Civilized. I wonder what it means to be a cultured and civilized person

A little about terminology

As you know, you need to start understanding the issue by defining the basic terms. What is the difference, or is there still a commonality between the concepts of “civilized” and “cultured” people? It should be noted that there are several versions.

1. The terms “civilization” and “culture” are considered as synonyms, inseparable concepts. In this context, civilization is determined by the level of development of society and its cultural traditions.
2. The terms “culture” and “civilization” are opposed to each other. Immanuel Kant liked to talk about this. So, according to his opinion, culture is something moral, something that is inherent in a person. And civilization requires from a person only external compliance with generally accepted human rules of coexistence in society.
3. O. Spengler’s opinion on culture and civilization is very interesting. Thus, he views culture as something cyclical. And when the cultural development of society reaches its peak, that is, civilization, degradation and extinction occur. And the culture is changing.
4. N.A. Berdyaev argued that culture is something individual, special, inherent in a certain group of people. But civilization is a ubiquitous and most common phenomenon that can be repeated in many societies.

That is, we can conclude that these terms are precisely interrelated with each other, regardless of the theory that considers them.

On some current aspects of the “civilized way of life”

Makashova Anastasia Viktorovna, 2nd year student of the Faculty of History, Armavir State Pedagogical University [email protected] Scientific supervisor Dmitry Alekseevich Voloshin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of General and National History, Armavir State Pedagogical University [email protected]

On some current aspects of the “civilized way of life”

Annotation. The article defines the criteria of civilization as a certain level of social organization, a set of high standards of social communication and interaction. The “civilized” way of life is revealed in the paradigm of “sociality” as the embodiment of the value of human communication. Civilization is defined not only as a model of social structure and development with the corresponding conditions and standard of living of people, but also as a set of values, traditions, norms, rules, regulations governing social relationship. In this regard, the main difficulties and threats that such a universal determination as a “civilized” way of life faces today are listed.

Key words: civilization, civilized way of life, culture, civilizational self-identification.

