Meanings and values of Russian culture as the basis of mentality of the people, their national-civic consciousness and worldview

Alexander Mikhailovich Egorychev,
Doctor of Philosophy, Professor,
Russian State Social University,
Russia

Chief Researcher,
Institute for Demographic Research, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Moscow, Russia

The Russian people have passed the difficult, many-thousand-year path of their birth, formation and development, they created the great Russian culture, filled it with spiritual meanings and values, formed their national character, developed their own philosophy of life.

The philosophy of life of the Russian person assumed a social model, where man, nature and society acted as a single organic whole, allowing not only to survive and satisfy all kinds of vital needs, but also created conditions for understanding their true place in the social world around and created by him, it can be considered as an organic unity of images, ideals, meanings and values ​​that have developed in his mass consciousness over many centuries of development and formation of Russian society and the state. Components of life philosophy:

a) Philosophy as a way of life for the Russian people. It assumes an understanding of the essence and essence of the mentality of the Russian (Russian) people, its culture, direct historical experience of its life, complex ideological attitudes, meanings and values that have determined its survival, formation and development for many millennia.

b) Domestic philosophy as the ideology of the Russian state and society. The main features of traditional Russian philosophy have a modern ideological expression and significance, since the historical social memory of the people is a participant in the ideological consciousness of the Russian nation, the entire Russian society, the form and direction of its life and development.

c) The values ​ ​ of Russian culture and the philosophy of the life realization of its people are the many thousands of years of experience of people’s life, the established system of human relations to nature, society, the Universe, God, human ethnic principles of life realization, the concept of good and evil, justice, happiness, life and death.

In 1832, it was “officially” proclaimed – the foundations of the Russian state system consist of three elements: Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality. The approved “motto” of Russia was a direct expression of Russian consciousness, the historical mentality of the Russian people, the philosophy of its life realization, became a natural direction for the development of the Russian state, society and its people.

Three historical periods determine the evolution of the development of Russian culture (its meanings and values), the philosophy of the life organization of the Russian people:

– Ancient Russia (time before the RX – IX century from the RX) – the period is characterized by the birth of one of its most important values ​ ​ among Russian (Russian) people – “community,” which is the first basic basis for the life organization of the Russian people, expressed in its mental qualities (kindness, volunteerism, kindness, compassion, mercy, hard work, mutual help, patience, sacrifice Through the daily manifestation of the indicated qualities, the Russian man showed his spirituality, formed the foundations of the future sacred value, eternal in time and space – “Holy Russia.”

– Orthodox Russia-Russia (IX century from the RX – the beginning of the XXI century) – the period is characterized by a powerful spiritual nourishment of the Russian people, which is directly related to the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church, which carried the spiritual word “love for neighbor,” set an example of free help and spiritual support for everyone who needed it. It was Orthodoxy that completely formalized the popular worldview into the adoption of the ideal of “Holy Russia” – as a symbol of united Russia, earthly and heavenly. As a result of this, the concept of “sobriety” was formed.

– Soviet Russia (1917-1991 XX century) – the period of construction of socialism. The ideology of socialist society was also based on the principles of communism, volunteerism and unity, developed by the entire history of the Russian world. Denying religion, the Soviet government, nevertheless, laid the foundation for the formation of the personality of the new citizens of the country, based on the spiritual and moral principles of education, the principles of fraternal unity, collective work and volunteerism.

Loyal love for his Earth, respect for the older generation, love for children, family, community (society), respect for the traditions and morals of his and other peoples, Orthodox faith is an indispensable condition for the social development and formation of Russian man. This condition was dictated by the main historical mission of Russian civilization – the preservation of the nation and the Russian state.

Community – acts as a sacred meaning and spiritual basis that guides the construction of the Russian world, supports each person in his life orientations, organizes him to form a just society (world). 

Holy Russia is the Russian Land, chosen by God for salvation and enlightened by Christian faith, it is not distinguished by geography, not statehood and not ethnicity, but, above all, Orthodoxy. Cathedral is the free spiritual unity of Russian people both in church life and in worldly community, their communion in brotherhood and love.

Email: chelovekcap@mail.ru

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