Subject and functions of social philosophy. Functions of social philosophy Epistemological functions of social philosophy

The object of social philosophy is social life and social processes. However, the term “social” itself is used in literature in different senses. Therefore, it is necessary to define what is meant by this term when we talk about social philosophy. First of all, we note that the concept of social excludes, on the one hand, natural, and on the other hand, individual psychological phenomena. That is social phenomena are always social phenomena. However, the concept of “social phenomena” includes economic, political, national and many other phenomena of social life.

The point of view according to which social reality includes various aspects of social life is quite substantiated. In short, the social life of society is the joint existence of people, this is their “co-existence.” It includes material and spiritual phenomena and processes, various aspects of social life: economic, political, spiritual, etc. in their multilateral interaction. After all, social action is always the result of the interaction of a number of social factors.

In modern socio-humanitarian knowledge abroad and here, two categories are increasingly used to designate the social: “societal” and “social”. The category “societal” denotes “first level” processes, i.e. processes related to society as a whole: economic, social, political, regulatory, spiritual. The category “social” refers to direct relationships of the “second level” - between and within social communities, i.e. this category most often refers to sociological science.

That's why the main subject of social action and social relations is community group(social community) or society as a whole. A characteristic feature of social life is its organization and structure within a certain social system.

Various types of interactions between elements of a social system form its structure. The elements of this system themselves are diverse. It includes various ways of its functioning, diverse social institutions that ensure the implementation of social relations. And, of course, such elements are the main subjects of social life - social communities and individuals organized into social groups.

Based on the above, we can give the following definition: social philosophy is a system of scientific knowledge about the most general patterns and trends in the interaction, functioning and development of elements of society, the integral process of social life.

The following contents should be highlighted subject area of social philosophy:

Sources of development of society;

Driving forces and sources of social development;

Purpose, direction and trends of the historical process;

Forecasting the future.

Social philosophy studies society and social life not only in structural and functional terms, but also in its historical development. Of course, the subject of its consideration is the person himself, taken, however, not “by himself,” not as a separate individual, but as a representative of a social group or community, i.e. in the system of his social connections.

Social philosophy studies the laws according to which stable, large groups of people develop in society, the relationships between these groups, their connections and role in society.

Social philosophy examines the entire system of social relations, the interaction of all aspects of social life, patterns and trends in the development of society. At the same time, she studies the peculiarities of cognition of social phenomena at the socio-philosophical level of generalizations. In other words, social philosophy analyzes the holistic process of changing social life and developing social systems.

The subject and specificity of social philosophy as a science cannot be revealed without touching on the question of its functions. We can highlight the main ones.

Epistemological function social philosophy is associated with the fact that it explores and explains the most general patterns and trends in the development of the entire society and social processes at the level of large social groups.

Methodological function social philosophy lies in the fact that it acts as a general doctrine about methods of cognition of social phenomena, the most general approaches to their study. It is at the socio-philosophical level that the general formulation of a particular social problem and the main ways to solve it arise. Social-philosophical theory, due to the high degree of generality of its provisions, laws and principles, acts at the same time as a methodology for other social sciences.

In the same row there is also such a function as integration and synthesis of social knowledge, establishing universal connections of social existence. Integrative function social philosophy is manifested in its focus, first of all, on the integration and consolidation of human society. It has the prerogative to develop comprehensive concepts designed to unite humanity to achieve collective goals.

It should also be highlighted here prognostic function social philosophy, the formulation within its framework of hypotheses about the general trends in the development of social life and man. In this case, the degree of probability of the forecast, naturally, will be higher, the more social philosophy is based on science.

It should also be noted ideological function social philosophy. Unlike other historical forms of worldview (mythology, religion), social philosophy is associated with a conceptual, abstract theoretical explanation of the social world.

Critical function social philosophy - the principle of “question everything”, preached by many philosophers since antiquity, indicates the importance of a critical approach and the presence of a certain amount of skepticism in relation to existing social knowledge and sociocultural values. This approach plays an anti-dogmatic role in the development of social knowledge. At the same time, it must be emphasized that only constructive criticism based on dialectical negation, and not abstract nihilism, has a positive meaning.

Closely related to critical axiological (value) function of social philosophy. Any socio-philosophical concept contains the moment of assessing the object under study from the point of view of a wide variety of social values. This function is especially acute during transitional periods of social development, when the problem of choosing a path of movement arises and the question arises of what should be discarded and what of the old values should be preserved.

Social function social philosophy is quite multifaceted in its content and covers various aspects of social life. In the broadest sense, social philosophy is called upon to perform a dual task - to explain social existence and contribute to its material and spiritual change. Before attempting to change the social world, it must be well explained.

Closely related to the social function is a function that can be called humanitarian. The point is that social philosophy should play an adaptive and life-affirming role not only for every nation, but also for every person, contribute to the formation of humanistic values and ideals, and the affirmation of the positive meaning and purpose of life. It is therefore intended to carry out the function intellectual therapy, which is especially important during periods of unstable society, when old idols and ideals are crumbling, and new ones have not had time to form or gain authority; when human existence is in a “borderline situation”, on the verge of being and non-being, and everyone must make their own difficult choice, which sometimes leads to a tragic outcome..

It should be noted that all functions of social philosophy are dialectically interconnected. Each of them presupposes the others and one way or another includes them in its content. It is impossible to separate, for example, ideological and methodological, methodological and epistemological, social and humanitarian and other functions. And only through their integral unity is the specificity and essence of socio-philosophical knowledge revealed.

Social philosophy is “the philosophy of human social existence.” The subject of social philosophy is society as an integral social system, as well as the laws of the functioning and development of society.

Society is a collection of people united by historically determined social forms of joint life and activity.