The state of “civility,” as well as the criteria for an appropriate way of life, are all topics about which many copies have been broken in centuries-old intellectual battles... And at the same time, the realities of our time do not allow us to talk about the unconditional victory and widespread establishment of the notorious “civilized” lifestyle". And the states of catching up development have nothing to do with it, we are talking about the devaluation of this image in seemingly developed countries. Sometimes there is an opinion that the population of prosperous Europe does not value the achieved quality of life at all, accepting with joy and open arms what is capable of overthrowing them, so to speak, “unwisely”, if not now, then in the foreseeable future, that’s for sure. What is behind this suicidal carelessness? Did the blessings of civilization and decades of a well-fed life really have such an anesthetic effect on the consciousness of people who first lost their sense of reality, and after that the feeling of fear? How far can a person succeed in establishing a comfortable lifestyle before losing the instinct of self-preservation? All these are rhetorical questions, there are hundreds of possible answers to them, no less combinations of relationships and interdependencies. Nevertheless, the meaning of addressing some particularly relevant points today remains. It is generally accepted that a civilized way of life is a set of material, cultural, and social benefits that distinguish any industrial/post-industrial society from a pre-industrial one. For example, this is the difference between Europe (including Russia) and “underdeveloped” African countries. In Russia, a civilized way of life became the property of the entire society during the Soviet period; and in the post-Soviet period, actively permeated by processes of clericalization, a very paradoxical situation is emerging with regard to the civilized way of life of the Orthodox; cruel criticism of “consumer civilization” does not interfere with many of them striving for the benefits of this civilization (!)[1]. As for the well-known definitions of civilization, as a rule, they come down to listing the corresponding set of characteristics. And it is the presence/absence of these signs that allows one to judge the degree of “civilization” of life and everyday practices of a particular society. Among the signs actively discussed, for example, in archaeological literature, which records real (material) indicators of changes in society in relation to primitive society (and civilization, with all the differences in its understanding, is always opposed to primitive society, if we exclude the application of the term to the history of mankind as a whole). In particular, using specific material material, the famous American scientist G. Child, connecting civilization with the city and therefore with the urban revolution, identified the following signs of civilization: the presence of a city; a certain level of development of an (intensive) economy, involving not simple exchange, but trade; allocation of artisans; taxes, the presence of privileged classes; state; writing; certain rudiments of science; the emergence of art. These signs have been actively discussed for many years (they were discussed, in particular, at the 1958 symposium in Chicago, in the context of the problems of the ancient city and its signs at the International Seminar in London in 1972). The emergence of religion as such was introduced into the list of mandatory indicators when identifying the institutions of the temple of the priestly “class”, demographic indicators, etc. At numerous conferences at various levels, including international ones, in special works devoted to civilization, the topic of defining this phenomenon has always remained and remains controversial. The difference in its definitions can be illustrated, for example, by the following examples. What distinguishes a civilized state from an uncivilized one? Obviously, these are features that characterize modern Western European societies:the development of commercial skills;the presence of “mechanical arts”;the presence of regular administration and legal proceedings; attitude to the state not as a community of people, but as a territory developed and improved by its owners; following treaties and observing formal norms even in a state of war. According to the definition of A. Nichiforo, “Civilization is a set of ways of being and ways of activity of a group of people, expressed in: 1) material life; 2) intellectual life; 3) moral life; 4) political and social organization of the group in question.” According to W. Adams, “civilization is created by the level of development of society, which is characterized by the presence of developed technology, economic specialization, production of luxury goods, long-distance trade, centralized economic management, social stratification, cities or large administrative centers, developed legal institutions, a standing army , military departments, specialization of weapons, state form of government, religion of the Olympic or monotheistic type, codified history, monumental architecture and art" [2]. As can be seen from the above and many other (the number of which is significant) similar definitions of civilization, among the important characteristics are listed those that resonate with the above-mentioned signs of civilization proposed by G. Child. In principle, one can identify dozens of different definitions that, to a greater or lesser extent, emphasize for civilization the corresponding level of historical development of society, namely, as opposed to the level of primitive society. And in this regard, the main indicators fixed by these definitions are clearly linked to the well-known characteristics of the civilization of Morgan and Engels, who defined civilization as a historically new, in relation to the primitive, state and level of historical development of society. In general, in most cases, all the main indicators , allocated for civilization, are practically associated with the new nature of Society. To some extent this is summarized in the following definition. “From an evolutionary point of view, the achievement of civilization means a certain stage in the development of society and culture. In its essence, civilization is opposed to savagery and barbarism, as noted in the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences." And this is a fundamentally important point in characterizing civilization and civilized everyday practices. One way or another, a civilized way of life is closely correlated with the criterion indicators embedded in the key definitions of civilization. For example:◦Civilization is a concept synonymous with society. According to the French historian L. Febvre, this is the resultant of the forces of material and spiritual, intellectual and religious, influencing the consciousness of people at a given period of time in a given country. ◦Civilization is a certain level of development of society or a society that has reached a certain stage in its development. Accordingly, a civilized way of life implies a high level of culture, creating the greatest values ​​of not only spiritual, but also material culture.

