Basic values of contemporary Russian society in the mirror of expert opinions

Abstract

The article analyzes the basic values of the Russian society. The methodological basis of the present study is the philosophical-anthropological, historical, axiological and sociological approaches. Culture is characterized as a process of purposeful cultivation of humanity in man and simultaneously as a complex self-organizing system that creates, transmits and preserves the basic values of human existence. By basic values the authors understand the socially significant artifacts of culture, which have a significant impact on the functioning and productive activities of not only individuals and social groups, but also society as a whole. It is argued that people’s perception of social reality is not arbitrary, but based on the system of basic values formed in their heads, allowing them to distinguish between good and evil, beautiful and ugly, true and false, useful and harmful, their own and others’. Basic values are ideal and objective. But their perception is always subjective. Based on a series of in-depth interviews with experts conducted by the authors in January and February 2023, conclusions are drawn that: 1) the axiosphere of Russian society is filled with mythological and media constructs, religious and secular meanings, narratives and discourses of classical and nonclassical ideologies; 2) both spontaneous circulation of traditional basic values and purposeful activities of various actors involved in spiritual production processes have a significant impact on its current state; 3) the basic values of Russians, according to the systematization of experts’ answers, are patriotism and family.