There are several main functions of social philosophy: 1. The worldview function of social philosophy is that it forms in a person a general view of the social world, that is, the existence and development of society, and in a certain way resolves questions about the relationship between the existence of people, the material conditions of their life and their consciousness, about the place and purpose of a person in society, the purpose and meaning of his life, etc. 2. The theoretical function of social philosophy is that it allows one to penetrate into the depths of social processes and judge them at the level of theory, that is, a system views on their essence, content and direction of development. At the theoretical level, we can talk about trends, patterns of development of social phenomena and society as a whole. 3. Associated with the above functions is the methodological function of social philosophy, which consists in the application of its provisions in the study of individual phenomena and processes of social life, studied by certain social sciences. In this case, the provisions of social philosophy play the role of methodology in research carried out in the field of historical, legal, economic, psychological and other sciences. 4. Finally, the predictive function of social philosophy is that its provisions contribute to the prediction of trends in the development of society, its individual aspects, and the possible immediate and long-term consequences of people’s activities. On the basis of such foresight, it becomes possible to build forecasts for the development of certain social phenomena and the entire society. The indicated functions of social philosophy are manifested in a person’s thinking if he masters the philosophical worldview, theory and methodology of philosophy. In this case, he acquires the ability to think systematically, dialectically, to consider social phenomena in their interaction, change and development. As a result, a certain methodological discipline of thinking is formed, making it strictly logical and clear, which is an indicator of a culture of thinking. In conclusion, we note that all functions of social philosophy are dialectically interconnected. Each of them presupposes the others and one way or another includes them in its content. It is impossible to separate, for example, ideological and methodological, methodological and theoretical functions. Only through their integral unity is the specificity and essence of socio-philosophical knowledge revealed.

The specificity of this type of cognition lies primarily in the fact that the object here is the activity of the subjects of cognition themselves. That is, people themselves are both subjects of knowledge and real actors. In addition, the object of cognition also becomes the interaction between the object and the subject of cognition. In other words, in contrast to the natural sciences, technical and other sciences, in the very object of social cognition, its subject is initially present. Further, society and man, on the one hand, act as part of nature. On the other hand, these are the creations of both society itself and man himself, the materialized results of their activities. In society there are both social and individual forces, both material and ideal, objective and subjective factors; in it both feelings, passions, and reason matter; both conscious and unconscious, rational and irrational aspects of human life. Within society itself, its various structures and elements strive to satisfy their own needs, interests and goals. This complexity of social life, its diversity and different qualities determine the complexity and difficulty of social cognition and its specificity in relation to other types of cognition. To the difficulties of social cognition explained by objective reasons, that is, reasons that have grounds in the specifics of the object, are added the difficulties associated with the subject of cognition. Such a subject is ultimately the person himself, although involved in social relations and scientific communities, but having his own individual experience and intelligence, interests and values, needs and passions, etc. Thus, when characterizing social cognition, one should keep in mind also his personal factor. Finally, it is necessary to note the socio-historical conditionality of social cognition, including the level of development of the material and spiritual life of society, its social structure and the interests prevailing in it.

More on topic 22. Subject and functions of social philosophy. Specificity of philosophical knowledge of social reality:

Essence, specificity, subject, structure and functions of philosophy
Subject and range of problems of modern history and philosophy of science.

Submitting your good work to the knowledge base is easy. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

State government educational institution

higher professional education

"Russian Customs Academy"

Department of Humanities

TEST

in the discipline "Philosophy"

on the topic "Social functions of philosophy"

Completed by: Belousov A.A., 2nd year student of the correspondence course of the Faculty of Customs Affairs, group Ts1333

Lyubertsy 2014

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the test is to study the social functions of philosophy.

So, philosophy - firstly - is the highest level and type of worldview, it is a theoretically formulated, systemically rational worldview., secondly, by its very essence it is called upon to reveal the rational meaning and universal laws of the existence and development of the world and man.

BASIC FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY

The functions of social philosophy must be considered in relation to the society in which it exists and the student who studies it: these functions are close, but not identical.

Figure 1. - Main functions of social philosophy

The most important function of social philosophy is, first of all, cognitive. It consists in studying the relationship between social consciousness and social existence, in developing the socio-philosophical theory that society needs. This work is carried out by social philosophers. The development of a theory includes defining the main categories and concepts of social philosophy, such as society, the formation of society, economics, civilization, etc., as well as bringing them into a certain system built on the basis of certain principles.

In the countries of Eastern Europe and Russia there is a transition from developed (Soviet) socialism to democratic capitalism. This transition contradicts Marxism-Leninism and its socio-philosophical component - historical materialism. Russian and foreign philosophers are faced with the task of filling the social and philosophical vacuum that arose after the collapse of historical materialism. Peter Kozlowski suggests filling it with personalism. We are trying to develop a social philosophy of historical realism.

The diagnostic function of social philosophy is to analyze society from the point of view of its current (crisis) state, assessing development options, their causes, methods and plans. Russia is a transitional society; in such periods, the role of politics (and politicians) is great, which represents the sphere of provoking and resolving conflicts. Such conflicts, on the one hand, act as a source of development for Russia, and on the other hand, they are accompanied by material, psychological and human sacrifices, many of which can be avoided with skillful management of social conflicts.

The diagnostic function of social philosophy allows us to analyze the causes of conflicts in various spheres of society, understand their causes and outline a socio-philosophical path to their resolution.

The prognostic function of social philosophy is expressed in the development of reasonable forecasts about trends in the development of societies and humanity, social contradictions and conflict processes in the future. This involves analyzing the development trends of the main social subjects (formations of society, social communities, institutions, organizations), the dynamics of interests, etc. This opportunity is given by the implementation of the cognitive and diagnostic functions of social philosophy. The result of the prognostic function is a forecast that sets out possible (real and formal) scenarios for the development of a given society and humanity.

These scenarios include reasonable goals for social development and realistic ways to implement them. Possible scenarios for the development of society and humanity can only be developed on the basis of existing socio-philosophical principles. The socio-philosophical approach to developing scenarios for the development of society differs from the pragmatic approach currently dominant in our country, which presents a response to historical challenges from the point of view of short-term interests, leads to the fact that we go with the flow of events, instead of swimming towards some morally justified goal. Events take over us and our principles if we do not use them.

