Abstract: The authors raise the question of the content of the concept of “social contract theory”, discuss the key socio-philosophical content of social contract theories and modern views on it. The object of the study is the social contract as a philosophical concept, the subject of the study is the currently developed ways of interpreting and applying this concept. The goal towards which the research presented in the article is aimed is to understand the ways of developing the concept of a social contract and the prospects for its further socio-philosophical use. The significance of the concept of a social contract for discussing the ontological foundations of the norms and obligations implemented in society that arise between the actors of social interaction is revealed. The theoretical and methodological innovations used by modern authors are analyzed to develop the concept of the social contract. In the course of this study, the authors used methods of comparative analysis (in relation to the considered ways of understanding the social contract), analytical and interpretive methods, and a historical-genetic method (in the context of considering ways of developing the concept of a social contract). The scientific novelty of the study lies in the formulation of assumptions regarding the philosophical prospects for the development of the concepts of social contract, as well as in the discussion of the meaning and methods of application of these concepts. Based on the study, the authors conclude that the concept of a social contract is of current importance in the context of reflecting the foundations of norms regulating social interaction.

Abstract:  
The subject of this research is the dynamics of conceptualization of the phenomenon of cultural reproduction, expressed in the concepts of tradition and cultural memory, as well as the related concepts of the invention of tradition, historical memory, and post-truth. The article analyzes the transformation of epistemological approach that took place in the late XX century towards reproduction of culture, reflected in the change of the fundamental conceptual metaphor – from “delivery”(traditio) to “memory”, which means a shift in the dominant approach towards the structure of cultural continuum that appears to be attributed not to the objective reproducible content, rather than its construction by the subject. It is suggested to examine the questions of current interrelation between post-truth and public consciousness. The author creates an instrumental approach towards tradition, which is characterized by pragmatism expressed in the intention towards management of social relations, where tradition is a tool for managing the present through the formation of representations about the past, and constructivism, which implies that tradition is a construct of perception formed in the present, not reflecting the past itself. Being internalized in a broad social context, the instrumental approach is realized within the framework of the state of post-truth, which does not consider the past crucial for the formation of public opinion compared to other personal beliefs, as well as management methods applied to the latter. Problematization of the theme of post-truth demonstrates the internalization of instrumental approach into a broad social context, indicating the cross-effect pf epistemological and general cultural social context with regards to problem of interrelation between the social past and the present.
 

Abstract:  
The object of this research is the process of self-organization of students of the higher school. The subject is the principles of planning the educational process in the higher school in the conditions of self-organization of students on the basis of synergetic approach. The goal consists in theoretical substantiation of the model of educational process in the higher school in accordance with pedagogical synergetics. Research methodology is the pedagogical synergetics. Synergetic approach allows integrating the experience accumulated in pedagogical science and creating the model of educational process in the conditions of information society and the self-organizing learning environment. The authors examine the two approaches towards self-organization of students: personal and collective. The principles of planning the educational process in the conditions of self-study of students and rich information environment based on synergetic approach are proposed. The conclusion is made that synergetics can serve as a methodological framework for studying the phenomena of self-organization in the learning process of students in the higher school. The two forms of self-organization are determined: coherent (from homogeneous elements) and continual (from heterogeneous elements). It is demonstrated that progressive self-organization in pedagogical systems can be only of continual type. The article offers the following principles of planning the educational process by the type of continual self-organization: the principle of diversity at the entry to system, the principle of continuous interaction and openness of the system, the principle of nonlinearity of development, and the principle of system memory. The novelty of this work consists in formulation of the principles of pedagogical synergetics on the methodological level for planning the educational process of the students of higher school. The authors' special contribution lies in substantiation of the role of diversity and memory in the context pf self-organization in open pedagogical systems.