Under the conditions of the revolution in science and technology, of tremendous social changes, of the tempestuous and significant growth in the prestige of scientific knowledge, and of the exacerbation of the ideological struggle, there has been an immeasurable broadening of the social tasks and spheres of operation of such social phenomena as scientific criticism and self-criticism. Study of social, theoretical, and psychological cross-sections of these phenomena is one of the necessary conditions for cultivating lofty civic qualities, a communist world-view, (...) and the moral and aesthetic improvement of the individual. Special attention is directed to the socializing function of criticism and self-criticism in the Program of the CPSU, the materials of the Twenty-fourth Congress of the CPSU, and the resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On Literary and Artistic Criticism" and "On the State of Criticism and Self-Criticism in the Tambov Regional Party Organization." Scientific criticism reveals the extent to which the results or processes of practical activity are in accord with communist ideals and to what degree the moral and aesthetic norms of individuals and collectives are an expression of proletarian and general human culture. This is a distinctive intellectual and theoretical form of solution of social contradictions. Criticism is organically interwoven into theoretical and practical human activity. It breaks down old and established social traditions and customary values and impels human thought to undertake scientific quests. It does not permit society to content itself merely with its past triumphs. Scientific criticism arouses and cultivates class consciousness and provides an evaluation of social phenomena from the standpoint of the progressive class. Under the conditions of developed socialist society, criticism and self-criticism become an active means for improving ideological, political, and educational work, the development of the toilers' creative capacities, and activation of the sociopolitical and intellectual life of society. (shrink)

Religii︠a︡ -- Nauka -- Iskusstvo -- Nravstvennostʹ -- Politika -- I︠A︡zyk.

The keynote idea of the theses is contained in the author’s assumption that modern philosophy doesn’t meet its claiming pretensions: to be universal form of knowledge. First of all philosophy is connected not with knowledge but with ideas and secondly being authentic it “exists only in everyday life”.1 In orderthat philosophy could realize its innate essence corresponding conditions of social being should exist but they are still absent and therefore philosophy is absent as well. Its place is occupied by metaphysics (...) which is free movement of thinking that has no definiteness as the condition of being of any form of thought. That iswhy we watch crisis state of “philosophy” which becomes apparent in vagueness of its subject: “philosophy is not only one, there are many of them”. The author supposes that philosophy as the highest relation of mankind to objective reality is the only one. Philosophy lowered down from the heaven (Platon, Ciceron) in the field of human being must raise people not only to purity of thought, but mainly to purity of their activity both with each other and with nature. Then real interaction of men and nature will take place. This will be the beginning of spiritualization of the Universe. It may exist only under the conditions of social uniformity as historical form of Weltanschauung (world outlook) that removes religious form. Realization of its being supposes fundamental change of social life. It is necessary that private property should be replaced with social property in the sphere of social production. Only under these conditions philosophy may appear and exist as historical form of Weltanschauung. (shrink)

First published in English in 1935, this is a vital and stimulating critical appraisal of contemporary thought in the post-World War One era. Written by a selection of leading Marxist thinkers including Nikolai Bukharin, who would later become one of the most famous victims of Stalin's show trials, this work offers a Marxist critique of contemporary thought relating to philosophy, science and history. The authors all lean towards the view that the general tendency of modern thought is to abandon the (...) historical method and to deny progress, with the conclusion that Marxism was the only historical and progressive outlook in science, philosophy and history in the period following the First World War and the Communist revolution in Russia. A fascinating document of great historical and political interest which offers an invaluable insight into contemporary thought in the Soviet Union of the 1930s. (shrink)

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the main theoretical and methodological provisions of museology as a humanitarian science. Its basic concepts are formulated from idealistic positions, its methodology is defined. As an object, the ideas of a person who creates a museum reality to achieve influence on the consciousness of other people are considered. The idea of a particular museum, realized in objective reality, is defined as the subject. The subject of museology is also the process of realization (...) of ideas – the functioning of museum reality and the process of its perception by visitors. The purpose of the museum is to make certain changes in the consciousness and attitude of another person – a visitor. The methodology of museology as a humanitarian science is based on the method of understanding, which provides comprehension of the ideas underlying the museum. Methods play a special role: communicative and construction. The goals of the museum determine its functions, the most important is the communicative one, it is she who realizes the main goal of the museum – to convey ideas and feelings from the museum employee to the visitor. The ways to achieve the goal may change with changing attitudes in society, while the museums themselves and their functions change. The main factor determining the role and social significance of museums is a person's interest in them, which manifests itself when the ideas embedded in their foundation correspond to the main ideological ideas prevailing in society and help people solve their vital problems. A museum should be relevant only when it plays an important role in the life of society. The next stage in the development of museology as a humanitarian science is its approbation in the course of solving scientific and practical tasks facing a museum employee. (shrink)

The purpose of the study is a comprehensive analysis of the factors of housing construction affecting the development of rural areas, identifying their relationships, as well as the specifics of the implementation of the program of preferential rural mortgages in the regions and the damage of its impact on the village. The scientific novelty of the work carried out consists in confirming the hypothesis of the insignificance of the impact of the preferential rural mortgage program in the improvement of housing (...) in remote rural areas and the acceleration of the process of deurbanization. As a result, using the example of the subjects of the Russian Federation and specifically the Stavropol Territory, it is demonstrated that factors of housing construction and home improvement affect the development of only large rural settlements located near administrative centers. (shrink)