The problem considered in the article that follows has a long and complicated history. The many different solutions proposed reflect the process of development, deepening, and broadening of knowledge as a whole. They correspond to particular levels of knowledge, determining the character of thought both of the times and of particular individuals. Specifically, it is the understanding of the essence of contradiction that governs the entire theoretical exposition that follows, its substance and approximation to truth. Here we shall consider for (...) analysis only one aspect of this fundamental theme — dialectical contradiction in the evolution of knowledge. Thus, for the most part the discussion will be of the laws of thought; only when necessary will we turn to analysis of contradictions in the objective world. It is quite understandable that the process of thought should occur according to the same, more general laws that are operative in the objective world; nevertheless, the manifestation of these laws has its own special features. Therefore, the questions posed by philosophers of antiquity concerning the degree to which reality itself corresponds to the understanding thereof in terms of the exactness, comprehensiveness, and depth of reflection of the objective world by a subject have not lost their timeliness. Such questions include those associated with the phenomenon of contradiction. For example, is contradiction in thought adequate to the contradictions among things ? How does contradiction in thought take shape, and what are its forms and structures? Is the relationship between opposites always a contradiction? Is it possible to solve antinomies, and so forth? An extensive literature has been published on these subjects. There is hardly a philosopher who can avoid them and not express his attitude toward them. As it is impossible, within the confines of an article, to adduce a full list of published works on contradictions, the authors, with an eye to what has been achieved in this sphere, also regard it as undesirable to analyze the diversity of points of view, and will confine themselves to presenting their own understanding of the problem under consideration. (shrink)

The present period has faced mankind with the need to solve problems of exceptional importance and complexity, affecting the destiny of the overwhelming majority of the people of our planet and the achievements of civilization as a whole.

There is a very sharp upsurge of interest in the West in the history of Russian conservative thought, particularly in its most outstanding figure, K. Leont'ev. Judge for yourself. In 1948 a monograph on him appeared in West Germany ; one appeared in the USA in 1952 ; and in Italy in 1957 . In 1966 he was inscribed in the "family of the very greatest Russian intellects," to which his large book, Scrittori Russi is devoted. Added to this is (...) N. Berdiaev's book K. N. Leont'ev, which has been translated into English and French, V. Zenkovsky's entire chapters on Leont'ev in his History of Russian Philosophy [Istoriia russkoi filosofii], 1948, and in his book Russian Thinkers and Europe [Russkie mysliteli i Evropa], 1955; and the chapters by the American historian E. Thaden, in his Conservative Nationalism in 19th Century Russia, Seattle, 1964. It thus becomes clear that Leont'ev has been forgotten in a strangely one-sided fashion. As we see, in the West he is not only not forgotten, but his ideas are, ever more obviously, becoming a powerful weapon in a very current ideological struggle. Superficial books written about him find a market. His thoughts are made the basis of very contemporary and dangerous notions. It turns out then that he has been forgotten only in our country. (shrink)

The decade that has elapsed since the flight of the world's first cosmonaut, Iu. A. Gagarin, has been marked by considerable successes in mastering the cosmos. Lengthy orbital flights and lunar expeditions are already being conducted. Automatic stations are studying the moon, Mars, Venus, and cosmic space. And although we understand that the major trumphs in space are still ahead of us and that today we are merely at the start of the cosmic era, it is nonetheless already possible, in (...) this year of the tenth anniversary of the first human space flight, to draw certain conclusions and discuss the results of human intrusion into the expanses of the universe. (shrink)

The plot of I. Dvoretskii's The Man from Outside is simple. A young engineer, Cheshkov, is recruited from a new and exemplary enterprise to go to an old one with long-established traditions to bail out its most troublesome department. His former place of employment doesn't want to let him go, and at the new one he is given a hostile reception. The most acute kind of conflict arises. Things reach a point at which the executives over whom he has been (...) given authority offer resignations en masse, and the department's Party organization expresses lack of confidence in him. The question is settled in the statewide committee of the Party. Nonetheless, this concentration upon what might be called personal drama around the hero cannot overshadow the simple fact that the conflict between Cheshkov and the factory management is a conflict of a work situation in form only; in reality, it is a conflict between two sets of ethics, two styles of life. (shrink)

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)

Fertility levels have dropped substantially in Latin America in recent decades, fuelled by increased contraceptive use and notably a method mix skewed towards female sterilization. This study examined choice of female sterilization in four Latin American countries: Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Peru. Data were drawn from national Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 1995s reproductive histories to consider the effects of a number of sociodemographic and contextual determinants as they pertained to status at the moment of the event. (...) The results revealed that the likelihood of a womans propensity to choose sterilization. (shrink)

Na primeira década de existência independente, a Guiana passou por uma fase de alinhamento aos EUA e outra de apego ao socialismo. Neste artigo, analiso a documentação diplomática brasileira produzida no Itamaraty, assinada pelos chanceleres e despachadas com os respectivos generais presidentes, de modo a problematizar a política externa da Guiana e sua busca por melhores caminhos de inserção internacional. Trata-se de uma documentação inédita, via preciosa para entendermos a história desse país. Concluo que, com a autonomia no alinhamento em (...) relação aos EUA, o Brasil pôde encarar a Guiana de maneira profissional, garantindo a manutenção de sua soberania. (shrink)

The article deals with the symbolic meanings that the images of America and Switzerland have in the works of F.M. Dostoevsky. It is shown that the meanings of these two images are interconnected and constitute a dialectical contradiction, and each image, in turn, has two contradictory meanings - positive and negative. America acts, on the one hand, as a symbol of the openness and freedom of man, his desire to build the future on his own, but, on the other hand, (...) it expresses a dead-end path of development based only on material values. Switzerland embodies the ideal of spiritual development, which is the inner essence of European civilization, but at the same time it symbolizes the patriarchal, sinless state of man, which does not correspond to real earthly life. Switzerland is the ideal of the heavenly state of an earthly person, but this ideal is impossible in real life. The tragedy of the impracticability of this ideal is most clearly demonstrated by Dostoevsky through the story of Prince Myshkin in the novel The Idiot. (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)