Abstract: Mundane lifestyle puts modern Russian families in the situation of having to make a number of decisions with extremely significant implications for the society and the state; this is why this question requires separate attention from the worldview and politological perspective. The goal of this work consists in proving that some private intra-familial strategies are so crucial for harmonization of the Russian society and preservation of the Russian state that this circumstance exalts them to the status of a political choice. Leaning on the methods of critical analysis of social reality, the authors reviews each direction of the possible strategies of Russian family as an individual task. This leads to the conclusion that some of them are crucial not only for strengthening the Russian statehood, but even for preservation of human species and “reboot” of the history of mankind in  the context of implementation of the multiple local and global catastrophic scenarios. The operative motive of every Russian family in committing their marginal (from the standpoint of consumer logics) choice each time is its strict moral criteria.

Keywords: political decision, authentic development, consumer society, main agents of influence, private family strategies, moral choice, russian, global, social aspects of politics, humdrum

Abstract: The author conducts the analysis of origins of philosophical study of Buddhism – the role of Russian Buddhologists F. I. Sherbatsky and O. O. Rozenberg in development of the philosophical interpretation of Buddhism, meaning of the Masson-Oursel approach; covers certain insufficiently studied, but important approaches towards interpretation of Buddhist philosophy in comparison with the Western, formulated in modern philosophical comparative studies (“Neo-Buddhism” of B. Dandaron, procedural approach of N. P. Jacobson, historical-philosophical approaches of S. Radhakrishnan, P. Raju), as well as certain approaches of comparative philosophical study of Buddhism on the “internal” vector, particularly the writings of W. Libenthal and W. Lay on Sinification of Buddhist philosophy. Historical-philosophical and cross-cultural methodology of analysis of the origins of comparative philosophical study of Buddhism and main approaches is applied in the course of this research. The following conclusions were made: the absence of the recognized academic tradition of philosophical interpretation of Buddhism is an enormous theoretical-methodological challenge emerged in the very beginning of Buddhological studies and retained to this day; hermeneutical distortions, permitted by the Western comparativists in the process of philosophical interpretation of Buddhism, are also rooted in the fact that the as a subject of philosophical comparative studies most often become early Far Eastern forms of Buddhism, although the most mature form of Buddhist philosophy is Nagarjuna. Therefore it can be expected that the most promising trends of comparative philosophical studies of Buddhism would be associated namely with examination of Madhyamaka in its Indo-Tibetan tradition.

Keywords: Far Eastern forms of Buddhism, sinization of Buddhism, Neo-Buddhism, processual-analytical interpretation of Buddhism, Russian Buddhology, comparative philosophy, interpretation, Buddhist philosophy, Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Geshe Jampa Thingley

Abstract: This article reviews the three methodological dilemmas of theoretical ethics on the subject of determination and accentuation of their conceptual relatedness, intersection and complementarity. The detailed analytical procedure gradually permeated onto other dilemmas, potentially could simplify and systematized the historically established multifarious problematic of this area of knowledge, as well as contribute to more productive polemic of the proponents of various methodological approaches. The author’s selection of particular dilemmas is based on many years of experience of his work in the conceptual field of metaethics and analytical ethics; such experience demonstrated that dilemmas, formulated in the terms of “cognitivism – non-cognitivism”, “transcendentalism – naturalism”, and “psychologism – anti-psychologism”, together form a significant part of methodological basis of theoretical (not “normative”) ethics. A “thought experiment” on the subject of possible unification (or convergence) of some multifarious methodological ideas was conducted namely of the presented material. The content of these dilemmas and particular approaches is described in such way, that their connective attributes would be visible in the text itself. In conclusion, the author claims that “non-cognitivism”, “naturalism”, and “psychologism” (as separately taken parties of the indicated dilemmas), practically comprise the uniform complex of “related” approaches, alternative to the other complex, which included the rest of the designated positions. Thus, the three dilemmas, examined individually for the most part, could certainly yield to the one, “integral” dilemma, in the methodological discussions.

