Abstract: In the previous issue of the Philosophy and Culture journal the editor-in-chief’ column was devoted to the origin of the word ‘demagogue’ and transformation of its meaning during the Antique period. Tracing back the history of that phenomenon, the author showed how the term had been acquiring different shades and meanings. The term came from Antique Greece and completely changed its meaning since those times. Initially the word had no negative meaning. For instance, when Aristotle wanted to express his attitude to a leader who could lead people using such methods as speech, actions and gifts, he would call him a demagogue. In this issue the author continues the topic and discusses how the term developed after the Antique period. Today the term ‘demagogue’ has a negative and sharp meaning. When making a decision, a politician might turn out to be a demagogue or a cynic. Perhaps Machiavelli was right when he made it almost legal for a politician to lie to the people? What if politics and demagogue are twins? If they are, then people have the right to abandon such a politician. As an intermediary between different social layers, a politician has to cover up contradictions and create the impression of cooperation and harmony. However, sooner or later this becomes unbearable for the society. The author of the article traces back the history of development of the term in European interpretation and views important aspects of modern ideology.

Keywords: philosophy, demagogue, phenomenon, propaganda, myth, ideology, politics, rhetoric, apoliteia.

Abstract: The article is devoted to ontological status of non-existence in cultural and philosophical projection of anthropological ontohermeneutics. The author suggests to view non-existence as a context for understanding the phenomenon of meaning which allows to come to a level of ‘boundary’ conditions for the human meaning-making process. Non-existence is represented as the content of the boundary experience where the meaning is made. According to the author, ontohermeneutic approach to existence focusing on cultural existence of human allows to better understand the essence and purpose of culture and explain peculiarities of the meaning-making process. Non-existence is shown as the measure against which the energy of the meaning existence is created. This existence is initially pluralistic and contains points of inner integration described as the non-existence inside the meaning. Therefore, this refers not only to non-existence as absolute absence of meaning and vacuum but also to emptiness as a lack of understanding the influence of the other meaning perceived as a total absence of ‘our’ or ‘my’ meaning. According to the author, tolerance towards different cultural meanings within cultural communication would be the way out of the situation.

Keywords: ontology, meontology, meaning, non-existence, synergetics, dialogics of culture, nonsense, anthropology, human, understanding.

Abstract: The article is devoted to the problems raise by Kat in his ‘mathematical antinomies’. Analysis is carried out in original formulation of Kant’s own terms and as a part of his own philosophical argumentation. The same problems are also viewed disregarding Kant’s philosophy. Validity and evidence which make it possible to structure analysis in a form of rigorous theory as it is seen by modern mathematics, allow to categorically state that Kant’s classification lacks grounds and his reasoning regarding ‘mathematical antinomies’ can’t be considered to be a proof. On the contrary both his theses and antitheses are irrefutable. The essence of problems is not in unavoidable contradictions of mind or process of cognition of transcendental world in the course of Kantian debates of mind with itself but in non-uniqueness of conceptual representations. As for the limited prescribed to a cognizing mind, they involve, in the first place, the laws that determine the architectonics of veritable theories.

Keywords: philosophy, “mathematical antinomies”, Kant, transcendental dialectics, antitetics, space, time, infinity, architectonics of theories, mind.

Abstract: Futurologists consider the future to be the result of logical development of the past and present which deprives them of the opportunity to see qualitative changes in the future. Both Russian and foreign futurologists traditionally rely on thermonuclear synthesis like stellarator and tokamaks. In the meantime, there are doubts that the aforesaid devices are not possible. Futurologists have other romantic hopes (such as building the post-industrial ‘society of services’, global warming up to fusion of low-melting metal and etc.). At the same time, it would be very interesting to see the future in a completely different light. For instance, great hopes are laid on composite materials. However, their capabilities are limited to specific properties of components. Already today we can offer a ‘magic’ technology of producing materials and energy supplies with desired properties based on the theory of so called ‘superstring matrix’ which continues the classical superstring theory. As far as the global warming is being concerned, futurologists should advise the governments of lower regions to re-locate their industry and agriculture in upper regions, which, of course, no government would do.

