Формирование теоретико-методологических основ циклических концепций в политической сфере: на примере трудов ученых эпохи Просвещения

Abstract

The complication of relations in the society of the Enlightenment required the development of a scientifically based foresight of political dynamics. This led to the interest of scientists in cyclic concepts. Within the framework of the comparative-historical and systematic approach, the author considers the formation of their theoretical and methodological foundations. The main attention is paid to the content of the concepts. It is considered in the context of the worldview that dominated the Enlightenment. Each concept is an ideal scheme where scientists describe a complex reality in a simplified way. This made the theories open to criticism and further scientific research. The author comes to the conclusion that since the Enlightenment there have been four trends in the process of forming the theoretical and methodological foundations. First, the concept of linear progress is firmly established in the social sciences. In the future, it served as the basis for political research. Secondly, scientists finally departed from the religious worldview. In their writings, they laid the foundations for a logical and rational approach to the study of the development of society. Thirdly, the bourgeois revolutions generated an interest in the study of social conflicts. To analyze changes in society, scientists used cyclical and linear approaches. Fourthly, interest in the topic of the “golden age” has been preserved in society. During the Age of Enlightenment, this topic was further developed. Scientists have made attempts to realize abstract models of an ideal society.