Philosophical Tradition Research Articles

VOLODYMYR VYNNYCHENKO’S PHILOSOPHICAL AND AESTHETIC VIEWS: THE EXPERIENCE OF FRENCH EXISTENTIAL

The relevance of the proposed research is determined by the reviving the interest of modern literary studies of the figure of Volodymyr Vynnychenko, determining the place of his creativity in the context of European modernism, the ambiguity of assessments of this phenomenon in the context of Ukrainian fine literature. The article examines Volodymyr Vynnychenko’s novels in the discourse of French Existentialism. Attention is focused on outlining the similarities and differences between J.-P. Sartre, A. Camus and V. Vynnychenko’s worldviews and aesthetic views. The origins of the existentialist method in the work of the Ukrainian émigré writer and its inclusion in the discourse of French atheistic of Existentialism are also analysed, and some conclusions of the “Mougins” cycle of Vynnychenko’s works are investigated using summarized prospects for its study in a broad and its European context is also outlined. The authors examine the forms and methods of aesthetic refraction of the basic concepts of existentialism (absurdity, rebellion, freedom, choice, and relationships at the level “I – the Other”). The purpose of the work and the tasks involve analyzing the philosophical and artistic texts of Vynychenko in the discourse of French existentialism, as well as revealing the main philosophical ideas and functions of the novels of the Ukrainian writer, consistent with the creative guidelines of J.-P. Sartre and A. Camus. The set of goals determines the need for the use of hermeneutic (analysis of artistic texts), historical-literary, comparative-typological (posing and solving a number of literary problems in the context of equal national literature, and biographical (using diary entries) research methods. The problem is determining the place of ideology in the context of French existentialism and the “Mougins’” cycle of Vynnychenko’s works, was raised in literary studies as early as the 70s of the last century, in particular by diaspora researchers S. Naumovych and L. Zaleska-Onyshkevych, who tried to show the priority of Vynnychenko’s writing compared to Sartre and Camus. The problem of existentialism as a philosophical direction was considered in the late 1940s among the members of the Artistic Ukrainian Movement, attempting to formulate the concept of “Ukrainian existentialism”. The Ukrainian researcher Ya. Kotets includes diaspora representatives 70 years later in the article “The Formula of Ukrainian Existentialism” (2021). There are several Ukrainian and Soviet writers who produce some existential ideas and elements of existential interpretation of human life, but they should not be called conscious writers-existentialists. Among modern Ukrainian works need to name “Existentialist philosophy. Traditions and perspectives” by S. Raida (2009), as well as the comparative study “Ukrainian version of artistic existentialism: B.I. Antonych, V. Svidzinsky, T. Osmachka in the European context” (2020) by H. Tokman, where is introduced the concept of “artistic existentialism”. The critical optics of the research make it possible to combine the historical and philosophical specificity of the interwar twenty years and the post-war period, on which are built the works of Vynnychenko, Sartre and Camus. It is an attempt to show the originality of the philosophical and aesthetic views of the emigrant Vynnychenko in the paradigm of French existentialism, to demonstrate the similarity of the Ukrainian type of philosophizing (from Skovoroda, Franko, Lesya Ukrainka to Vynnychenko), to analyze his characteristic orientation towards a person who faces the eternal problems of life, death, and evil. Such non-scientific philosophizing gave birth to special genre forms: essay, aphorism, portrait, dialogue, drama, and novel, which can be found in V.Vynnychenko’s literary work. Vynnychenko belongs to those thinkers who went beyond the boundaries of traditional philosophy in order to comprehend the broader meaning of the entire spiritual culture, developing the ideas of A. Schopenhauer, F. Nietzsche, A. Bergson, the theosophical theory of R. Steiner, in their writings. Vynnychenko set himself the goal of revealing prospects for further development to man, to give meaning to its existence, to point it to certain positive values, that is, to overcome the extremes of German and French existentialism and develop a positive philosophical platform.