◦Civilization is Western civil society. Here an equal sign is put between civilization and the modern type of social structure, characteristic of highly developed countries of the West and other regions that have reached an advanced level of technological development, entered the “information” society, introduced civil, political, social and legal institutions that ensure effective development as a society in as a whole and as an individual. This interpretation of the term “civilization” has been preserved for two centuries, although knowledge has been accumulated and concepts about the diversity of cultures and civilizations have been developed. ◦ Civilization is a concept synonymous with progress, as a quantitative increase in achievements in the field of material, technical and means of communication. From this perspective, a “civilized way of life” is a set of “advanced” information and economic forms of activity.◦Civilization is a well-organized, humanistically structured society in which basic individual rights are ensured. From this perspective, the “civilized way of life” resembles a semi-utopian project of a social structure, in which the interests of all its strata and categories are maximally taken into account.◦Civilization is material culture, opposed to spiritual. This is a kind of reverse side of culture, and a “civilized way of life” is a set of material attributes of the “culture” of people. ◦Civilization is a sociocultural community formed on the basis of universal values, expressed in world religions, moral systems, law and art. These values ​​are combined with an extensive complex of practical and spiritual knowledge and developed systems of symbols that help overcome the local isolation of primary groups. ◦Civilization is the basic typological (that is, distinguishing) unit of development. L.I. Semennikova, who proposes a similar interpretation, gives the following definition: “Civilization is a community of people, united by fundamental spiritual values ​​and ideals, which has stable special features in the socio-political organization, culture, economy and a psychological sense of belonging to this community.”