The educational function of social philosophy is expressed in its study by students, leaders, and politicians. Knowledge of the basics of social philosophy allows you to use it to prevent and resolve conflicts, understand the main trends in the development of society and humanity. The lack of education of many people in the field of social philosophy is one of the reasons for ill-conceived and hasty decisions, utopian projects such as the communist one, destructive and diverse conflicts shaking our country. For a long time, the mindset of conflict with supposed enemies: capitalists, bourgeois, businessmen, speculators, etc. was introduced into the consciousness of Soviet people. Now we have to learn tolerance (tolerance) for opposing opinions and actions.

The projective function of social philosophy is to develop a project for transforming reality in the interests of some social community (group, class, stratum, nation). This transformation may concern changes in a social institution, state, formation, civilization and include the goal, subjects, means, timing, pace of transformation (for example, the Marxist-Leninist project of the socialist reorganization of Russia). In this case, social philosophy acquires an ideological character and plays the role of a justificatory authority for some political decisions.

And as V.A. correctly states. Tishkov, - that the 20th century was largely created by intellectuals, not only in the form of explanations of what was happening, but also in the form of instructions on what and how to do. And in this sense, we are talking not just about the responsibility of the historian, but also about the authority of the historian in history, and therefore about the benefits or harm of his actions. The past century, especially Russian history, provides more than enough grounds for such a view.

Society, represented by its ruling elite and intelligentsia, turns to social philosophy whenever it is in a crisis, when the way out of it is unclear, when new ideas and means of their implementation are required. The world now finds itself in this situation on the threshold of post-industrial civilization in conditions of an ecological crisis, and Russia in conditions of abandoning the outdated proletarian-socialist system.

The subject and specificity of philosophy cannot be revealed sufficiently fully without touching on the question of its functions. First of all, this is a worldview function, which is associated with an abstract theoretical, conceptual explanation of the world, in contrast to all other types and levels of worldview. The only thing I would like to add here is to point out the dual nature of philosophical concepts themselves, which is expressed in their attraction either to scientific knowledge, objective truth, or to pseudoscience.

The methodological function, which has also already been discussed, is that philosophy acts as a general doctrine of method and as a set of the most general methods of cognition and mastery of reality by man.

It is also worth highlighting the prognostic function of philosophy, the formulation within its framework of hypotheses about the general trends in the development of matter and consciousness, man and the world. In this case, the degree of probability of a forecast, naturally, will be higher, the more philosophy relies on science. Finally, one cannot fail to mention the function of philosophy as a school of theoretical thinking and wisdom. This is especially true for studying the history of philosophy.

The critical function of philosophy. It extends not only to other disciplines, but also to philosophy itself. The principle of “questioning everything,” preached by many philosophers since antiquity, precisely demonstrates the importance of a critical approach and the presence of a certain amount of skepticism in relation to existing knowledge and sociocultural values. He plays an anti-dogmatic role in their development. At the same time, it must be emphasized that only constructive criticism based on dialectical negation, and not abstract nihilism, has a positive meaning.

Closely related to the critical function of philosophy is its axiological function (from the Greek axios - valuable). Any philosophical system contains the moment of evaluating the object under study from the point of view of various values themselves: social, moral, aesthetic, ideological, etc. This function is especially acute during transitional periods of social development, when the problem of choosing a path of movement arises and the question arises of what should be discarded and what should be preserved from old values.

The social function of philosophy is quite multifaceted. It will be discussed in more detail in this essay.

Closely related to the social function is the function of philosophy, which we would call humanitarian. The point is that philosophy should play an adaptive and life-affirming role for each individual, contribute to the formation of humanistic values and ideals, and the affirmation of the positive meaning and purpose of life. It is thus called upon to carry out the function of intellectual therapy, which is especially important during periods of unstable social conditions, when old idols and ideals disappear, and new ones do not have time to form or gain authority; when human existence is in a “borderline situation”, on the verge of being and non-being, and everyone must make their own difficult choice.

It seems that today this function is especially relevant, and we should be grateful to V. Frankl, who created logotherapy (from the Greek logos - meaning, and therapeia - treatment) - a theory that could help millions of people. Its task is to “cope with the suffering that is caused by the philosophical problems posed to a person by life.” The name of the theory is formed by analogy with psychotherapy. However, the scientist places logotherapy much higher in importance, because a person, in his opinion, is more than a psyche, it is a spirit, which philosophy is designed to treat.

It should be emphasized that all functions of philosophy are dialectically interconnected. Each of them presupposes the others and somehow includes them. It is impossible to separate, for example, ideological and methodological, methodological and epistemological, social and humanitarian, etc. functions. And at the same time, only through their integral unity is the specificity and essence of philosophical knowledge revealed.

THE SOCIAL FUNCTION OF PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ROLE IN THE LIFE OF SOCIETY

social philosophy worldview prognostic

First of all, let us point out the basic meanings of the concept “social”. In modern philosophical and sociological literature, this concept is used in a narrow and broad sense.

In a narrow sense, “social” means the existence of a special area of social phenomena that make up the content of the so-called social sphere of society, in which its own range of problems is solved, affecting the relevant interests of people. These problems concern the social status of people, their place in the system of social division of labor, the conditions of their work, movements from one social group to another, their standard of living, education, health care, social security, etc. All these problems within the social sphere are solved on the basis of the specific social relations that develop here, also understood in a narrow sense. Their specific content is determined by the content of the specified problems about which they arise. In this they differ from, say, economic, political, moral, legal and other social relations.

In a broad sense, the concept of “social” is used in the meaning of “public”, as a synonym for this concept, coinciding with it in scope and content. In this case, the concept “social” (“social”) means everything that happens in society, in contrast to what happens in nature. In other words, it denotes the specificity of the social in relation to the natural, natural, biological. In a broad sense, the concept “social” is also used as the opposite of individual. In this case, it denotes what relates to social groups or to the whole society, as opposed to what concerns the individual qualities of an individual.