Axiological foundations of a journalist's professional activity

The professional activity of a journalist has a clearly expressed value character, reflecting the ideological and ethical principles of this field. This article analyzes the following values of journalism: 1. The principle of humanity, based on humanistic ideals and responsible attitude towards people. 2. The principle of truthfulness, which implies the accuracy of information transmission and interpretation of facts as a professional duty. 3. The principle of honesty, which assumes not only the prevention of misleading the audience, but also the refusal to harm people. 4. The principle of responsibility, which includes a set of requirements for professionalism, text quality, objectivity and balance. These value orientations represent ideal entities existing in the world of due and target orientations. Being rooted in the philosophical tradition, they streamline and fill the professional activity of journalists with evaluative content, determining its orientation towards serving society and affirming humanistic ideals. The following methods are used in the work: 1. Theoretical analysis of philosophical and scientific literature on the problem of axiological foundations of journalism. 2. A comparative analytical method used in comparing various concepts of values in the philosophical tradition. 3. An interpretive method used for meaningful analysis and evaluative filling of the value principles that form the axiological basis of the professional activity of journalists. Summarizing, we can say that the value system of journalism is characterized by the principles of humanity, truthfulness, honesty and responsibility. These values reflect the ideological and ethical basis of the professional activity of journalists. The analysis allows us to conclude that the values of journalism are ideological and ethical. The key value principles in this professional field are humanity, truthfulness, honesty and responsibility. These values represent the normative guidelines of journalists' consciousness and behavior, which streamline and fill their professional activities with evaluative content. Rooted in the philosophical tradition, they are interpreted as ideal entities existing in a world of due and purpose. Thus, the axiological basis of journalism determines its orientation towards truth, service to society and affirmation of humanistic ideals. This value system sets the ethical vector of media communications, making journalism a socially responsible profession.

T. S. Eliot, Poetry, and the Ethics of "Feeling"

Abstract: This essay offers an account of "feeling"—alongside a set of other, related experiential terms—in T. S. Eliot's ethics and aesthetics, suggesting a new way forward for philosophical poetics more broadly. Drawing on archival resources and neglected aspects of his academic background, it positions Eliot in a distinctive philosophical (and counter-philosophical) tradition which emphasized the "felt" experience of verse form. For Eliot, it argues, the moral and spiritual value of poetry was therefore dependent upon its capacity to make us "feel" in intensely personal, idiosyncratic, and slippery ways.

Life Philosophy: A Study on Western Ontology and Taoism of Form and Spirit Dualism

The paper, starting from the perspective of philosophical exploration of life, combines historical literature with ontology and dualism as the focal points, integrating features from various fields such as psychology, traditional Chinese medicine, and phenomenology. It conducts a comparative study on the similarities and differences between Western ontology and Taoist dualism of form and spirit. The article elucidates how the 'outward-extending material world and inward-purifying spiritual world' are unified in the principle of the amalgamation of 'human body.' It also provides specific methods and theoretical explanations for the discovery of the spiritual world in the East and West. The external world is defined as the material realm discovered by science, while the internal world is the spiritual realm revealed after the purification of the mind. Both idealism and materialism have tended toward extremes in two directions. Both Western ontology and Eastern Taoist dualism of form and spirit have discovered the phenomenon that 'the spirit can exist independently in this time and space through specific exercises such as meditation.' Taoism, with its unique medical foundation in the study of 'form,' recognizes the interaction of form and spirit, leading to the development of their respective religious, philosophical, and theological traditions. Interdisciplinary and cross-regional studies in religion, particularly in the field of mental and physical health, are expected to become significant trends in the future."

The Grammar of the Disabled-Able Agency Construing ‘Hindu Studies’: Perusing the Ashtavakra Gita

The Ashtavakra Gita is a metaphysical treatise by Rishiraj Janaka and the able-disable Sage Ashtavakra in Indian mythology. It spans 20 chapters and 285 shlokas, focusing on the post-human and the disabled-able agency. The text is influenced by Hindu Studies and Indian knowledge systems, and its interconnection of ideas, cohesion, consistency, and logic are key research questions. The study explores themes such as the impact of Hindu Studies on Western literature, tangible and intangible identities, and the concept of province and region. The text also explores themes of femininity, iconography, nationalism, time, and regional poetics. The study also explores cultural paraphernalia, mythology, knowledge, detachment, liberation, and the Adwaita philosophy. The paper will examine how the text constructs and conveys concepts of ability and disability through its narrative and philosophical discourse. Additionally, the paper will analyze the linguistic and grammatical frameworks employed to understand the interactions between disabled and able-bodied characters in the context of Hindu religious and philosophical traditions.

