Abstract: The article presents an analysis of the two-century development of the Russian intelligentsia, traces the transformation of views and ideas due to historical and socio-cultural foundations. The Russian intelligentsia is regarded as a very special phenomenon in the world, whose historical significance and basic idea are determined by the relationship with the state. It is proved that the main driving force of the development of the Russian intelligentsia changed depending on the political and ideological regime. Much attention is paid in the article to the understanding of the phenomenon of the Russian intelligentsia in the present reality, traditional and acquired features in this historical period are considered. Its role in the formation of value orientations of modern society is analyzed.   The author suggests that in the post-reform Russia of the XXI century there is no conceptual unity in the awareness of the "Russian intelligentsia". The intelligentsia itself to a greater extent today does not see itself as a recognized and clearly defined social group, its self-consciousness is fragmented and contradictory. The conclusion is made that the ideological form of the Russian intelligentsia was and remains its alienation from the state and hostility to it, brought up on abstract enlightenment schemes supplemented by cosmopolitanism and globalization, the modern intellectual continues to suffer from the lack of a healthy national identity. Today, when time dictates the need to move to a fundamentally new type of civilizational development, where the key question of the values that set the guidelines for this transition arises again, it is the intelligentsia, as a generator of the thought field, as two centuries ago, can play a major role.

Abstract: This article discusses the topic of identity in the religious philosophy of N. Berdyaev. The author emphasizes the importance of this topic for the philosopher alongside the problematic of freedom and creativity. Emphasis is placed on the existential-religious traditions of Berdyaev’s philosophy, which views a particular individual in his relation to the society and history. According to Berdyaev, an individual is a puzzle not as an organism or social being, but as the identity; the spiritual aspect alone does not depend or determined by the society, which indicates its freedom, although not absolute. The conclusion is made on the relevance of philosophical reflections of N. Berdyaev for the modern state of social development. The author comes into line with the prophetic ideas of the philosopher on the approaching process of dehumanization in spheres of cultural and social life, and namely, dehumanization of moral consciousness. A human fades out as an integral, internally centered, spiritually focused being, who retains cohesion and unity. The author is forced to acknowledge the transformation of moral and ethical values of society, loss of innate thinking, increasing dependence on popular culture and consumer ideology, undermined faith in the future and self-confidence.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the process of formation of civil society. The author presents a comparative analysis of the Western and Russian models. Based on such positions as the stance on private property, peculiarities of social community, agency of social transformations and source of social initiatives, the article highlights the key characteristics of the two described models. Particular attention is turned to the problem of personal spiritual and economic freedom as one of the fundamental factors for the establishment of civil society. The author outlines its external and internal determinants. The research methodology is based on the comparative analysis of the Western and Russian models of the formation of civil society, considering the specifics of cultural and historical context. The Russian model of civil society, being functionally identical to the Western, represents a peculiar social phenomenon, differed by the type and genesis. Within the national context, civil society acquires a unique content, defined by nature and dynamics of interaction between the government and people. In this regard, the formation of mentality of a Russian person is of particular significance.