The Uncertainty of the World and the Problem of Russian Civilization

Abstract

The article is devoted to civilizational issues, which are largely determined by the environment or background, i.e. the socio-political situation in the country and the world as a whole, which has an indirect impact on it. The author considers a new situation, which is characterized by instability in all spheres of planetary life, which is reflected in the position of a person. This situation is characterized in the literature as the end of certainty or “uncertainty,” which is reflected today in the terminology attributed to the word “new” or the prefix “post.” It has been established that, despite its relevance, this concept has a long history in philosophy, from antiquity to modern times. The author of the article states the contribution of the modern Russian civilizational theory to the state of uncertainty in Russia, due to both the terminological ambiguity and uncertainty of the key concepts of this theory, and the ideological and worldview disagreement of its representatives. Three versions of the existence of civilization in the Russian state are presented, which remain in the humanitarian discourse of new Russia for thirty years. Particular attention is paid to the third version as the most stable, according to which Russia has been and remains a part of the West, the reasons for its popularity have been identified. The concept of the Other, which has recently become very relevant after it was discovered that the movement towards the West without taking into account the historical peculiarities of Russia, was unsuccessful, and the West itself directed all its efforts to contain Russia, was taken as the basic methodological basis for the study of this version. It is concluded that a more attentive attitude to the background will help bring the positions of different authors closer and minimize the uncertainty, which takes on more and more alarming features. This can contribute to the development of worldview coordinates and values that determine vital priorities and development prospects, give an image of the future embodied in a civilizational development project that satisfies the entire society.