Foucault's Study of Power Theory -- A Textual Study Based on Discipline and Punishment

As the basic concept of political philosophy, power has the nature of absolutely dominating social operation. For a long time, political science and sociology have examined how it operates from a top-down perspective. With the development of grand narrative and the rise of structuralism, the theory of power also needs to be further updated to conform to the trend of postmodernism. Through his research on the development of prisons and other institutions, Foucault realized that the operation law of power was not inseparable from political governance as explained by traditional philosophy, but integrated into the lives of all people in an atomic way. In the modern era, the art of domination incorporates this microphysics and develops it into a technology that, unlike the oppressive domination of antiquity, interferes with People's Daily lives in a way that is controlled by the body. The key to this technology is discipline, which operates in institutions that alienate time and space, and also separate man's utility from his capacity to develop, making him part of the social machine. Foucault's micro-power theory may seem very different from the theory of right and Marxism, but it is used in the context of a contractual society, and its purpose is economic, without disconnection. Through micro-power, we can have a clearer understanding of modern state governance under capitalism.

Philosophical foundations of worldview conflict within Western thought in the conservative perspective

Abstract: In the face of growing conflicts in Western societies and the formation of deep political, ideological and worldview divisions within Western civilization, it becomes legitimate to ask whether we are not witnessing ongoing culture wars? The observed intensifying social dichotomies do not touch only the issue of political sympathies or antipathies, but concern almost all aspects of human life: the concept of nation, attitude to religion, family model, approach to sexuality and even the existence of gender. The purpose of this article is to trace the conservative style of thinking in the context of the culture war, to distinguish the elements of common concepts within this philosophical tradition, as well as the peculiarities of each of the selected authors. The paper has the following order: an introduction devoted to the origins of modern conservatism, allowing to outline the conceptual framework of this style of thinking. It is hypothesized that modern British conservatism arose in response to events associated with the collapse of socialism in Poland and Czechoslovakia, while the philosophical development of Polish conservative thought is inspired by Anglo-Saxon publications. In the first part, the thought of British conservative philosophy on the phenomenon of culture war is described on the example of Roger Scruton's philosophy, and then compared with American authors Allan Bloom and Gertrude Himmelfarb. The second part of the article is devoted to two Polish authors who have dealt extensively with the subject of culture war – Agnieszka Kolakowska and Anna Pawczynska. Finally, the conservative interpretation of the culture war is compared with the liberal and left-wing interpretations in order to point out the links, connections, as well as differences between them.

Phenomenology and intersubjectivity in political economy: an anti-perfectionist perspective

Anti-perfectionism is a philosophical perspective combining the view of man as an imperfect and non-self-sufficient being with a scientific epistemology based on imperfect knowledge. From an epistemological perspective, it has roots in Socrates and, more recently, in the post-empiricism of Giambattista Vico, up to phenomenology. From an anthropological perspective, it is a philosophical tradition based on an awareness of the constitutive dependency of individual performance and fulfilment of man on his interaction with others. It is conceived in opposition to the individualism and perfect rationality of most social theories. The paper analyses both the philosophical and the epistemological premises of anti-perfectionism as well as its consequences in terms of economic methodology. It will specifically develop the momentary intersection of phenomenology and Austrian economics. The theory of knowledge and of sense-making of phenomenology will be discussed with particular attention to intersubjectivity, which expresses anti-perfectionism well. The interpretations of human knowledge and action of Scheler and Schütz are analysed and connected to some contemporary streams of Austrian economics.

Символ и миф как инструменты теургического преображения действительности у о. Павла Флоренского и Вяч. Иванова

The concept of theurgy, as elucidated by Vladimir Solovyov, posits a transformative process wherein empirical reality is transfigured into the ideal through symbolic and mythic means. Pavel Florensky and Vyacheslav Ivanov, two prominent thinkers of the Russian philosophical tradition, offer distinct perspectives on the role of symbol and myth in this theurgic transformation. This article seeks to explore and compare their theories within the framework of theurgical philosophy. It is argued that both thinkers adhered to a similar concept of the symbol, yet differed in their understanding of its role in the theurgic transformation of reality. Pavel Florensky believed that transformation could be achieved through the potentiation of the natural symbol via so-called “mystical cognition”, which involves endowing a phenomenon with personal significance to evoke the awakening and activation of its latent ideal essence. In contrast, Vyacheslav Ivanov contended that the “enhancement” of the symbol to the level of idea is impossible, thus proposing the theory that the effective means of transforming reality is not the symbol as a word, but the myth as a synthetic judgment, which, although based on the symbol, does not organically arise from it, but is formed by intellectual intuition. The conclusion of the study suggests that the difference in approaches between the two philosophers is rooted in ontological premises. Pavel Florensky developed his concept of symbol potentiation based on “name theology”, asserting the identity of name and thing, whereas Vyacheslav Ivanov adopted a more restrained position regarding the power of naming, which led to the development of his predicate theory of myth. By critically examining their theories within the context of theurgical philosophy, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities of symbol and myth in the quest for spiritual transformation. Further research is needed to explore the practical implications of these theories for modern philosophical and theological discourse.

