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The Outlines of Meaning’s Analysis of Social Phenomena in the Concept of S. L. Frank
14 p.Views:388The present paper deals with the problem of how cultural meanings are perceived in S. L.
Frank’s social theory. His conception lies between two main paths of sociological thought:
Durkheim’s cognition of social facts as objective phenomena on the one hand, and Weber’s
cognition of subjective meanings of personal actions, on the other. In his theory Frank concentrates
on the concept of objective forming idea-force, which resembles the concept of
social fact in its quality of exerting pressure on individual consciousness and volition, but it
should be brought into harmony with interpretive methodology. In Frank’s view social ideas
are regarded as a force forming social relations and therefore lie in the foundation of social
institutions. These are, for example, ideas of state, of family, of friendship and so on. Social
ideas are connected with the consciousness of the individual by their moral force. That is
why such ideas are accepted by the individual at the emotional level of his spiritual life,
because they believe that these ideas are true and organize their meanings and activities according
to them. Thus social meanings of moral good or evil in human relations and in the
social structure arise. At the same time they signify the emergence of sacred phenomena in
society. Human beings, according the Frank’s theory, have an internal need to be possessed
by the sacred senses that give them the feeling of the participation in the implementation of
the transcendent goals. Society is an objective living idea which provides sacred meanings
for the individual. On the whole, a society’s life is formed by the historically specific complex
of ideas that are freely accepted or rejected by individuals and determine their feelings and
behavior. There is no contradiction between personal freedom, creativity and social structure
in S. Frank’s theory. The author of the present paperfinds similarities between S.Frank’s ideas
and the fundamentals of cultural sociology. -
Turgenev Today: On the Problem of Perception
17 p.Views:212The article deals with the question of how Turgenev’s work is perceived by the modern
reader. There are identified aspects related to the complexity of understanding the writer’s
texts, which are largely due to stereotypes that have developed in the culture of perception,
and are also features of his poetics. There are different ways of new interpretations of Turgenev’s
famous texts – those of the novels “Fathers and Sons” and “The Noble Nest”. In “Fathers
and Sons” the idea of reconciliation with contradictions is emphasized, and ‘The Noble’s
Nest” is considered a successful social project in literature. The article briefly highlights
the main stages of Turgenev’s popularizing Russian culture in the West.