In social philosophy, the concept “social” is used both in a broad and narrow sense. In other words, it can relate to all processes occurring in society, including in its social sphere, but it can only concern those that pertain to this sphere itself and express its specificity. The social sphere itself is considered in its interactions with other spheres of public life within the framework of a single society.

The social function of philosophy is quite multifaceted in its content and covers various aspects of social life: philosophy is called upon to fulfill a dual task - to explain social existence and contribute to its material and spiritual change. It should be remembered that in public life social changes, experiments and reforms are of particular value and significance. Therefore, before attempting to change the social world, it must first be explained well. It is philosophy that has the prerogative in developing comprehensive concepts for the integration and consolidation of human society. Its task is to help realize and formulate collective goals and direct efforts to organize collective actions to achieve them. At the same time, the degree of vitality of a philosophical concept is determined by the extent to which each individual can understand and accept it. Therefore, despite its comprehensive nature, philosophy must be addressed to every person.

Social philosophy recreates a holistic picture of the development of society. In this regard, it solves many “general questions” concerning the nature and essence of a particular society, the interaction of its main spheres and social institutions, the driving forces of the historical process, etc. Various social sciences constantly face these questions when studying their problems: history, political economy, sociology, political science, social psychology, law, ethics, etc.

Appeal to the provisions of social philosophy helps representatives of these sciences find solutions to their specific problems. This means that social philosophy plays the role of the methodology of social sciences, in a certain way directs their research into the relevant aspects of social life, and forms approaches and principles for their study. This is possible because it helps representatives of social sciences understand the place in society of the phenomena they study, their connections with other social phenomena, the combination of patterns and accidents in their development, etc.

The effectiveness of this assistance depends primarily on the content of social philosophy, the degree of its penetration into the essence of a particular society, and the processes occurring in it. It is precisely the depth and breadth of her judgments and conceptual positions, the heuristic nature of many of them, i.e. their inherent ability to comprehend the secrets of social phenomena and their complex interactions determines the theoretical and methodological significance of social philosophy. This significance is revealed when its provisions are used in solving relevant problems of science and practice.

The task of social philosophy is not at all to reflect in detail all the phenomena and processes of social life. The life of society is extremely rich in various events. It is very complex due to the diverse connections between social phenomena that are dynamic and contradictory in nature. No science can express all the richness and complexity of social life. Social philosophy does not set itself such a goal. However, by recreating one or another ideal model of the development of society and its individual aspects, social philosophy contributes to understanding the essence of various social phenomena, their place and role in society, reveals the most significant direct and inverse connections between these phenomena as elements of the social system. Ultimately, it reproduces a holistic picture of the existence of society, reveals the basic mechanisms of interaction between its parties, trends and patterns of its development.

This expresses the main content of the concepts of many traditional and modern trends and schools of social philosophy. It is desirable, of course, that the content of the concepts of social philosophy reflect real social processes as deeply as possible, which would contribute to their deeper understanding. This is important not only for science, but also for practice, more precisely, for the scientific justification of people’s practical activities.

The need for this constantly reminds itself. It is important that the development of society does not proceed by itself, but is more targeted and carried out in the interests of all people. And for this it is necessary, in particular, that their activities be as less spontaneous as possible and as conscious as possible, comprehended by them at the level of understanding the problems of the whole society. This is especially important for the activities of government bodies called upon to purposefully organize practical solutions to social problems and thereby find optimal ways for the development of society. All over the world, people strive to more meaningfully, taking into account not only immediate but also long-term interests, solve the problems of their social life, which determines the solution to their personal problems. It is important that they clearly understand both the immediate and long-term consequences of their activities and can change them in their own interests.

The corresponding ideological and methodological provisions of social philosophy can help with this. By revealing the social significance of various forms of activity and their role for the self-affirmation of a person in society, showing the nature of society itself, the dynamics and direction of its development, social philosophy helps people understand the immediate and long-term consequences of their actions for themselves and other people, social groups and , perhaps for the whole society. This is one of the manifestations of the prognostic function of social philosophy, which often helps to anticipate trends in the development of social processes and consciously predict them.

So, we can talk about the worldview, theoretical, methodological and prognostic functions of social philosophy. Its ideological function lies in the fact that it forms a person’s general view of the social world, the existence and development of society, and in a certain way resolves questions about the relationship between people’s existence, the material conditions of their life and their consciousness, the place and purpose of a person in society, goals and the meaning of his life, etc. All these problems are posed and solved within the framework of various schools of materialistic, idealistic and religious philosophy.

The theoretical function of social philosophy is that it allows one to penetrate into the depths of social processes and judge them at the level of theory, i.e. systems of views about their essence, content and direction of development. At this theoretical level we can talk about trends and patterns of development of social phenomena and society as a whole.

Connected with all this is the methodological function of social philosophy, which consists in the application of its provisions in the study of individual phenomena and processes of social life studied by certain social sciences. In this case, the provisions of social philosophy play the role of methodology in research carried out in the field of historical, sociological, legal, economic, psychological and other sciences.

Finally, the prognostic function of social philosophy is that its provisions contribute to the prediction of trends in the development of society, its individual aspects, possible immediate and long-term consequences of people’s activities, the content of which, in fact, determines the content of social development. On the basis of such foresight, it becomes possible to build forecasts for the development of certain social phenomena and the entire society.

The indicated functions of social philosophy are manifested in the development of the consciousness of each person if he masters the philosophical worldview, theory and methodology of philosophical thinking. In this case, he acquires the ability to think systematically, dialectically, to consider social phenomena in their interaction, change and development. As a result, a certain methodological discipline of thinking is formed, making it strictly logical and clear, which is an indicator of a culture of thinking.

