Formation of National Consciousness through the Prism of Comprehending Social and State Values (Identity, Will, Unity, Dignity)

Abstract

The article considers the essence of social and state (national) values (identity, dignity, unity, will) in the context of existing approaches formed in the scholarly research. The generalization of the conceptual, theoretical and methodological apparatus is carried out. The regulatory, worldview, educational, and patriotic functions of values are singled out from the point of view of their historical retrospective and present time. The relationship between the formation of national consciousness and the assimilation of fundamental state and social values, which is determined by the process of implementing the Strategy of national-patriotic education for 2020–2025, is shown. The concepts of the national idea, national values, social and national dignity, national unity, and individual will, as well as the mental foundations of national and patriotic education of youth, are considered in the context of state and social development. It is noted that the Ukrainian society retains a unique value-oriented structure, which reflects cultural identity, and the value of identity is now a motivating factor that enables national ethnocultural revival, the manifestations of which are not always characteristic of global civilization trends. The author mentions that spiritual values, which include identity, will, unity, and dignity, have become core concepts synthesized by historiography and public opinion in the process of acquiring causal social actions, which is reflected in transformations and changes in various spheres of public life. The article emphasizes the need for a more detailed clarification of the deep meaning of social and state values in terms of theoretical and methodological research. It underlines that the problems of modernization of national values and their impact on national consciousness is not widely reflected in the works of domestic scholars. Therefore, the national-patriotic education in Ukraine requires a modern worldview basis that would consider the state of the society, national interest, and the specifics of the state-building process.