From Mythos to Logos: Pre-Socratic Philosophers and the Birth of Rational Inquiry

This paper examines the important shift from mythological to philosophical thought instigated by pre-Socratic philosophers in ancient Greece by examining influential figures such as Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus in their pioneering efforts at rational analysis. The theories of these philosophers challenged the traditional mythical descriptions of the universe and man's existence, initiating the paradigm shift from mythos (myth) to logos (logic) that reshaped philosophical discourse and laid the foundations for Western philosophical traditions. This paper seeks to reveal the nature of pre-Socratic rational thought and its lasting impact on the history of Western philosophy. It emphasizes the importance of the contributions of pre-Socratic philosophers to the promotion of critical thinking, empiricism, and logical reasoning. Finally, the paper emphasizes the role of the pre-Socratic period in the development of Western philosophy and philosophical approaches to inquiry.

AI and East Asian Philosophical and Religious Traditions: Relationality and Fluidity

AI and East Asian Philosophical and Religious Traditions: Relationality and Fluidity

Atheism in the Muslim World: Classical Approach through Medieval Islamic Intellectual and Philosophical Traditions

This research article examines the presence of atheism in the classical and medieval Islamic intellectual and philosophical traditions. In addition, the research explores the current situation of atheism in the Muslim world. The paper explores the historical development of atheism in the Muslim world. This research paper is divided into four sections: the Islamic definition of atheism by Muslim academics, early Muslim history, a description of Ex-Muslim atheists, and modern atheist groups.

The Anthropocentric Bias in Animal Cognition

In the classical philosophical tradition, animals had the special function of serving as “objects of comparison” concerning humans. In that sense, philosophy adopted a peculiar comparative perspective focused on the categoric difference that separates humans from other creatures: an exceptionalist perspective. The Humanities developed an anthropocentric canon for the study of animals and privileged the search for differences over similarities of these with humans. On the other hand, the great boost that animal studies received under the influence of Darwin's work promoted a different comparative perspective in the natural sciences. However, especially in comparative psychology, ingent efforts were devoted to avoid the errors that anthropomorphism would entail: attributing human properties to other creatures and privileging similarities over differences. It assumed that anthropomorphic bias entails a more fundamental type of error than anthropocentric bias. Now, this asymmetric diagnosis has beenunmasked with different arguments. In the context of both disciplinary traditions, it is timely to reexamine the most persistent and negative manifestations of anthropocentric bias as a comparative bias for the study of animal cognition. In this work I will identify the following: the homogenization of animals into a single general category; psychological speciesism and the “de-mentalization” of animals; the survival of a hierarchical conception of cognitive abilities; the selective application - only to animals - of Morgan's Canon or anthropodenial and its complement, the assumption of idealized mental capacities in the human case or anthropofabulation; asymmetrical or distorsive methodological strategies for the study of animals versus humans which affects the comparative interpretations; and different manifestations of semantic anthropocentrism.

O živi filozofiji

O živi filozofiji

Eric S. Nelson: <i>Heidegger and Dao: Things, Nothingness, Freedom</i>

Eric S. Nelson: <i>Heidegger and Dao: Things, Nothingness, Freedom</i>

Towards a Notion of Relational Sacrifices: Nursing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Wuhan

ABSTRACT In this article, we examine the relationship between nursing and sacrifice in the context of Shanghai-based nurses volunteering to treat COVID-19 patients in Wuhan during the pandemic in 2019 and 2020. In the paper, we explore the relationship between metaphors, such as ‘the war on COVID’ with the notion of sacrifice among our participants. The contribution that this article makes is to examine the lived experiences of the sacrifices made by individual nurses in a wider ‘relational’ framework. This relational framework examines, not just the sacrifices of the nurses but also the sacrifices made by their families during their service in Wuhan. As such, the article explores not only the relationship (or conflict) between self-love, self-prolonging and self-preservation and ‘self-sacrifice’ in the moral philosophical tradition of Kant – through the lived experiences of our participants – we extend sacrifice and the sacrificial beyond the individual (nurse) to examine the relational and familial lived experiences of the sacrifice of the nurses and their families in the context of their nursing on the COVID-19 wards in Wuhan.