All this does not exclude, but rather presupposes the development in a person of the ability to think creatively, outside the box, overcoming various kinds of stereotypes, one-sidedness and dogmatism, to think in close connection with life, reproducing all its complexity and inconsistency. Logical creative thinking becomes an effective means of understanding social phenomena and solving practical problems in the life of people and the whole society.

Currently, when analyzing the phenomena of social life, so-called concrete sociological research is used. They are resorted to when studying economic, social, everyday, political and other phenomena and processes. In other words, their application can be universal, just like the application of the provisions of social philosophy. At the same time, there are significant differences between them. The main thing is that social philosophy is able to comprehend the processes taking place in society more deeply, to understand more clearly the internal logic of their development and the diverse forms of their manifestation than is allowed by the data of specific sociological studies taken on their own, which most often contain information only about external side of social phenomena and processes. In addition, the results of specific sociological studies themselves, which receive a systematic justification within the framework of social philosophy, can be interpreted more deeply.

Moreover, if social philosophy really adheres to scientific principles when analyzing and explaining processes occurring in society, it proceeds from the corresponding principles. These include:

* approach to society as an integral social system, all elements of which are interconnected and interdependent; At the same time, special importance is attached to cause-and-effect and natural connections, the analysis of which constitutes the main content of social determinism as a theoretical and methodological principle for the study of social phenomena, focusing on a comprehensive account of the cause-and-effect and natural connections and relationships existing between them;

* consideration of all social phenomena and processes in their constant dynamics, i.e. in movement, change and development; this is the principle of historicism, which requires the analysis of any social phenomena in a historically developing social context, i.e. in the system of their developing and changing connections with other social phenomena, along with which and under the influence of which these phenomena develop. This means that when analyzing social phenomena, one cannot artificially tear them out of the historical context, i.e. the system of circumstances in which their development occurred or is occurring, so as not to receive superficial or even false conclusions about their essence and social significance;

*finding and analyzing those social contradictions that determine the essence and source of development of these social phenomena and processes:

* consideration of the latter in their historical continuity, taking into account what is truly outdated and now plays a conservative, or even openly reactionary role, and what continues to live, retains its significance and allows society to develop along the path of civilization and progress;

*all this is expressed in the principle of transition from the abstract to the concrete in the analysis of the development of society, individual social phenomena, and the historical process as a whole; this principle, substantiated within the framework of the dialectical method, has not lost its relevance and significance to this day.

These are, in brief, the provisions of social philosophy that characterize its subject, functions and principles for the study of social phenomena, as well as its theoretical and methodological significance for other social sciences that study various aspects of social life, for the analysis of the practical activities of people and their social relations.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the social function of philosophy is quite multifaceted in its content and covers various aspects of social life: philosophy is called upon to fulfill a dual task - to explain social existence and contribute to its material and spiritual change. It should be remembered that in public life social changes, experiments and reforms are of particular value and significance. Therefore, before attempting to change the social world, it must first be explained well. It is philosophy that has the prerogative in developing comprehensive concepts for the integration and consolidation of human society. Its task is to help realize and formulate collective goals and direct efforts to organize collective actions to achieve them. At the same time, the degree of vitality of a philosophical concept is determined by the extent to which each individual can understand and accept it. Therefore, despite its comprehensive nature, philosophy must be addressed to every person.

LIST OF SOURCES USED

1. Alekseev P.V., Panina A.V. Philosophy: textbook. - M.: Prospekt. 2009.

2. Zotov A.F. Philosophy: textbook - M.: Prospekt, 2009.

3. Kaverin B.I. Philosophy (current problems): textbook / B.I. Kaverin, A.T. Klimovich, V.V. Dibizhev, M.N. Ishchuk, I.V. Demidov, S.Yu. Ruchkin, A.I. Fedorishchenko. M.: Publishing house of the Russian Customs Academy, 2011. 292 p.

4. Karmin A.S., Bernatsky G.G. Philosophy: textbook for universities, 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg: "Peter", 2007.

5. Ilyin V.V. Philosophy: textbook M., 1999.

6. Krapivensky S.E. Social philosophy. Volgograd. 1996. www.gumer.info/bogoslov_Buks/Philos/krapiv/

7. Lavrinenko V.P. Social philosophy: textbook - M., 1995. www.alleng.ru/d/phil/phil025.htm

8. Lavrinenko V.P. Philosophy: textbook - M., 1998. www.gumer.info/bogoslov_Buks/Philos/lavr/index.php

9. Frankl V. Man in search of meaning: a textbook - M., 1990.

Posted on Allbest.ru

Similar documents

The subject of philosophy, its origin and development, its place in the system of sciences and culture. Classification of the main branches of philosophy. Features of the ideological, methodological, reflective-critical and integrative functions of philosophy, its purpose.

test, added 02/10/2011

test, added 12/07/2013

Philosophy as a science, the most ancient field of knowledge, the subject and directions of its research, the history of formation and development, its place in modern society. The main problems and functions of philosophical teaching. The content of the ideological function of philosophy.

test, added 01/20/2013

Specifics and methodology of social philosophy and its development in the history of mankind. Three aspects of social cognition (ontological, epistemological and value). The role of social philosophy in the search for the construction and justification of a theoretical model of society.

abstract, added 05/21/2015

Philosophy is a general theory of the world and man in it. Philosophy as a special type of worldview. Basic definitions of philosophy. Cognition of the immensity as the goal of philosophy. Subject and aspects of philosophy. Functions of philosophy in culture. The structure of philosophical knowledge.

test, added 09/13/2010

Characteristic features of Russian idealistic philosophy, main representatives and their views. The essence of the axiological, heuristic, humanistic and methodological functions of philosophy. The specifics of philosophical knowledge, its main differences from religion.

test, added 02/15/2009

Subject of social philosophy. Specifics of the socio-philosophical approach to society. The problem of the nature and meaning of social life. The problem of freedom in the history of philosophy. Personality as a social being. Berdyaev's anthropocentric philosophy and its problems.

test, added 02/17/2011

The concept of philosophy, its main sections, the range of issues studied and differences from all other sciences. Mythology and religion as the origins of philosophy. Characteristics of the main functions of philosophy. The main specificity and features of philosophical knowledge.

abstract, added 05/19/2009

The subject and structure of philosophy is a system of ideas about the world and man’s place in it, expressed in theoretical form. Generalization of the main types of philosophy: materialism and idealism, dualism, deism and pantheism. Worldview and methodological function.

abstract, added 02/11/2011

The specifics of philosophical knowledge, the history of its development. Subject, structure and functions of philosophy. Philosophical ideas of outstanding thinkers. The meaning of the category of being. Levels and methods of scientific knowledge. The concept of society and state. The connection between culture and civilization.