Keywords: acceleration, anthropic principle, demography, infantilism, climate, computer mind, migration, neoteny, thermonuclear reaction, technological and cultural revolution.

Abstract: The present article is devoted to the analysis of ‘slavery’ in Aristotle’s interpretation as well as Aristotle’s political concepts and theories applied to modern reality. The author of the article analyzes writings by Aristotle, Plato, Hans Gadamer and Zakiriya. The author stresses out that Aristotle had many ideas that are undeservingly forgotten nowadays or even rejected, mostly due to their wrong interpretation such as Aristotle’s concept of ‘mastery and slavery’. Aristotle’s ‘slave’ would mean a peasant, industrial worker or modern software programmer. Based on Aristotle, slavery is natural and it is quite natural that some people are born slaves even though they can be free officially while others would never be slaves even if they become slaves in reality. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that Aristotle’s ‘nature’ includes the entire universe structured according to a certain order. Besides that, Aristotle also analyzed such topics as family and up-bringing.

Keywords: philosophy, theories, economy, politics, government, structure, slavery, human, family, up-bringing.

Abstract: Carlos Castaneda, the author of the Teachings of Don Juan, presented the teaching about the world and human which hasn’t been viewed as a philosophy yet due to its exoticism and intentional academicism. The world of Castaneda creates the ‘meta-reality’ that has a complex interaction structure, both internal and external. Similar to exoteric and mystic teachings, human is shown as a knower of unknown Transcendental Reality (nagual). Using special methods such as stalking (hunting), i.e. tracing back defects of one’s perception in order to get closer to nagual and therefore expend and extent our consciousness, and dreaming, i.e. unconsciously entering nagual for the same purpose by controlling one’s dreams, human gain control over himself and his perception which is, according to Castaneda, interpretation of existing energetic reality. These two methods, in their turn, include a number of other techniques such as inaction, erasing personal history, recapitulation, controlled stupidity and etc.). Castaneda’s ideas are somewhat similar to Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, Meister Eckhart, Jakob Böhme, George Berkeley and others. The author of the article allows himself a comparative analysis. The analysis shows some similarities between ancient Indian wisdom partly adopted by Castaneda and famous Western and Eastern philosophies.

Keywords: philosophy, Castaneda, mysticism, esotericism, magic, transcendence, nagualism, apophatic theology, absolute, spiritualism.

Abstract: The author of the article defines determinants of the problem situation around the mentioned topic such as contradictory definitions of culture, insufficient development of the framework of categories of philosophical reflection over culture, lack of description of particular patterns of cultural development and the need to clarify the difference between ‘civilization’ and ‘culture’, unsatisfactory researches of the influence of social practices on culture. As a solution of the aforesaid problems, the author answers the question whether philosophy of culture advances the idea of culture or utopia of the latter? From the axiological point of view, culture is viewed as the process of production and development of values and positive province of mankind. The moral idea of true humanity is presented by the author of the article as the sovereign ‘governess’ of culture. The author offers a definition of the subject of philosophy of culture and describes philosophical grounds, invariants and universals of philosophy of culture. The author also describes social culture and views introduction of the basic principle of explanation and production of culture and explication of cultural patters listed herein as the main contribution of philosophy to cultural studies.

Keywords: culture, culturized, value, spirituality, philosophy of culture, grounds, universals, invariants, cultural patterns, human.

Abstract: The purpose of the present article is to prove the point of view based on which the industrial world initially has two opposite yet interconnected development trends. One of them is shown as global processes including socio-economic transformations and phenomena of social massification and the other one is presented as the growth of individual role in social activities. The author of the article tries to describe the two poles of the industrial world through antithesis of the two types of philosophical and historical vision. The author offers a classification of concepts of history typical for industrial societies. One of them includes Auguste Comte’s and Karl Marx’ concepts of history. Comte was against metaphysical abstraction of individuals and offered to focus on the phenomenon of the mankind and human experience. He described a major cycle of European history from the stage of feudal religious society to the stage when individual was the priority and, finally, the third stage of the industrial society and social solidarity which are only starting to form now. Marx also introduced the idea that European history had a triad structure. The second type of concepts of history in industrial societies is base on the principle of individualism. Max Weber presented the most founded concept. Weber admitted the role of science in history, however, he believed that individual had a priority in determination of purposes of human activities. Unlike historical optimism of triad concepts, followers of individualism talked about the relative character of history. At the end of the article the author puts forward arguments for bipolarity of the industrial world.