◦Civilization is a local culture, a specific large-scale society that has manifested itself in world history or exists today; its inherent uniqueness of economic, social and spiritual life, its fundamental values ​​and life-building principles, its originality. A “civilized way of life” does not necessarily have to contain all of the above-mentioned features, but the absence of several of them allows us to speak about the absence of this very way of life. In all other cases, a “civilized way of life” is a way of life that guarantees a person minimal security and ensures his (the person’s) effective use for the benefit of society and himself. Based on the above conceptual definitions, we can distinguish the following signs of a civilized way of life: 1) Availability state as a specific organization, a management structure that coordinates the economic, military and some other spheres of life of the entire society. 2) The presence of writing, without which many types of managerial and economic activities are difficult. 3) The presence of a set of laws, legal norms that have replaced tribal customs. The system of laws is based on the equal responsibility of every resident of a civilizational society, regardless of his tribal affiliation. Over time, civilizations come to write down a set of laws. Written law is the hallmark of a civilized society. Customs are a sign of an uncivilized society. Consequently, the absence of clear laws and norms is a vestige of clan and tribal relations.4) A certain level of humanism. Even in early civilizations, even if ideas about the right of every person to life and dignity do not prevail there, then, as a rule, they do not accept cannibalism and human sacrifice. Of course, even in modern civilizational society, some people with a sick psyche or with criminal inclinations have urges to cannibalism or ritual bloody acts. But society as a whole and the laws do not allow barbaric inhumane actions. It is not without reason that the transition to the civilizational stage among many peoples was associated with the spread of religion carrying humanistic moral values, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism. What kind of person can be called living in a civilized manner? N.V. Motroshilova[3] offers the following options: 1) A civilized person is necessarily a hard worker and a creator. A civilized person strives to master the latest means, achievements of labor, its organization, the most effective work skills and knowledge, thus adopting the experience of other people. He thinks, designs, forecasts, critically reflects and constantly improves his activities. Even if he does not possess actual scientific and higher technical knowledge, he has interest and respect for them. Such an individual cannot afford, neglecting the fundamental principles of civilization, to produce goods that no one needs or are harmful; cannot, is organically incapable of squandering, throwing into the wind what was created not only by his own labor, but also by the efforts of other people. For he respects and protects other people’s labor and other people’s property no less than the fruits of his labor and his property. 2) A civilized person, especially in modern conditions, gravitates towards being a democratic individual and a member of a democratic, civil society, for his civic activity is an organic continuation, as well as a prerequisite for free and proactive work activity. A civilized person is characterized by natural pride in his nation, people, country, and the desire to serve them with work and talent. At the same time, true civilization is incompatible with an uncritical attitude towards their history and modern life, with the humiliation of other nations and peoples, with nationalist aggressiveness. A civilized person carefully and responsibly chooses the groups, associations, and associations he joins; he categorically and resolutely opposes bloodshed, violence, and destructive conflicts. 3) A civilized person strives and knows how to organize his daily life: he needs cleanliness, convenience, and the comfort of everyday life like air. The needs of a civilized person are developed, rich, subtle, varied, but he strives to moderate them, to make them reasonably sufficient. We find a certain similarity in the criteria of civilization in V.K. Bakshutov [4]: ​​1) Civilized people, a civilized society, produce more than they consume. This “increase” is the material and spiritual basis of the ascending, progressive development of man and humanity. 2) Civilized people and a civilized society always take a defensive, protective foreign and domestic policy. 3) Civilized people and a civilized society relate to things according to Terence’s principle “I prefer not to have anything superfluous,” since superfluous things are an instrument of corruption of a person, which leads him to spiritual degeneration, to “bestiality,” to the psychology and practice of a savage and barbarian. Modern civilization acts as a society based on the ideals of “reason,” “justice,” “respect for human rights,” and the use of scientific and technological achievements that ensure safety and comfort in human life. In philosophy of the second half of the 20th century. The most important system-forming element in understanding the essence of civilization is its technological characteristics, which are fundamentally different from the cultural characteristics of life. Scientific and technological progress, economic efficiency and expediency act as the implementation of “formal rationality” in the development of the spirit, subordinating all aspects of social life. The true essence of civilization coincides with technical civilization itself, and the development of technology and economics becomes the substantial basis and universal criterion of civilization. Characteristically: over time, the signs of a civilized way of life became more numerous and diverse, uniting a very wide range of societies (presence of cities, class stratification, concentration of power , loyalty to taxation, social division of labor, foreign trade, writing, development of sciences, fine arts, monumental architecture). On the other hand, there was a kind of unification of the requirements for this kind of lifestyle; it became standardized due to the acquisition of supranational status. Those cultural communities of people who have mastered and civilized a large, fairly autonomous, closed world space live “civilized”. The phenomena attributed to this way of life (states and statehood, cities, trade, deep stratification on an economic basis, technical and technological potential) in their totality, as well as in real content and significance, objectively determine breakthroughs in progress. This is a kind of leap in the historical implementation of social evolution, which has a universal meaning and violated the very structure of the process of the latter. A new state of sociality as a whole has formed and therefore all forms and levels, all so-called local civilizations and cultural-historical types are carried out in a structurally new flow of movement of Society, in a historically new space, where the trend of movement is determined by the structural and essential characteristics of civilization, which objectively determine the historical state of society, highlighting a new its stage. As E.V. Saiko notes, the stage in this regard is given a special specific meaning as a fundamentally new historically defined (and not just a new level of historical development) state associated with historically new characteristics of the nature of sociality [5]. The main feature of the civilization of the corresponding her lifestyle identity. A “civilized way of life” can be identified by the presence of common features of an objective order, such as language, history, religion, customs, institutions, as well as the subjective self-identification of people. There are different levels of self-identification. At the same time, the cultural self-identification of people can change, and as a result, the composition and boundaries of a particular civilization change. Civilizational identity is the broadest and most general category among other sociocultural identities of ethnonational, confessional, sociopolitical, regional, etc. p.[6]. The place of civilizational self-identification in historical science, public life and art is largely determined by the role of historical imagination, without which it is impossible. It is common for a person to identify himself not only with his own body and consciousness, but also indirectly with one or another community (clan, religious denomination, state, civilization). At the same time, the value of one’s own life is affirmed through other values ​​that seem higher [7]. Only the bearer of the ideal of civilization is capable of leading a civilized lifestyle. And this is where the main danger lies, for he ascribes to his culture the role of a goal of historical development. At the same time, the images of all other peoples are simplified and exoticized. Identifying oneself with civilization through an appropriate lifestyle and everyday practices willy-nilly is fraught with the formation of an overly positive self-image. As a result, the image of external social reality is schematized, symbolically belittled, and becomes somehow frivolous, and therefore not dangerous. R. Polen identified four myths that underlie European civilizational self-identification: 1) The myth of the fundamental significance of science (in fact, “we are no longer talking about knowledge oriented toward understanding; we are talking mainly about knowledge oriented toward activity and power”) ;2) The myth of Christian values ​​as the basis of civilization (in fact, it is “power for power... the acceleration of technological progress becomes the cause and foundation of itself”); 3) “The myth of progress” (in fact, this is the desire for increased consumption at the expense of spiritual development); 4) “Egalitarian myth” (generated by the fight against disorder, serving as a means of calming the masses). As historical experience shows, the “civilized way of life” is sometimes permeated with narcissistic tendencies; sooner or later it leads from freedom to permissiveness, from traditions to fashion, from ends to means. The “civilized way of life” secularizes the image of the world, transforming countless secular utopias into the sphere of social relations. The ideal of civilization as the embodiment of the value of human communication (sociality, which was considered not characteristic of “barbarians”) encourages the elevation of a civilized person and his environment, the aestheticization of his urban environment, and with it the everyday environment. So, civilization is defined as the most important characteristic of society, as its quality and represents a single socio-natural integrity, which is characterized by an appropriate method of production, a certain degree of development of material and spiritual culture, a certain system of value systems and guidelines, as well as the specific nature of the relationship between society and the environment. Civilization is characterized not only by a model of social structure and development with the corresponding conditions and standard of living of people, but also by a set of values, traditions, norms, rules, regulations governing social relations[8].