The history of philosophy goes back more than two and a half millennia. During this time, many definitions of philosophy have accumulated, but debates about what it represents - worldview, science, ideology, art - still persist. Everyone knows the colloquial, everyday definitions of philosophy:

1) philosophy is established beliefs By about anything(for example, life philosophy, student philosophy);
2) distracted, general, Not related To business reasoning(for example, to breed philosophy).

One of the most widespread definitions of philosophy, which was adopted in the USSR for several decades, was based on K. Marx’s thesis about the need to create a new philosophical science, armed with modern, accurate methods of studying existence, society and man: philosophy is science O most general laws development nature, human society And thinking.

Philosophy is often understood as anyone's doctrine O world(for example, ancient philosophy, Hegel’s philosophy, etc.)

The term "philosophy" is often used to describe methodological principles, lying V basis any science, region knowledge(for example, philosophy of history, philosophy of mathematics, etc.)

Defining social philosophy is even more difficult, since this area of knowledge directly affects the interests of people, their understanding of the world and themselves in this world. Social philosophy originates in Antiquity. Its appearance is associated with the names of Socrates and Plato, who first posed the task of philosophical understanding of society and its individual spheres.

As for the philosophy of history, its beginning in Europe was laid by Augustine Aurelius (IV century AD) with his famous work “On the City of God.” The Augustinian interpretation of the historical process dominated in European philosophy until the 18th century. But the formation of social philosophy as a separate branch of knowledge dates back to the middle of the 19th century. At this time, the formation of sociology and psychology took place. Scientists abandon “speculative”, based only on reflection, rational knowledge of the world in favor of experimental, rational knowledge. They highlight the active role of a person who masters the secrets of the universe not with the help of metaphysical constructs divorced from real life, but through precise scientific methods.

The century and a half that has passed since then has not brought clarity to the problem of the essence of both philosophy in general and social philosophy in particular. To this day, there is no unity in the literature in the definition of social philosophy and its subject. Moreover, in the scientific world there is not even a unified understanding of one of the main categories - “social” - although the object of social philosophy is social life and social processes.

In the literature the term " social"used in different senses. Perhaps the most frequently used definition is that given by P.A. Sorokin, according to many, the most outstanding sociologist of the first half of the twentieth century." Social phenomenon There is world concepts, world logical (scientific - in strict sense this words) of being, resulting V process interaction (collective experience) human individuals"- wrote this American scientist (Sorokin P.A. Man. Civilization. Society. M., 1992. P. 527.).

Let's consider definitions social philosophy. One of the most famous definitions is the following: " Social philosophy called upon answer on question O volume, How at all Maybe conscious ordering people their relations V society, which opened And open before them V various historical era ways And funds construction social relationships, Which character wore And wear Here objective obstacles, getting up before people How these restrictions are realized people And appear V practice, how much adequately this problem reflected philosophical systems And ideological designs past And present"(Essays on social philosophy. M., 1994. P.3.).

We will not analyze such a complex definition (interpretation of the word); apparently, it can be quite useful for a theoretical scientist, but we will try to find a simpler definition: “Social philosophy is a system of scientific knowledge about the most general patterns and trends in the interaction of social phenomena, the functioning and the development of society, the integral process of social life" (Social Philosophy. M., 1995. pp. 13-14.).

The author of another definition is the famous domestic scientist V.S. Barulin. He believes that " social philosophy studies laws, according to which V society fold up sustainable, big groups people relationship between these groups, their communications And role V society"(Barulin V.S. Social philosophy. Part 1.M., 1993. P. 90.)

The student can use any of the above definitions. He may also try to synthesize them in some way, or even try to construct his own definition. But for this you need to know that the diversity and difference in definitions of social philosophy is largely due to the fact that the problem-subject status of social philosophy is still not clear. The reasons for this are varied. This is reflected in a nihilistic (completely denying all past achievements) break with the “Isthmth” past. The statement since the mid-80s of “pluralism of thoughts, not knowledge” is influential. Difficulties in mastering modern Western literature also have an impact.

Let's look at the last reason in more detail. For several decades, even professional Soviet philosophers, not to mention those who studied philosophy in higher educational institutions or were simply interested in it, were deprived of the opportunity to communicate with foreign non-Marxist colleagues and read foreign philosophical literature. The consequence of this, among other things, was that since the late 1980s the book market has bombarded readers with such a volume of previously unknown literature that it was simply difficult to master. But it's not just that. In Russia, much of what was already the history of philosophy abroad has become fashionable.

If in the West the term “social philosophy” became very widespread in the middle of the twentieth century, then in Russia - only in the final 90s. To be fair, it should be noted that in the West there is no consensus on the essence of social philosophy. Thus, the textbook for Oxford students (Graham G. Modern social philosophy. Oxford, 1988.) contains sections on the essence of society, personality, social justice, social equality and its maintenance, health care, moral standards and law. Another textbook, published in Darmstadt (Forschner M. Man and Society: Basic Concepts of Social Philosophy. Darmstadt, 1989), examines the concepts of society, the idea of free will and human responsibility, problems of punishment, power, political systems, theories of just wars, etc. . The list goes on.

Let us note that the approaches of domestic authors are also different and they all have the right to exist, since they are not alternative, but only complement each other, considering the complex social world from different aspects of the philosophical worldview.

