Myth in the system of state ideology: general principles

Afanasev Nurgun Vyacheslavovich PhD in Philology Head of the Department of Folklore and Culture, Ammosov North-Western Federal University 677010, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, 123 Lermontov str., sq. 179 n.v.afanasev@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Lukina Keskileene Vyacheslavovna Master, Department of Folklore and Culture, North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk) 677000, Russia, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Yakutsk, Kulakovsky str., 42, office 234 Keskileene.lukina.1991@mail.ru

Introduction. In the conditions of modern ideological confrontation between Russia and Western countries, it is quite appropriate to analyze the interdependence between mythology and ideology in the context of globalization and the emergence of new cultural trends that form the main ideological representations of the people acting as a means of public administration, as well as the reorientation of cultural values.

In the middle of the twentieth century, one of the representatives of structuralist Marxism, Louis Althusser, characterized "ideology" in his works as an awareness of the illusory interaction of the individual with the conditions of the surrounding reality ^[7]. The main feature of ideology is that it is outside the framework of historical chronicles and is formed through the mechanism of perception or denial of reality. Historical views influence people's consciousness and turn them into subjects under the conditions that the individual is already a subject, and the reproduction of industrial relations is the relations embodying them. Ideological tendencies are implemented through state structures, bodies and the regime. We emphasize that the above point of view demonstrates the structure of ideological influence through illusory perception, as well as the relationship of state concepts with ideological thinking, i.e., Althusser's approach describes the internal component of ideology.

Of interest in the issue under consideration are the views of Martin Salinger, who believes that ideology encompasses: a complete description of the current reality; an assessment of existing conditions; moral values and standards reflecting the effectiveness of the influence of ideological trends; a mechanism for implementing obligations; antagonistic positions ^[9]. This approach makes it possible to differentiate ideological views into components only within the designated concept, in real practice it is quite difficult to use it.

The functional dependence of ideological mechanisms and mythological views is characterized in the works of A.V. Loginov, who associates ideology embedded in public consciousness with implausible attitudes, and also considers it as a means of uniting internal social subjects, i.e., ideology implements such tasks as identification, legitimization, orientation, self-description, reproduction and change of society ^[6]. It should be noted that the key position of ideology as value attitudes corresponds to the cultural representations of mythology, while the operational system of ideology can be compared with the rituals and traditions of mythological beliefs.

Ideology is a system of signs that is formed in the process of destruction of traditional social concepts. Any ideology has logical motives that reflect its essence and structure. The logic of action is comparable to the image presented in P. Bourdieu's theory ^[2], in other words, cultural values unconsciously embedded in the personality. The ideological tasks here are similar to mythological beliefs in classical cultural traditions.

So, it can be noted that ideology is an organizational system that forms the views of the present time, based on moral attitudes. State mythology in this way is part of moral values and is the basis of ideological trends. Myth creates directions for the necessary restrictions and identification of goals in the existing model of reality, forms channels for their implementation, that is, mythology acts as a kind of mechanism for the implementation of ideological concepts that develop under its influence.

Basic.

Having characterized the term "ideology", as well as its functional dependence on mythology, we will analyze the transformation of the latter in the context of the development of the globalization mechanisms of society. For these purposes, it is necessary to consider a political or social myth, one of the forms of which is considered to be the state. Many researchers have devoted their works to the study of this issue, in particular E. Kassirer, R. Barth, Z. Freud, G. Jung and others. From the position of the symbolic system of evaluation of myths, we will highlight the characteristic features of the transformation of the mythological understanding of the universe through Freudian views.

One of the first aspects of the globalization of society in the context of the influence of mythology was considered by E. Kassirer, who outlined an individual case of the action of mythology in the conditions of a totalitarian political regime. In the work "The Myth of the State" ^[3], the concept of a political myth is given, covering concepts that are reasoned and adapted to mass consciousness. After the end of the First World War, political myths began to emerge under the influence of crisis phenomena in the economy and society. The author notes that the culminating development of the myth is combined with the onset of danger that people fall into. When primitive man could not cope with the problem, he turned to higher entities and magic. Over time, such views have transformed and acquired an objective character, however, belief in the supernatural continues to exist in the current reality, which indicates the mythological structure of public perception.

