyev D. A. Psikhologiya smysla: priroda, stroyeniye i dinamika smyslovoy realnosti [Psychology of meaning: nature, structure and dynamics of semantic reality]. Moscov: Smysl Publ., 2019. 511 p. (In Russian).
  28. Losev A. F. O znachenii istorii filosofii dlya formirovaniya marksistsko-leninskoy kultury myshleniya [On the importance of the history of philosophy for the formation of the Marxist-Leninist culture of thinking]. In Goguadze V. V. (Ed.) Alekseyu Fedorovichu Losevu: k 90‑letiyu so dnya rozhdeniya: sbornik statey [In Goguadze V. V. (Ed.) To A. F. Losev: on the 90th anniversary of his birth: collection of articles]. Tbilisi: Tbilisi University Publ., 1983. 170 p. (In Russian).
  29. Losev A. F. Filosofiya. Mifologiya. Kultura [Philosophy. Mythology. Culture]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., 1991. 525 p. (In Russian).
  30. Lyubishchev A. A. Problemy formy, sistematiki i evolyutsii organizmov: sbornik statey [The problems of form, systematics and evolution of organisms: Collection of papers]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1982. 278 p. (In Russian).
  31. Lukov Val. A., Lukov Vl. A. Tezaurusy: subyektnaya organizatsiya gumanitarnogo znaniya [Thesaurus: subject organization of humanitarian knowledge]. Moscow: the National Institute of Business, 2008, pp. 107–164. 784 p. (In Russian).
  32. Marx K., Engels F. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy: v 39 t. T. 3 [Complete works: in 39 vols., Vol.3 (2nd ed.)]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., 1955–1974. (In Russian).
  33. Marx K., Engels F. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy: v 39 t. T. 30 [Complete works: in 39 vols., Vol.30 (2nd ed.)]. Moscow: Politizdat Publ., 1955–1974. (In Russian).
  34. Nalimov V. V. Spontannost soznaniya: Veroyatnostnaya teoriya smyslov i smyslovaya arkhitektonika lichnosti [Spontaneity of consciousness: Probabilistic theory of senses and semantic architectonics of personality]. Moscow: Academic Project; Paradigma Publ., 2011. 399 p. (In Russian).
  35. Stepin V. S. Semigin V. G. (Eds.) Novaya filosofskaya entsiklopediya: v 4 t. T. 2 [New Philosophical Encyclopedia: In 4 vol. Vol. 2]. Moscow: Mysl Publ., 2011. 744 p. (In Russian).
  36. Gritsanov A. P. Noveyshiy filosofskiy slovar [The latest philosophical dictionary]. Minsk, 2002. 1280 p. (In Russian).
  37. Ogurtsov A. P. Sotsialnaya istoriya nauki: dve strategii issledovaniy [Social history of science: two research strategies]. In Kazyutinsky V. V. (Ed.) Filosofiya, nauka, tsivilizatsiya [Philosophy, science, civilization]. Moscow: Editorial URSS, 1999. pp. 63–88 (in Russian).
  38. Propp V. Ya. Folklor i deystvitelnost [Folklore and Reality]. Moscow: Nauka, 1979. 325 p. (In Russian).
  39. Glushkov V. M. Slovar po kibernetike [Dictionary of Cybernetics]. Kiev: Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia Publ, 1979. 623 p. (In Russian).
  40. Chubaryan A. O. Terminologicheskiy slovar: Teoriya i metodologiya istoricheskoy nauki [Theory and methodology of historical science: Terminological Dictionary]. Moscow: Akvilon Publ., 2014. 576 p. (In Russian).
  41. Tokarev S. A., Meletinskiy Ye. M. (Eds.) Mifologiya. Mify narodov mira: v 2 t. T.1 [Mythology. Myths of the peoples of the world: In 2 vols.Vol.1]. Moscow: Soviet encyclopedia Publ., 1980, pp. 11–20 (in Russian).
  42. Toporov V. N. Istoriya i mify. In Tokarev S. A., Meletinskiy Ye. M. (Eds.) Mify narodov mira: v 2 t. T.1 [History and myths. Myths of the peoples of the world: In 2 vols. Vol.1]. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia Publ., 1980, pp. 572–574 (in Russian).
  43. Toporov V. N. Pervobytnyye predstavleniya o mife (obshchiy vzglyad) [Primitive ideas about the world (general view]. Ocherki istorii yestestvenno-nauchnykh znaniy v drevnosti [Essays on the history of natural science knowledge in ancient times]. Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1982, pp. 8–40 (in Russian).
  44. Gurevich P. S. (Ed.) Filosofskiy slovar (pod red. [Philosophical Dictionary]. Moscow: Olimp Publ., 1997. 318 p. (In Russian).
  45. Kirilenko G. G., Shevtsov Ye. V. Filosofskiy slovar: Spravochnik studenta (pod red.) [Philosophical Dictionary: Student Handbook]. Moscow: Slovo; AST Publ., 2002. 702 p. (In Russian).
  46. Freydenberg O. M. Mif i literatura drevnosti [Ancient myth and literature]. Yekaterinburg: U‑Factoriya Publ.., 2008. 896 p. (In Russian).
  47. Heidegger M. Bytiye i vremya [Being and time]. St. Peterburg: Nauka Publ., 2006. 451 p. (In Russian).
  48. Jung K. G. Problemy dushi nashego vremeni [Problems of the soul of our time]. Moscow: Progress; Univers Publ., 1993. 329 p. (In Russian).