Which role What role does social philosophy play in society? Before answering this question, let us recall functions philosophy: after all, to a large extent they are common to social philosophy.

1) function extrapolation universals(identification of the most general ideas, concepts, concepts on which the socio-historical life of people is based);
2) function rationalization And systematization(translation into logical and theoretical form of the total results of human experience in all its varieties: practical, cognitive, value);
3) critical function ( criticism of the dogmatic way of thinking and cognition, misconceptions, prejudices, errors);
4) function formation theoretical generalized image peace on certain steps development society.

Speaking about the specifics of social philosophy, special attention should be paid to the following: functions:

1) epistemological function(research and explanation of the most general patterns and trends in the development of society as a whole, as well as social processes at the level of large social groups);
2) methodological function(social philosophy acts as a general doctrine about methods of cognition of social phenomena, the most general approaches to their study);
3) integration And synthesis social knowledge(establishment of universal connections of social existence);
4) prognostic function social philosophy (creating hypotheses about general trends in the development of social life and man);
5) ideological function(unlike other historical forms of worldview - mythology and religion - social philosophy is associated with a conceptual, abstract theoretical explanation of the social world);
6) axiological or value function(any socio-philosophical concept contains an assessment of the object under study;
7) social function(in the broadest sense, social philosophy is called upon to perform a dual task - to explain social existence and contribute to its material and spiritual change);
8) humanitarian function(social philosophy should contribute to the formation of humanistic values and ideals, the affirmation of the positive purpose of life).

Functions social philosophy dialectically interconnected. Each of them presupposes the others and one way or another includes them in its content. Thus, it is obvious that the socio-philosophical study of social processes will be more successful the more carefully attention is paid to each of the functions of philosophy.

Famous philosopher K.H. Momdzhyan rightly notes that, unlike specific sciences, each of which develops its own “plot,” philosophy has the audacity to try to comprehend the world in its totality, universality, universality. This totality is revealed by it in two interrelated aspects, which can conventionally be called “substantial” and “functional”. IN first case speech coming O search significant And non-random similarities between subsystems holistic peace (for example whom Maybe serve their subordination universal principles causal-functional communications, on existence which insist concepts philosophical determinism). In second case speech coming O attempts explanations similar similarities by disclosures significant And non-random connections, real mediations between correlative "kingdoms" being"(Momdzhyan K.H. Society. Society. History. M., 1994. P.68.).

Thus, the main task of social philosophy is to reveal the essence of society, to characterize it as a part of the world, different from its other parts, but connected with them into a single world universe.

At the same time, social philosophy acts as a special theory, which has its own categories, laws and principles of research.

social philosophy knowledge society

Due to the high degree of generality of its provisions, laws and principles, social philosophy also acts as a methodology for other social sciences.

Social philosophy has always sought to describe, explain, and understand the common life of people, and this is quite natural. But how did she do this, what was the method of realizing this desire? A typical approach was to identify the most general properties of people’s existence, to characterize the most stable dependencies between them, connections, norms, standards, which could be considered as a kind of measure for determining the social qualities of their lives. “The social was viewed as a special structure that manifests itself in people’s lives, as a special order of their interaction, and sometimes as a special force that influences people and exists, as it were, independently of them. A philosopher, having such a social element at hand, could immerse any individual phenomenon of human life into some large structure and generalize it, measure and weigh it there, and then also present this generalization as an explanation, for example, of human personality” (Kemerov).

What role does social philosophy play in society? Before answering this question, let us recall functions philosophy: after all, to a large extent they are common to social philosophy.

1. Worldview function.

Worldview is a system of views that determines a person’s understanding of the existing world and his place in it, his attitude towards the surrounding reality and himself. As a complex spiritual phenomenon, it includes beliefs, ideals, goals, motives of behavior, interests, value orientations, principles of knowledge, moral standards, aesthetic views, etc. All these elements of the worldview in their totality determine the spiritual appearance and life position of not only individuals , but also social groups, classes, nations, society as a whole. Worldview is the starting point and active spiritual factor in man’s exploration and change of the world around him. Actually, they acquire ideological significance only through philosophy, and the level of awareness of this process is of fundamental importance.

2. Ontological function- the ability of philosophy to describe the world using categories such as “being”, “matter”, “system”, “determinism”, “development”, “necessity and chance”, “possibility and reality”, etc. Philosophy widely uses the achievements of all sciences to describe the world, strives to make generalizations and, on this basis, raise new concepts to the level of universality. The ontological function is expressed, therefore, in creating a philosophical picture of the world. By creating a picture of the world, philosophy generalizes the achievements of modern science.
3. Social philosophy and sociocultural function of philosophy. Social philosophy, as already noted, studies society as an integral organism, the relationship and role of all its components (economics, politics, social structure, culture, etc.), the role of objective and subjective factors in the change and development of society, considers the problem of historical stages, stages of development of society, the emergence of global problems and prospects for human civilization. From this follows the sociocultural function of philosophy, which is to help a person comprehend the course of human history, understand more deeply the current state of society, the multifaceted relationship between culture and personality, realize his place in society and his capabilities in self-development in the course of modern events.
4. Cultural and educational function of philosophy consists in the formation of such valuable qualities of a cultural personality as self-criticism, criticality, doubt. Philosophy offers a person a powerful methodological and epistemological basis for the consistent transformation of doubt into scientific confidence, for its harmonious combination with faith in overcoming mistakes, misconceptions, in obtaining more complete, deep, objective truths.

The cultural and educational function of philosophy also lies in the fact that it gives the community of individuals a common language, develops in it and each individual common, generally valid ideas about the main values of life. In addition, it gives a person a colorful, panoramic view of the social and natural world, allows him to penetrate into the depths of his inner world, to master his boundless psychocosmos.

