This article develops a theory of the structure of operational and functional components of the thinking process: the problems of analysing procedural units of thinking are formulated; the content of the “method of thinking” and “technique of thinking” concepts are given a precise definition. The author analyses the content and relational characteristics of procedural units of different types.
This article identifies the role of ontology in the system model of argumentation (SMA). Since the term ‘ontology’ is rarely used in argumentation studies and the context of its usage is rather unconventional, there is a need to define the notion of ontology within SMA. The method for studying argumentation in SMA is that of modelling, the second important step is analysing the role of ontology in argumentation modelling.
This article considers the reception of the liberal concept of freedom in Russian conservatism as exemplified by K. N. Leontyev and L. A. Tikhomirov. Reasoning in the framework of Russian philosophical organicism, each philosopher insists on his own approach to analysing social phenomena. It is shown that Leontyev, in line with naturalistic aestheticism, sharply criticises the philistine ideal triumphing through the implementation of the liberal interpretation of freedom. Tikhomirov, under the influence of political philosophical realism, focuses on analysing the theory and practice of the liberal democratic mechanism. The author pays special attention to the personalist/impersonalist elements in Leontyev’s and Tikhomirov’s argumentation. The correlation between monarchical and revolutionary-conservative principles in the thinkers’ interpretation of liberal “freedom” is revealed
This article analyses Fedor Stepun’s idea of social Christianity. The au¬thor identifies the axiological context of the Baden School of Neo-Kantian thought in Stepun’s interpretation of Christian God. The significance of Christian politics in the philosopher’s assessment of socio-political processes is stressed.
The article considers the ethical and anthropological component of double discourse in V. Nabokov’s novel Despair. The author considers the problem of comparison between a person and a thing addressed by Nabokov. Parallels to the doppelganger discussion and ethical criticism in Russian philosophy and literature abroad are drawn.
The article considers the connection between ethics, in particular Kant’s practical philosophy, and economics. The author examines historical reasons for Kant’s ethic not to have become part of the economic discourse and interprets modern business processes from Kant’s perspective. The article aims to demonstrate the possibilities of applying the philosophical instruments of Kant’s morals to concrete economic issues.
This article analyses Berlin’s negative and positive interpretations of freedom and idea of value pluralism. It is concluded that pluralism of values and liberals’ negative freedom results in the problem of relativism and ‘Hobbes/Berlin dilemma’ — the dilemma between individual and collective reasons. The concepts of freedom of L. Wittgenstein’s (Hurly, Pettit) and J. Habermas are considered through the prism of these concepts.
In the context of social and philosophical reflection and based on interdisciplinary studies, the article considers megatrends of social development since the development of a producing economy in the world. Following the ideas of V. I. Vernadsky on socionatural development of the world, the author analyses the key megatrends unveiling the contradictory nature of social progress. The development of social life leads to the demise of natural one. The author sug¬gests ways of preserving and developing the biosphere life.
This article considers the possibility of philosophical education influencing moral consciousness in the conditions of contemporary societies. The author stresses the relevance of rational approach to moral issues from the perspective of contemporary philosophy and science. The institution of philosophical education is considered as a means to create a foundation for critical and reflective moral consciousness.
Social constructivism is a philosophical and methodological approach widely used in the gender studies of the second half of the 20th century. The author examines the theoretical framework for sociological constructivism and ideological reasons behind its popularity in feminist philosophy. The author considers social constructivism as a form of sociological reductionism in explaining human behaviour.
The authors consider the structure of the Latvian political elite in 1993—2014 and analyse the major network parameters. The roles of key network actors and their changes over the study period are examined
The article studies issues relating to the employment of expert systems in the management process. The authors describe the application of activity theory in organisational interrelations. The possibility of considering activity theory as a basis for understanding the essence of management interrelations is analysed. The authors examine the social context of activity theory within he changes in the processes of management interrelations.
This article assesses the efficiency of bread storage stores in the Vologda province in the 19th/early 20th century. The author estimates the fill rate of bread storage stores in case of emergency in a concrete province and considers the legal framework for the functioning of bread storage stores. The deficit/surplus relating to the fill rate of bread storage stores
This article addresses the problem of development of state archive institutions in Russian in the period of developed socialism in the USSR. It is shown that, despite certain professional achievements, Russian state archives were faced with unfavourable conditions explained by the ideological and political requirements of the Soviet party and state mechanism. The issue of the inequality of the RSFSR in terms the possession and use of national documentary heritage.
The paper focuses on Königsberg’s elites faced with fast changes in the 19th century. The city’s old merchant families were up against increasing competition from new actors – industrialists and bankers – trying to take advantage of the former. The author examines changes in the elites in the course of major economic, social, and political changes
The article gives an overview of German fine arts of the late 1930s as exemplified by the murals painted by a professor of the Königsberg Academy of Arts Eduard Bischoff in the East Prussian town of Insterburg. The themese of monumental paintings created a national socialism are considered in the context of the neo-classical style of the architectural style of adjacent buildings. Special attention is paid to describing and interpreting the compositions of the painting found in the Insterburg Stadthalle.
This article studies human resource availability at Kaliningrad regional educational institutions in the first post-Soviet period. Attention is paid to staffing of school after 1991, the measures taken by education authorities to improve the living conditions of teachers, and the aspiration of teachers to increase their knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the changing education systems. Teachers had to not only embark on the current processes of state development and change approaches to the education system, but also to pre¬serve and put into practice the best element of the Soviet school.
The article considers the critique of the works of historian Stefan Kieniewicz by modern Polish researchers. The author analyses his role in the Polish historical science. Special attention is paid to the reasons behind Kieniewicz’s turn to Marxism after the Second World War. The author gives examples of differences in the persepctive of historiographers on the historian’s methodological views and the degree to which they were influenced by Marxism. S. Kieniewicz’s characteristic of his own theoretical views is presented.
1. Массов А. Я. Андреевский флаг под Южным крестом (Из истории русско-австралийских связей первой трети XIX века). СПб., 1995.
2. Массов А. Я. Россия и Австралия во второй половине XIX века. СПб., 1998.
3. Encounters under the Southern Cross: Two Centuries of Russian-Australian Relations. 1807—2007 / eds A. Massov, J. McNair, T. Poole. Adelaide, 2007.