A civilized way of life presupposes the dominance of “culture” over “nature”. “The call of nature” with such a way of life is transformed and oriented in the direction that is set by cultural forms of social existence and reasonable ways of existence. The extent to which the “civilized way of life” today has acquired the features of universal determination can be clearly seen in the fact that “... on the one hand, sovereign states are gradually losing some of the economic and political powers that they possessed. On the other hand, the process of reviving identity in many regions of the world is obvious” [9]. This contradiction between “the needs of universal global values ​​and the requirement to preserve one’s identity determines the direction of social change in our globalizing world. And in this paradigm of the development of planetary civilization, following a “civilized way of life” does not always imply reformatting the previous identity and does not require a mandatory change of place of residence. “People themselves voluntarily come under the banner of another civilization” [10]. And in this regard, modern globalization is contradictory: it poses a historical challenge to local civilizations, and “civilizational identity is turning today into one of the main resources for ensuring the freedom and security of the country, preserving and developing its identity in conditions of increasing changes" [11].

*

**So, the “civilized way of life” is the quintessence and meaning of the existence of any civilization. A “civilized way of life” is both a process and a result. Whether its achievement is the result of the super-efforts of the people of the civilizer, or whether it is based on the enslavement of colonial territories is a secondary and specific historical question. Regardless of the presence of certain “skeletons in the closet,” one thing is certain: “living in a civilized manner” is both a property and an achievement. Although... a civilized way of life is often associated with urbanization, overcrowding, the tyranny of technology and technology, including social ones, and acts as the source and cause of the dehumanization of the world. In addition, a “civilized way of life” is a “variable” rather than a “constant” value. And it is not so easy to notice this inverse transition from one state to another in the modern world, engulfed in a difficult-to-predict entropy of chaos. Rather, it is even impossible. The stage of a “civilized way of life” does not have clear starting and ending points, it does not have continuity, but proceeds in the form of shifts (backwards). A civilized way of life is impossible without the “cultural zone” that it organizes. Such a “cultural zone” has its own center, core, borders and outskirts, which periodically become the object of external, not always civilized expansion. Meanwhile, an increasing number of scientists say that the most significant conflicts of the near future will unfold along the speculative fault lines between the civilized way of life of some and the desire to take advantage of its benefits of others. These "others" are not aware of themselves in their own historical context; Unfortunately, they do not have their own present, which should be treasured. They logically and symbolically personify uncivilization, and their path to civilization can have very fatal consequences for the latter.