5. Axiological function manifests itself in substantiating the position that man is the measure of all things, that all his actions, actions, results of discoveries, inventions, creation of the objective world, etc. are necessary. evaluate from the point of view of the ethical categories of “good” and “evil”. The axiological function is expressed in the development of a humanistic approach in cognitive, scientific, technical, social, political, economic, cultural, environmental and any other activities.
6. Epistemological function is expressed in the development of a general theory of knowledge, in the disclosure of levels of knowledge (empirical" theoretical). The epistemological function has a heuristic side. Scientists and philosophers, relying on scientific data and using methods of cognition characteristic of philosophy, are able to make independent discoveries, which in turn are included in the achievements of science.
7. Methodological function consists in justifying the need for general principles and methods of knowing the world, in justifying the consideration of general principles of self-organization and development of the world when studying any particular objects of knowledge. This is not about imposing philosophical dogmas. The point is only to ensure that the researcher does not fall into the captivity of outdated, time-rejected principles in understanding the world and the general picture of knowledge.
8. Integrating function of philosophy consists in the formation of a culture of thinking, due to which the dialectical nature of private scientific thinking is developed, philosophical categories are used in all scientific disciplines, the most general idea of the unity of the world is introduced into the context of research, etc. Philosophy is aimed at integrating the disconnected various spheres of social life, levels of social organization and social structures generated by the mutual alienation of material production and spiritual culture, mental and physical labor, ideology and science, art and science. The significance of the integrating function of philosophy in the global sense also lies in the fact that the further development of world civilization, fragmented into a number of local civilizations, necessarily requires overcoming the disunity of humanity on economic, class, national, racial and state grounds.
9. Logical-epistemological function of philosophy consists in the development of the philosophical method itself, its normative principles, as well as the logical and epistemological justification of certain conceptual and theoretical structures of scientific knowledge. This function is performed by dialectics as logic, for only dialectical thinking is able to adequately “grasp” and reflect the ever-changing world. Dialectics sets general guidelines for cognitive activity in various fields of theoretical natural science and social science, and the development of dialectical-logical principles of knowledge, carried out in close unity with the generalization of the latest achievements in the methodology of natural and social sciences, gives practical significance to the general methodological function of philosophy.
10. Critical function is to substantiate the idea of the need for a critical attitude to reality. Philosophy sifts through its “sieve” the accumulated spiritual material, discarding outdated teachings and views in the spirit of the times.
11. Prognostic function is expressed in the development of hypotheses, “sketches”, in the development of certain natural or social realities. Philosophy makes a kind of “intellectual exploration” into the future, involving the intellectual elite of humanity in this fascinating and difficult process.

Speaking of specifics social philosophy, special attention should be paid to the following functions:

1) epistemological function(research and explanation of the most general patterns and trends in the development of society as a whole, as well as social processes at the level of large social groups);
2) methodological function(social philosophy acts as a general doctrine about methods of cognition of social phenomena, the most general approaches to their study);
3) integration and synthesis of social knowledge(establishment of universal connections of social existence);
4) prognostic function of social philosophy(creating hypotheses about general trends in the development of social life and humans);
5) ideological function(unlike other historical forms of worldview - mythology and religion - social philosophy is associated with a conceptual, abstract theoretical explanation of the social world);
6) axiological or value function(any socio-philosophical concept contains an assessment of the object under study;
7) social function(in the broadest sense, social philosophy is called upon to perform a dual task - to explain social existence and contribute to its material and spiritual change);
8) humanitarian function(social philosophy should contribute to the formation of humanistic values and ideals, the affirmation of the positive purpose of life).

The functions of social philosophy are dialectically interconnected. Each of them presupposes the others and one way or another includes them in its content. Thus, it is obvious that the socio-philosophical study of social processes will be more successful the more carefully attention is paid to each of the functions of philosophy.

Famous philosopher K.H. Momdzhyan rightly notes that, unlike specific sciences, each of which develops its own “plot,” philosophy has the audacity to try to comprehend the world in its totality, universality, universality. This totality is revealed by it in two interrelated aspects, which can conventionally be called “substantial” and “functional”. In the first case, we are talking about the search for significant and non-random similarities between the subsystems of the integral world (an example of which is their subordination to the universal principles of causal-functional connection, the existence of which is insisted on by the concepts of philosophical determinism). In the second case, we are talking about attempts to explain such similarities by revealing significant and non-random connections, real mediations between correlated “realms of being”

Let's consider the existing definitions of social philosophy. One of the most famous definitions is the following: “Social philosophy is called upon to answer the question of how it is generally possible for people to consciously organize their relations in society, what ways and means of building social relations were and are opening up to them in various historical eras, what nature and there are objective barriers that confront people, how these limitations are recognized by people and manifested in practice, how adequately this problem was reflected by philosophical systems and ideological constructs of the past and present.” We will not analyze such a complex definition (interpretation of the word), apparently, it can be quite useful for a theoretical scientist, but we will try to find a simpler definition: “Social philosophy is a system of scientific knowledge about the most general patterns and trends in the interaction of social phenomena, the functioning and development of society, the holistic process of social life." The author of another definition is the famous domestic scientist V.S. Barulin. He believes that “social philosophy studies the laws according to which stable, large groups of people develop in society, the relationships between these groups, their connections and role in society.”

You can use any of the above definitions. You can also try to synthesize them in some way, or even try to construct your own definition. This is a very exciting process and very useful for the development of logical thinking and creativity. Go for it!

Problem field of social philosophy does not have clearly defined boundaries, but some areas can be identified that are currently most often the subject of attention:

1. General principles of the socio-philosophical approach to society.
2. Spheres of life of society.

The subject of social philosophy is twofold: 1) Society itself is studied from the point of view of its meaning, i.e. society is included in the context of the world as a whole as some organic part of it; 2) The sociomorphic vision of the universal itself is conceptualized as one of the fundamental types of vision of the world as a whole. We can say, from this point of view, that, firstly, general philosophical methodological procedures are applied to the comprehension of society itself, and, secondly, that the social is not even an object, but one of the fundamental methods of comprehending the meaning of the universal, with the help of which it reveals itself