Political trends are unstable and subject to spontaneous transformation. In such conditions, objectivity becomes secondary, and the aspirations of society are expressed in a myth. Political mythology is a planned concept that is being developed by analogy with the production of aircraft.

The reorientation of public consciousness under the influence of political myths is a multi-stage process. Initially, language tasks are transformed, the magic power of the word, reflecting natural transformations, begins to prevail over its subject-semantic content, new traditions and customs are formed. In the conditions of a totalitarian regime, any events are political in nature and completely devoid of personal aspects, individual thinking. A political myth is a mechanism of influencing people's consciousness in order to control them, their own will and freedom of thought become unacceptable and burdensome. In times of crisis, the state acts as an instrument of liberation from such hardships, and faith in the rationality of totalitarian principles is salvation ^[4].

In our understanding, it should be emphasized that the importance of mythology increases in the process of social and cultural crisis. E. Kassirer's views are specific, since they correspond to the wartime era, however, his interpretation of the political myth as a mechanism for controlling public consciousness and the influence of the government fully argues for the essential role of mythology in the issues of globalizing society.

R. Barth in his work "Mythology" ^[1] identifies a word and a sign with a myth. The sign system is considered in accordance with the approach of Ferdinand de Saussure, that is, from a scientific position, in Barth's understanding, the sign is a complement of the signifier and the signified, which forms a three-component system. The word dominates mythology, which is formed by a similar system. Let's imagine an algorithm for the interaction of language and myth.

Language is an object because it is connected with reality, mythology is considered a metalanguage in which the object is discussed, it is interpreted as a meaning similar to the position of Saussure, representing the word as a sign. Certain features are inherent in mythology: openness, lack of mystery, distortion of the original idea of the sign, the ability of persuasion, accentuation of events that have occurred, stimulation, imperative character, cultural essence.

There are three ways of reading that are characteristic of mythology: single – the right image is selected for definition; demystifying – the true intent of the work is revealed, the distortion of the idea embedded in it is revealed; dynamic – the work is perceived by readers ambiguously, with faith in the truthfulness of what is stated, or with doubt. Barth believed that at this stage the sign system is transformed into an ideological one, which is focused on the evaluation of signs in the context of sensory perception. Readers understand mythology from the standpoint of everyday life, where the signifier argues for the signified, so the myth is a set of facts, not a set of values.

The author sees the conjugation of mythological aspects with ideological formats in their functionality, in other words, both transform the historical direction into a form of natural development. Mythology turns into a mechanism of ideological thinking, because it erases transformed reality, historical concepts and political influences, turns objects and phenomena into firmly existing subjects. These goals are achieved through the use of rhetorical figures of mythology, including inoculation, withdrawal from history, identity, tautology, cynicism, or denial, quantification of quality, statement. That is, ideology through myth reflects the inviolability of the world in a calculable form with a choice of moral and cultural priorities based on one's own preferences.

In his work Christopher Flood "Political Myth. Theoretical research" ^[8] gave a structural assessment of political myths, which he considered as a kind of manifestation of ideology, which, in turn, is a system of political views. It also describes the relationship of ideology, political and sacred myths. The main function of ideology is to form a holistic picture of the surrounding conditions, so that society is able to develop in the future and feel its unity, apart from the participants of other societies. In many cases, ideology is implemented in concrete forms: images of characters, traditions, supernatural writings, approaches to further social development, most often biased.

The differentiation of the sacred and political myth presented by the author is based on the assessment of K. Levi-Strauss and A. Greimas. The sacred myth is the absolute, the inviolable power that forms the universe and everything that exists, from the actions of the living to cosmic entities. K. Flood designates the general characteristics of the analyzed myths: the description of the characters, the prerequisites for the origin of the social order, the renewal and the onset of the end of the universe. The sacred myth is divine in contrast to the political one, although many people perceive the concepts of the latter as an unshakable foundation. Myth integrates and ranks social groups according to the conditions of the social environment, which is characteristic of ancient and traditional societies, similar to the influence of ideological views on modern society. This is the ideological impact of the myth on the masses. A political myth is a truth that reflects what has happened, the present and the future, it requires faith and ideology, without which it is impossible to realize the functions of a political myth. Ideology at the same time was previously an element of the sacred myth.