From Husserl to Merleau-Ponty: Tracing the Arc of Phenomenology

This research traces the key developments in phenomenological thought from its inception with Edmund Husserl to its evolution under Maurice Merleau-Ponty. The primary objective is to understand the continuity and divergence in their perspectives, and the influence on phenomenology’s progression as a philosophical tradition. The study employs a conceptual and thematic analysis method to elucidate these developments by examining their foundational texts. The findings reveal a nuanced understanding of this evolution, highlighting both Husserl’s establishment of transcendental phenomenology focused on pure consciousness and Merleau-Ponty’s transformative turn toward embodied experience. By synthesizing connections between their projects, this analysis provides a comprehensive view of the arc of phenomenological thought. Keywords: Phenomenology, Husserl & Merleau-Ponty, Intentionality, Consciousness, Embodiment

DELEUZE AND INFINITE REPRESENTATION: CONTRADICTION VERSUS SUFFICIENT REASON

The relationship between Deleuze and Hegel and Deleuze’s obvious anti-Hegelianism manifests itself mainly in the Difference-in-Itself section of Difference and Repetition. The issue in this first part of Difference and Repetition consists of the critique of traditional metaphysics as a system of representation. Traditional metaphysics tries to represent existing things, instead of problemtising their genesis. It presents them by making them organized and suitable for the human eye. Traditional philosophy does this by subordinating difference to identity. Ultimately, for philosophy, difference is merely a means to guarantee the structure of the representational system based on identity and on harmony. However, Deleuze’s philosophy is a system of thought about the origin of the existence of things. Here, difference becomes the constitutive element. At this point, our aim will be to reveal the general structure of various representational systems. Our first subject will be Aristotle’s Organic Representational system, in which the limit of beings is well determined. After this system, we will move on to the infinite representational system, where the purpose of the limit is not the restriction but to enable the finite to pass beyond itself. According to Deleuze, the Philosophical systems that are similar to the latter are exemplified by Hegel and Leibniz. Essentially, in this section, Deleuze shows himself to be on the side of Leibniz and criticizes Hegelian dialectics. This criticism here shows that individual and unconscious creation is the basic question at the core of Deleuze’s system, which is based on the problem of origin. Deleuze’s aim is to build a system of philosophy based on Leibnizian philosophy, purified from old metaphysics defects and a reinterpretation of Kantian experience.

