Gurevich, P. S. How to Uncover Secrets of Social Dynamics?

Abstract: Social illusions have been accompanying humans throughout the history of human society. This is not surprising because social behavior of humans is not ruled by instincts or a biologically established program. Through trial and error humanity learns different forms of sociality. Noteworthy that trying to achieve happiness, humans are often drowned in utopia and violence. The English philosopher Karl Popper was right to say that the way to an ideal of happiness lies through the barbed wire. Meanwhile, we see that social illusions can be very different. There are dreams that encourage social enthusiasm, spiritual impulses and humanistic hopes. Yet there are social ideas that have a great destructive power and lead to slavery and death. It is most likely that the positive function of social illusions is to prevent people from repeating horrors and mistakes that have been known in history. Pavel Gurevich mostly bases his research on methods obtained from social philosophy. Atthesametime, healso uses what philosophical anthropology has to offer in human studies. The author also follows the historical analysis principles. The novelty of the article is in the author’s statement that it is impossible to fully understand the secrets of social dynamics. Forms of human social life are constantly changing. Science reveals new horizons of human existence. However, the attempt to explain history by universal laws ‘discovered’ by scientists was severely criticized by social philosophers.

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