On the Role of the Goal-Setting in Human Activity and Social Development

Abstract

The goals of human activity are diverse, ambiguous and often opposite. In the article, goal-setting is seen in the context of the concepts of freedom and necessity, as a subject-object attitude, from the point of view of a dual role of consciousness – as knowledge (usually incomplete, personal, sometimes distorted) about the object to which the action of the subject is directed, and as an attitude to the object. The goal-setting is determined by the needs of the person, his interests in material life and other spheres. The dominance of the market order and private interests in an individualized society gives social development a spontaneous character – a development driven by many different goals, but not by common purpose. In the process of social development a discord is arising between private interests and social needs. Hence there is the need for development guided by social foresight in order to prevent threatening tendencies. In the light of global challenges and threats, the optimal combining of private and common human interests is becoming an increasingly urgent task, requiring changes in traditional priorities. The Sustainable Development Goals approved by the UN summits should be considered in terms of creating conditions for the survival of mankind.