Philosophical hermeneutics and scientific and pedagogical activities

Importance. Maintaining a continuous, equal dialogue between teachers and philosophers is one of the conditions for achieving the main humanitarian and educational goal – the upbringing of a spiritual and moral, comprehensively developed, socially responsible personality. Scientific and pedagogical activity is based on a certain system of philosophical and ideological ideas, principles and ideals that enrich and stimulate the development of educational thought and practice. Currently, the experience of philosophical hermeneutics, one of the directions of Western thought, is in great demand in educational practice. Hermeneutical theories influence the formation and formation of a special science – pedagogical hermeneutics. The principles of hermeneutics are increasingly being used as a theoretical and methodological basis for discussing and critically comprehending traditional pedagogical problems, such as methods of teaching and upbringing in the field of social sciences and humanities, assessment of the quality of education, the content and meaning of pedagogical activity. The ideas and positions of hermeneutics resonate in discussions about qualitative research. Hermeneutics helps to comprehend the genuine difficulties of interpretation that each individual faces in everyday life and professional activities. The purpose of the research is to reveal the possibilities of applying the experience of philosophical hermeneutics in the structure of scientific and pedagogical activity. To achieve this goal, the characteristic features and principles of hermeneutics as a philosophical tradition are considered, the cognitive potential of the hermeneutical approach in scientific and pedagogical practice is clarified.Materials and Methods. The following methods and approaches are used: 1) using the comparative historical method, the process of formation and development of philosophical hermeneutics is revealed, its conceptual evolution is analyzed; 2) the fundamental method of interpretation is used to work with texts of prominent representatives of philosophical hermeneutics; 3) the application of an interdisciplinary approach is due to the combination in the study of various fields of knowledge: philosophy, pedagogy, linguistics, psychology; 4) on the basis of a systematic approach, an analytical description of the applied aspect of philosophical hermeneutics for pedagogy is provided. The historical and philosophical reconstruction of the ideas and principles of hermeneutics was carried out on the basis of the works of F. Schleiermacher, W. Dilthey, M. Heidegger, G.-G. Gadamer. The specificity of the hermeneutical methodology is comprehended against the background of the positivist methodology opposite to it.Results and Discussion. The cognitive potential of the hermeneutical approach in scientific and pedagogical practice is considered. It is noted that this approach provides the teacher with an understanding of the meaning of key educational terms, which helps to avoid situations of conceptual confusion in pedagogical communication. Understanding and interpretation can cause certain difficulties for students themselves when they relate to the content of various texts. In such cases, the teacher should find out the causes of the difficulties that arise, and help the students overcome them. It is emphasized that hermeneutics forms a specific style of thinking with a clearly pronounced anti-positivist orientation. The widespread opinion about the teacher as a subject of educational activity and the bearer of genuine knowledge, which he must “put into the heads” of students, in hermeneutics gives way to the idea of learning as a process of mutual creativity, cooperation between the teacher and the student. The role of the teacher is reduced to creating conditions that ensure the “merging of horizons” of participants in pedagogical activity. Hermeneutics stimulates the formulation of questions aimed at understanding the meaning of educational activity, it clarifies the degree of involvement of the teacher in the realization of this meaning. Starting from the idea of ontological inclusion of a person in a cultural and historical tradition, hermeneutics makes it possible to understand to what extent prejudices determine our behavior and thinking, and how this circumstance affects interpersonal relationships. The hermeneutical approach makes it possible to interpret educational activities based on the idea of the uniqueness of pedagogical experience. The use of the hermeneutical method assumes that the teacher-researcher associates himself not with an impartial observer, but with a full participant in the dialogical search. Thanks to the joint efforts of the researcher and other participants in the hermeneutical conversation, meaning and understanding merge.Conclusion. It is shown that the problem of interpretation, considered in the framework of educational activities, is of a practical nature. Modern philosophical hermeneutics, having made an ontological turn, overcomes the Cartesian view of the abstract opposition of subject and object, tradition and reason, which prevails in “modernist” pedagogy. Teachers can benefit from the analysis and development of the most important ideas and provisions of hermeneutics for their application in scientific and pedagogical activities, as it helps to realize their own prejudices, questions initial interpretations, strengthens the position of self-reflection regarding the educational process.

ORIENTAL MOTIVES IN CONTEMPORARY UKRAINIAN LITERATURE: IDENTITY AND IDEOLOGY

The work is devoted to the study of the correlation between the motives, images, symbols, stereotypes and clichés existing in modern Ukrainian literature, which outline the Eastern philosophical tradition, and the formation and transformation of identity at different levels and types. The consideration is carried out in the context of the emergence of the latest Ukrainian myth as a basis for national ideology. The purpose of the research is to outline the paradoxical nature of the general reception and individual explications of oriental motifs in modern Ukrainian literature on the occasion of those segments that can be defined through the predications of genre or mass. The article outlines the peculiarities of the reflection of oriental motifs in modern Ukrainian literature related to the dominance of the aesthetic and philosophical influences of the paradigm of postmodernism in the national tradition during the last decades. It also notes the connection between the reception of oriental motifs in Ukrainian modern literature and the politicization of modern public discourse on the occasion of the meaning-making East-West dichotomy. Political and ideological contexts of literary discourse and speech practices acquire signs of ambivalence and function as symbolic constructions. The dual nature of the reception of the image and philosophy of the East in the Ukrainian literary tradition and mass consciousness of both the metaphysical East and the geopolitical East has been clarified. The direction of transformation of oriental motives and images in the mass consciousness and literary usus in the context of finding the identity of different types and levels of generality in Ukrainian society and culture is also recorded. The liminal type of culture correlates with a divided society, and as a result the rational-educational interpretation of the image of the East as the antithesis of the West interacts with the postmodern fusion and mutual determination of East and West.