Keywords: naturalism and metaphysics, natural and unnatural, empiricism and transcendentalism, knowledge and intention, cognitivism and non-cognitivism, methodological dilemma, theoretical ethics, normative ethics, psychologism and anti-psychologism, metaethics

Abstract: This article is dedicated to the analysis of historical-philosophical transformation of the concepts of “conciliarity” (sobornost) and “all-unity” in the works of N. O. Lossky. Considering that the religious-philosophical origins of his system take roots not only in the Western and Russian Neo- Leibnizianism, but also Slavophilism and V. S. Solovyov’s philosophy of all unity, the authors determine and interpret the logical methodological and gnoseological justification of N. O. Lossky’s shift towards the notion of “consubstantiality”, which becomes the foundation for his concept of existence and hierarchical unity. It is established that N. O. Lossky, in the context of the immanence of knowledge concept, overcomes the characteristic to the classical philosophy demarcation for “Self” and “non-Self”, stating that the forming knowledge is not a prerogative of an individual entity, but the affiliation of all entities by the principle of “interconditionality” and “consubstantiality”. This approach not only defines the nature of “openness” of the mind, which is actually relevant for the modern epistemological though, but also the relationship between entities in the becoming of reality.

Keywords: epistemological coordination, ideal-realism, intuitionism, substantial figures, rationality, system, replenishment, unity, conciliarity, intuition

Abstract: This article examines the traditional values of Buddhism that are widely used in China’s modern political strategy. Emphasis is made on the tolerance underlying the content of Buddhist teaching, as well as its peace-loving nature that determines stance on other philosophical-soteriological views. Attention is also given to the significance of Buddhism, as a language of diplomacy, extensively used by Chinese rulers in relations with neighboring countries. This diplomacy leaned on such pillars of Buddhism as tolerance, pacifism and compassion. It is underlines that these principles are consonant with the political course of modern China aimed at building a harmonious world. The article demonstrates that Buddhism has become the foundation for expanding the cultural and political influence of China in the countries of Asia, Europe and America. Therefore, the authorities of modern China show great interest in development of Buddhism capacity as a factor of “soft power” with regards to political strategy.

Keywords: compassion, peacefulness, tolerance, diplomacy, soft power, political strategy, Buddhism, China, harmony, unity

Abstract: The subject of this research is the systematization of the core concepts of Aristotle’s ethical doctrine within the framework of historical-philosophical approach. The author examines such problems as the authenticity of Aristotle’s texts (three Ethics: Nicomachean Ethics, Eudemian Ethics and Big Ethics); wholeness of his philosophical system (interconnection of metaphysics and ethics – its substantiation in Unitarian approach and criticism of Unitarianism); moral and non-moral grounds of the definition of happiness (interpretations of Aristotelian understanding of good: inclusivism, exclusivism, instrumentalism); functional capacity of the concept of virtue as a mean; ambiguity of the definition of friendship and its role in formation of the moral. The main conclusion lies in ascertainment of the positive impact of historical-philosophical approach upon studying Aristotle’s ethics – in all incompleteness of results and continuous discussions on each of the indicated questions, the scientific approach allowed to not only reconstruct the collection of Aristotle’s works, but also meticulously analyze the structure of his ethics, nuancing the key concepts. The scientific value of the conducted research consists in guiding the emerging researchers of Aristotle’s philosophy, as well as philosophical ethics overall, in the problematic field of the Stagirite's ethical doctrine.

Keywords: friendship, happiness, exclusivism, inclusivism, unitarianism, history of philosophy, morality, ethics, virtue, Aristotle

Abstract: This article is dedicated to description of functions of the traditional life cycle rituals by analyzing the foreign culturological concepts the XIX-XX centuries. Relevance of the topic is substantiated by the demand to determine the role of ceremonial functions in modern culture. Reference to the historical experience of studying the traditional rituals allows to better understand their concept as a way of expressing collective representations in the past and present. The sources for this research became the foreign culturological concepts of the XIX-XX centuries, as well as the report and field journals of the Soviet ethnographers on ritual practices of the peoples of Volga Region stored in the Russian scientific archives. The study is based on the principle of historicism, which allows viewing life cycle rituals in the historical dynamics. The analysis of foreign culturological concepts and ethnographic materials suggest the use of systemic approach for more coherent representation of the traditional ritualism. The novelty consists in the fact that the author is first to propose the typology of culturological concepts to determine functions of the traditional life cycle rituals. Three types of concepts are highlighted: “magic”, “pragmatic”, and theories of “transition”. In light of this study, the following functions of the traditional life cycle rituals were determined: magic, consolidating, explanatory, regulatory, symbolic and social. Some of these functions remain in modern culture, since the rituals are oriented towards human existence, experiences and hopes.

Keywords: status upgrade, theories of passage, pragmatic, magic, typology, cultural concepts, traditional culture, functions, life cycle rites, the peoples of the Volga region