Научная статья на тему 'Modelling a system of values for the Russian citizen'

Modelling a system of values for the Russian citizen Текст научной статьи по специальности «Экономика и бизнес»

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Текст научной работы на тему «Modelling a system of values for the Russian citizen»

MODELLING A SYSTEM OF VALUES FOR THE RUSSIAN CITIZEN

A. Y. Kamaletdinova

The transition of Russia from the 20th century to the 21st century has been characterized by a shift of values for individuals, society and the state. Disruption of the established social system has changed the attitude of citizens to society, to the state, to the individual, his rights, needs and opportunities. In the past century, the Russian state protected its citizens with its solid ideological basis and acceptable system of values, thus assuring an individual’s confidence in the future. The current stage of the state's development fails to give a guarantee or any confidence in the future to a member of society, and the reason is the lack of an established system of values. Society has failed to substantiate a current understanding of the concept of citizenship reasonably and meaningfully, or to describe the system of values as the core structural component of citizenship.

Among the challenges of general education the following problems are highlighted: (a) providing social self-determination of an individual and the creation of conditions for his self-realization, and his being in demand in the competitive environment; (b) fostering of citizenship, love of the Motherland, respect for human rights and freedoms, the formation and development of industry and a positive work attitude; (c) forming of a citizen integrated into modern society and committed to furthering the development and prosperity of society.

The social modelling of the image of the Russian citizen is based on role theory, which is not that often used in the sphere of education. According a prominent Russian researcher of role behaviour it is impossible to describe relations between people, organizations, without using the terminology of social roles. American researcher D. Myers gave the definition of role within a context as "a set of norms determining how a person of a respective social status must behave” [1, p. 164], in another context - "role: set of norms determining how people must behave in a given social position” [1, p. 256]. However, the most essential part of the "role” concept in the first and in the second understanding is the set of norms determined by a system of values.

Along with that, scientists engaged in role behaviour research consider that a citizen is acting in accordance with standard scenarios, masks and settings, and having individual differences and liberal interpretations. The freedom to perform norms prescribed by the social role

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however implies compulsory strict compliance with some basic aspects, which is regulated by the value system.

Russian scientists are more aware of the works of T. Parsons, who views the ‘role” as "a structurally arranged, i.e. the normatively regulated participation of a person in a specific process of social interaction with certain specific role partners” [1]. This statement confirms our assumption that social roles are played by people interacting in productive, financial and social spheres rather than as individuals. The system of values controls a citizen’s functioning. The degree of "citizen” activity is discovered through a set of mastered social roles which have formed an integrated system of values. According to the definition of I. S. Kon, the "role” is "a function, a normatively approved behaviour pattern expected from everybody holding the given position” [2, p. 33]. Within the context of a strictly regulated role structure and prescribed type and direction of role activities, each performance is very individual due to personal qualities characterizing the degree of mastery, priority and set of mastered roles and value paradigms. We will try to define our understanding of the "role”, using the approaches considered. "Social roles” forming the basis for building the image of a citizen may serve as a source for determining the optimal model of a value system for the Russian citizen.

We shall summarize and systematize the above in the context of using of the role approach in defining the optimal model of a value system for the Russian citizen: (a) set of social roles related to the life of a society member, reflecting actual phenomena and internal structural relations; (b) social roles are manifested as an open dynamic system, which is based on the social activities of an individual in different spheres of life of the society; (c) marked social roles - objectively regulated types of activities, behaviour patterns, value systems of society members resulting from the needs of the social medium; (d) the process of mastering of social roles enriches a citizen’s experience with knowledge of social and working relationships. So a role-centered approach along with a system-centered approach, activity-centered approach and axiological approach may serve as the methodological background for the process of the development of a model of the value system for the Russian citizen.