Links to sources1. Voloshin D. A. Civilization. Barbarization. Historical process. Armavir: RIO AGPA, 2020. 100 p. WITH. 24.2. Voloshin D. A. Decree. Op. WITH. 25.3.Motroshilova N.V. Civilization and barbarism in the modern era. M.: Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2007. 268 p. WITH. 3234. 4. Bakshutov V.K. The struggle of civilizations against barbarism. Ekaterinburg: Ural Publishing House. federal unta, 2012. 418 p. WITH. 1112.5. Saiko E.V. Civilization in the space-time continuum of social evolution and the problem of its systemic breakdown // Civilization. Ascent and demolition: Structure-forming factors and subjects of the civilizational process. M., 2003. S. 1626.6. Kondakov I.V. Civilizational identity of Russia: essence, structure and mechanisms // Questions of social theory. 2010. Volume IV. WITH. 282304. WITH. 282. 7. Ionov I. N. Civilizational self-identification as a form of historical consciousness // Art and civilizational identity / resp. ed. N. A. Khrenov. M.: Nauka, 2007. P. 169187. WITH. 169.8. Tregub S.V. Civilizational identity of modern Russia: towards the formulation of the problem // Vestnik MGOU. Series "Philosophical Sciences". 2008. No. 2. Issue No. 11. M.: Publishing house of MGOU. 166 pp. WITH. 8591. WITH. 88. 9. Zalessky B. L. Identity at the junction of civilizational communities in the dynamics of intercivilizational dialogue // Civilization identity in the era of globalization: international youth scientific conference (March 10, 2011, Minsk) / National Library of Belarus. Minsk, 2011. P. 148153. WITH. 148. 10. Gromyko Yu.V. Anthropology of political identity. Self-determination of “Rushins” in the global world // Territorial development, transnational Russian corporations and the identity of Russians. M.: ARKTI, 2006. P. 49. 11. Other see: Tregub CB Decree. Art. WITH. 8591.

About people

A similar situation arises if we need to understand what it means to be a cultured and civilized person. Again, since there is no consensus on these terms, it is very difficult to decide on the designation of a cultured or civilized person. Here a lot depends on the society into which the individual is integrated. That is, in one social group some actions and statements may be normal, while in another they are completely unacceptable. This, by the way, often occurs when we compare the level of culture of developed countries and African wild tribes.

Topic 1.3 Culture and civilization

Topic 1.3 Culture and civilization

Standard on the topic

1. Culture and civilization.
2. Types of civilizations.
3. Modern civilizations.
4. Prospects for post-industrial society.

Terms: civilization, introversion, technogenic, globalization

Culture and civilization

The concept of “civilization” is one of the most complex in modern science: many definitions have been proposed.

The term itself comes from the Latin word "civil" .

In a broad sense , civilization is understood as the level, stage of development of society, material and spiritual culture, following barbarism and savagery.

This concept is also used to designate a set of unique manifestations of social orders inherent in a certain historical community.

In this sense, civilization is characterized as the qualitative specificity (originality of material, spiritual, social life) of a particular group of countries and peoples at a certain stage of development.

The famous Russian historian M.A. Barg defined civilization this way: “...This is the way in which a given society resolves its material, socio-political and spiritual-ethical problems.”

Different civilizations are fundamentally different from each other, since they are based not on similar production techniques and technology (as societies of the same formation), but on incompatible systems of social and spiritual values. Any civilization is characterized not so much by its production base as by its specific way of life, value system, vision and ways of interrelating with the outside world.

Oswald Spengler (1880-1936), German historian, philosopher

Culture is a qualitative originality, a feature of each people, and civilization is unification, bringing to common standards through the dissemination of scientific and technical progress products.

Spengler O. believed that if civilization came, then culture dies.