Keywords: philosophy of history, industrial society, historical triads, production, science, general population, individual, principle of understanding, truth, value.

Abstract: The article is devoted to social and philosophical views of Nikolai Stankevich which he developed as a part of his ideas of esthetic humanism. The author of the article discusses Stankevich’ influence as a spiritual leader of his generation and the leader of the group of philosophers that left a significant mark in the history of Russian culture. Besides that, the author carries out the analysis of cultural and academic environment during the 30’s – 40’s of the XIX century as a new stage in Russian Enlightenment caused by the growth of national identity and interest towards European social philosophy and philosophical concepts trying to explain the place and role of Russia in European history. The author shows that back in those times philosophical community mostly existed as literary and philosophical groups and Stankevich’ group was the center of social and philosophical discussions. Many ideas discussed there, including those offered by Stankevich himself, were developed next decades. This shows the importance of philosophy in science and offers interpretation of progress as a never-ending spiritual and moral improvement of the mankind. This is what defined the main priorities of development of Russian philosophy and this is what, according to the author, makes Stankevich a symbolic figure of his times.

Keywords: esthetic humanism, philosophy, metaphysics, ‘wise goodness’, understanding, secularism, personality concept, art, philosophical poetry, ‘undivided knowledge’.

Abstract: In our modern Post-Modern age the idea of the absence of gender identity and changeability of gender selfidentification is growing more and more evident. Such attitude to gender is now possible because the internal logic of understanding gender only as a derivative of socio-cultural processes made some researchers narrow down gender to physical properties and others to turn gender into some kind of simulacrum. In the author’s opinion, gender was discredited in both cases. According to the author, gender can be understood as an anthropological style represented in culture, social life and everyday life of men and women. Such approach allows to see all the picture of relations between male and female beginnings in each person. The core of these relations is gender-related life strategies. The latter is shown as the system of preferences and the difference between masculinity-femininity of women and masculinityfemininity of men. Such approach can add additional shades to interpretation of male and female archetypes and ways of realization of the main spiritual values of the mankind.

Keywords: cultural studies, anthropology, gender, sex, masculinity, femininity, simulacrum, strategy, identity.

Abstract: The author of the article studies peculiarities of Islam in Dagestan. The author views the balance of the national and confessional aspects from the point of view of history and culture as well as their interaction in modern age of development of the Republic of Dagestan.

Keywords: philosophy, confession, ethnicity, nation, Dagestan, traditions, culture, religious consciousness, Islam, national factor.

Abstract: The article presents philosophical and cultural analysis of esthetical content of such a topical phenomenon in modern culture as martial arts. Great interest towards traditions of marital arts cannot be explained only because they teach self-defense and health improvement or because Eastern martial arts are quite an exotic phenomenon in new European culture. According to the author, esthetics of martial arts plays an important role, too, and it is an essential element of both martial arts and psychophysical practices based on the former. The fight himself is the esthetical demonstration of ontological, theoretical and philosophical grounds of martial arts. The key to understanding esthetical symbolism of martial arts is the game or agon. Features of the agon and competition are preserved and codified in martial arts and their rules. From the point of view of phenomenology of culture, esthetical symbols of martial arts are expressed in different ways. It is not only the beauty of human bodies or music but the esthetics of the fight itself including the greeting rituals and special martial art costumes. Moreover, esthetical aspects are closely interweaved with ethical moments. Esthetical content of martial arts and fight in different nations and cultures allowed to martial arts to go beyond the limits of a particular cultural tradition and be spread all over the world because the need in esthetics and esthetical experience is universal. Esthetical elements of martial arts define polarization of plots devoted to martial arts in literature, cinematograph, other branches of art and modern culture in general.