Domestic scientists evaluate and analyze the designated aspects of the political myth in their research. In particular, M.V. Shcheglik supports Flood's opinion; E.L. Yakovleva belongs to the supporters of the Cassirer theory. A. A. Tselykovsky compares the modern myth with the classical one, believing that the features of the classical myth are reflected in the existing culture, including the political myth, which is the product of the integration of ideology and the objective form of the classical myth.

M.G. Korn in his dissertation work "The Myth of the system in political culture" ^[5] presents mythology as an element of politics that forms the surrounding political environment. The political myth gives supernatural qualities to the ruling state regime, returns the principles of archaic foundations. Mythology emphasizes the fact that during the period of the archaic structure of public life, the ruler and the political foundations were practically deified, were not questioned and criticized.

The author systematized myths, taking as a basis the dependence of changes in their types on the transformation of forms of social life. So, the myths will be distinguished:

1. Primitive, archaic ("prehistoric societies");

2. Pre-industrial societies: ancient civilizations, religious;

3. Industrial societies;

4. Post-industrial societies.

M.G. Korn believed that the industrial myth is a form of development of political and archaic myths, which the author sought to compare with each other. Their main distinguishing feature is in different topics. The content of archaic myths is focused on the creation of the universe, living beings, social order, its main concept is a creative approach, the objects are higher entities, ancestors, fictional heroes. The plot of political myths is aimed at an ideal society, the upbringing of an ideal person, historical figures and events are considered objects. The evolution of the archaic myth is long-lasting, its content is retold to descendants, supplemented by the views of the living generation. The political myth is formed by the authorities in the interests of a group of people with certain goals and objectives, creating the appearance of public benefit. Its content is conveyed to people through various sources of printing and broadcasting. Korn emphasized that gradually not only mythology will become a mechanism for controlling public consciousness, but it will always be an important part of the beliefs and ideological views of different peoples and cultures.

Based on modern ideas, it can be emphasized that the archaic myth is reflected in the political, being the result of a collaboration of ideological aspects and a previously existing mythological culture. This form of mythological manifestation deifies power, endows it with supernatural qualities, any representatives and institutions of power are considered sacred. The main function of a political myth is the formation of meaning, the word becomes a source of expression of feelings, mythological reality acquires a symbolic character and distorts the existing reality.

Conclusions.

Summarizing what has been said in the question of the conjugation of mythology and ideological aspects, as well as the position of myth depending on the form of social life, it can be noted that modern society in the context of innovation is accompanied by the transformation of existing beliefs and traditions, creates certain conditions and reality in which people carry out their daily activities. Here, mythology acts as a mechanism of ideology, which is a tool for building culture and influencing society.

The importance of the influence of myths on the ideological component of the state increases in the era of historical transformations, revolutions, revision of views, when new "ideological views" need to be formed on the basis of previously existing views. The myth gives objects and processes a natural essence, stability, inviolability, which allows you to smoothly and stress-free realize the formation of new cultural values. Becoming a part of ideological thinking, the myth loses its supernatural power, turns from the content of faith into ideological principles. Its rigor becomes a characteristic of ideology, and mythology is transformed into a work that argues for cultural processes. The political myth is the result of the integration of mythological views in the classical version and ideological views, which during periods of historical transformations acquire a rational interpretation.

Among the similar features of the sacred myth and its further transformations are distinguished: the commonality associated with the bearers of the myth; its perception as the absolute; illusory spatio-temporal understanding of reality; planned goals; comprehensive nature; authority. Having become an element of an ideological system, the features of mythology change somewhat, a certain category of people constructs an ideal society for the implementation of specific tasks, guidelines are created for building an ideal culture, educating an ideal personality, real historical events are filled with fantasy meaning.

Therefore, if we consider mythological beliefs as mechanisms of ideological thinking in the trends of Russian culture, we should take into account a number of factors that help to identify the position and role of myth as the main content of ideological views:

1. Ideology forms a mythological prototype of the universe;

2. Historical figures and events are endowed with mythological meaning, the indisputability and naturalness of their perception develops;

3. Planned tasks turn into the main mechanism of social development;

4. Moral values form the idea of an ideal person as the bearer of a myth.