The man and the citizen was the core philosophical inquiry of the English scholar T. Hobbes [3]. Study of his works gives us grounds for distinguishing the following value categories in the model of the citizen: protection of dignity through respect for individual rights, harmonized with recognition of rights of other society members, which, in its turn, promotes cooperation and accord among fellow citizens, resting on the stability of

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public authorities and the law. John Locke wrote: "The reason why men enter into society is the desire to use their property peacefully and safely, and the main tool and means for it are the laws established in the society” [4, p. 339]. Continuing J. Locke’s ideas, J. J. Rousseau emphasized the dialectical balance between public and private interests, excellently reasoning the external manifestations and interaction between two types of interests: private interest manifested in an economic agent, an owner, a manufacturer and a consumer; public interest manifested in political power, state institution, in which a citizen is an organic element. The requirement to discharge the civic duties, within the meaning attributed by

J.J. Rousseau implied rectitude, striving in the service of the Motherland. In our opinion, this goal may be attained through forming of a certain system of values, being the basic culture of the citizen. "What man loses by the social contract is his natural liberty ... what he gains is civil liberty and the proprietorship of all he possesses” [5, p. 176]. After the liberty of a citizen J. J. Rousseau distinguished proprietorship, which is better to interpret as extended understanding of proprietorship through value categories: right to life, human dignity, health, conditions for self-development, fruits of intellectual and physical labour, and, finally, material and financial assets and real estate.

The citizen is viewed differently by German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel. For the state it is sufficient that the citizen is law-abiding, i.e. is observing the laws of the given state. The man as a proprietor (bourgeois) with a view to overcoming his egoism and arbitrariness has to make great efforts in back-breaking labour in order to attain the status of citizen. In the work "On the Jewish Question”, K. Marx discovered another social role inherent in each bourgeois, the role of toiler, which, in our opinion, is naturally and consistently connected with the role of proprietor. A distinctive feature of the citizen is his opportunity to work for all, for the good of the commonwealth, and above all the desire to participate in the common (public) cause.

At the same time N. A. Berdyaev believed that the "Russian citizen” suppressed the labourer and the producer in himself, since the state failed to secure freedom of labour and failed to guarantee his dignified existence. All these resulted from the fact that the "rights of citizens remained exclusively in the formal policy domain, and were not carried over to the economic domain” [6, с. 330]. While S. L. Frank noted the regular connection between "property” and "freedom”, N. A. Berdyaev noted the connection between "freedom” and "labour”: "freedom of labour. was a travesty of real human freedom” [6, p. 330]. When defining the

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methodological approaches to development of the optimal model of a value system for Russians it would be a good thing to be governed by the words of N. G. Chernyshevsky: "For a man it would be better not to develop than develop without the impact of a concern for public affairs, without the effect of feelings awoken by participation in such affairs. If the ideas and motives of the subject whereof for the common benefit are excluded from the spectrum of my observations, from the domain in which I am moving, that is civil motives are excluded, what have I to observe? In what to participate? Only the fussy huddle of some individuals with tiny personal cares for fattening their wallets, their bellies and for their amusements” [7, p. 169].

The key components of the citizen’s system of values are as follows: patriotism, respect for the state, confidence in members of society, integrity of national and international feelings, internal freedom of the individual, human dignity, voluntary internal discipline, world outlook, attitudes, etc.

References

1. Майерс, Д. Социальная психология [Текст] / Пер. с англ. -СПб.: Питер, 1996. - 684 с.

2. Кон, И. С. Социология личности [Текст]. - М.: Политиздат, 1967. - 367 с.

3. Гоббс, Т. Основы философии часть третья. О гражданине [Текст] //Т. Гоббс. Избранные произведения: В 2-х т. - М.: Мысль, 1964. Философское наследие. Т. 1. - 583 с.

3. Локк, Дж. Сочинения [Текст]: В 3-х т. - М., 1985 - 1988. - Т. 3.

5. Руссо, Ж. Ж. Об общественном договоре, или Опыт о форме Республики [Текст] // Педагогические сочинения: В 2-х т. Т. 2 /Под ред. Г.Н. Джибладзе; сост. А.Н. Джуринский. - М.: Педагогика, 1981. - 336 с.

6. Бердяев, Н. А. Философия свободного духа [Текст]. - М.: Республика, 1994. - 480 с.

7. Чернышевский, Н. Г. Полное собрание сочинений [Текст] -TV.- М.: Гослитиздат, 1950.

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