Keywords: philosophy, culture, martial arts, ritual, agon, esthetics, kata, traditions, art, game.

Abstract: The author of the article discusses the traditional system of values aimed at acquiring, preservation and augmentation of energy and life force. Common sense advice, social rules and religious rituals are usually developed in the traditional culture according to the aforesaid system of values which the author calls ‘energy paradigm’. The force acquaints us with the sacral and creates roots in existence. The phenomenon of energy paradigm is viewed based on the example of Tamil culture where the phenomenon was represented by such aspects of culture as the concept of energy named Anangu (Shakti in later years), sacrifice rituals, experience of cross-cousin marriages, rituals of women’s fasting Nonbu, Tamils’ attitudes to suffering, giving, love and faithfulness. In Tamil culture where a woman is believed to be the personification of Shakti special attention is paid at chastity of women which directs her energy in the right direction. It is typical for Tamil myths and social practices to focus on energy interactions between supernatural being in myths, between people and gods in cults, between people in the society and between human and natural forces as well as man-made objects.

Keywords: philosophy, energy, pragmatism, Tamil culture, sacrifice, chastity, sacral, myth, ritual, cross-cousin marriage.

Abstract: The article is devoted to formation of Christian doctrines from the point of view of the medieval debate about universals. As a result of this research, it has been established that the categories of the general and particular are the corner stone for Christian theology, anthropology, soteriology and ecclesiasiology. It is shown that during formation of the religious teaching about the Trinity, Christian authors tried to avoid extremities of Realism and Nominalism in philosophy as well as extremities of absolute monotheism and polytheism in theology. As a result specific views on personality was formed and provided the basis for Christian anthropology. Different Christian doctrines about salvation can be also described as the consequence of different philosophies, for example, Catholic and Orthodox doctrines are the result of Realism paradigms and Protestant doctrine is the result of Nominalism. And finally, in the teaching about church Catholic and Orthodox positions are absolutely opposing to each other: the former is supported by Realism and the latter is supported by Nominalism. Therefore, it is very well explained by the author of the article why the debate about universals plaid such an important role in medieval philosophy. In fact, the question about the relation between the general and the particular created philosophical basis for formation of all Christian dogmata.

Keywords: Christian philosophy, debates about universals, Medieval philosophy, personality, teaching about the Trinity, teaching about church, teaching about salvation, Christology, patristics, the general and the particular.

Abstract: The article contains appraisal of great and efficient work carried out by a famous Russian philosopher Viktor Pavlovich Vizgin who translated and provided his own comments on selected art5icles by Gabriel Marcel. Noteworthy that interest towards writings of the French philosopher has appeared in our country just recently. Yes, his articles have become the field of many serious researches over the last decade. The author of the present article believes Viktor Vizgin to be the best and the most efficient researchers of Marcel’s writings. Not only the choice of articles by Gabriel Marcel included but also Viktor Vizgin’s comments are worthy of respect and admiration. Translator’s remarks are not just references, they show Viktor Vizgin’s high cultural and philosophical level. Viktor Vizgin does not only explain peculiarities of this or that writing by Gabriel Marcel, he summarizes and makes conclusions about particular writing and creative legacy of Gabriel Marcel in general. Viktor Vizgin also points out particular mistakes of translators, commentators and philosophers who analyzed Gabriel Marcel’s work. Gabriel Marcel was very responsive towards views and ideas of his contemporaries. It allowed him to correct his own views and improve his own conceptions. Viktor Vizgin managed to show us a broad philosophical background of Marcel’s ideas that touched upon not only existentialism, but also personalism, hermeneutics, phenomenology and philosophical anthropology. Viktor Vizgin also underlines the value of intellectual portraits of Shelling, Bergson, Ebner, Heidegger, and etc. Enclosed you shall also find analytical articles written by Western philosophers (Paul Ricoeur, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond and Viktor Vizgin himself).

Keywords: philosophy, being, transcendence, personality, sacrality, desacralization, technical devices, metaphysics, philosopher’s search, mystery.