Types of civilizations

In the modern theory of civilizations they are common as

linear-stage concepts (in which civilization is understood as a certain stage of world development, opposed to “uncivilized” societies), and the concept of local civilizations.

The eastern type of civilization (eastern civilization) is historically the first type of civilization, formed by the 3rd millennium BC. e. in the Ancient East: in Ancient India, China, Babylon, Ancient Egypt. The characteristic features of Eastern civilization are:

1. Traditionalism - orientation towards the reproduction of established forms of lifestyle and social structures.

2. Low mobility and poor diversity of all forms of human activity.

3. In ideological terms, the idea of ​​the complete lack of freedom of man, the predetermination of all actions and deeds by forces of nature, society, gods, etc., independent of him.

4. A morally volitional attitude is not towards knowledge and transformation of the world, but contemplation, serenity, mystical unity with nature, focus on inner spiritual life - introversion .

5. Personality is not developed. Social life is built on the principles of collectivism .

6. The political organization of life in eastern civilizations occurs in the form of despotism, in which the absolute predominance of the state over society is exercised.

7. The economic basis of life in eastern civilizations is the corporate and state form of ownership, and the main method of management is coercion.

Max Weber (1864-1920), German sociologist

Western type of civilization (Western civilization) - systematic

characteristic of a special type of civilizational development, including certain stages of the historical and cultural development of Europe and North America. The main values ​​of the Western type of civilization, according to M. Weber , are the following: 1) dynamism, orientation towards novelty; 2) affirmation of dignity and respect for the human person; 3) individualism , orientation towards personal autonomy; 4) rationality; 5) ideals of freedom, equality, tolerance; 6) respect for private property ; 7) preference for democracy over all other forms of government. Western civilization at a certain stage of development acquires the character of a technogenic civilization.

Modern civilizations

Technogenic civilization is a historical stage in the development of Western civilization, a special type of civilizational development that formed in Europe in the 15th–17th centuries. and spread throughout the globe until the end of the 20th century.

The main role in the culture of this type of civilization is occupied by scientific rationality , the special value of reason and the progress of science and technology based on it are emphasized.

Character traits:

1) rapid change in technology and technology due to systematic application in the production of scientific knowledge;

2) as a result of the merger of science and production, a scientific and technological revolution occurred, which significantly changed the relationship between man and nature, the place of man in the production system;

3) accelerating renewal of the artificially created human-made environment in which his life activity directly takes place. This is accompanied by the increasing dynamics of social connections and their relatively rapid transformation. Sometimes, over the course of one or two generations, a change in lifestyle occurs and a new type of personality is formed. On the basis of technogenic civilization, two types of society have formed - industrial society and post-industrial society.

Global civilization is a modern stage of civilizational development, characterized by the increasing integrity of the world community, the formation of a single planetary civilization . Globalization is primarily associated with the internationalization of all social activities on Earth. This internationalization means that in the modern era all humanity is part of a single system of socio-economic, political, cultural and other connections and relationships.

Human culture

But still: what does it mean to be a cultured and civilized person in ordinary European society? This means adhering to the norms and rules that were previously adopted. By the way, some may disappear into oblivion, while others may arise. For example, today no one says hello by raising their hat. But when you see someone you know, you need to take the headphones out of your ears to say hello.

It should also be noted that the concept of “human culture” is closely related to the term “educated person”. That is, the person must be spiritually rich. These are well-read people who try to develop and learn, regardless of their place of work, social class or higher education. A person may not have a university diploma, but be spiritually rich.

Human civilization and culture in the ideas of people of the “Iron” century

In what way was their cultural (or civilizational) superiority expressed, at least in the opinion of the Europeans themselves? What distinguished the civilized European of the 19th century from uncivilized or less civilized people? When answering this question, a whole series of features, traits, and skills are usually identified. At the same time, it is obvious that the most important are the features and traits related to the mind and, above all, to knowledge. The civilized European of the 19th century is distinguished by the character of his mind - sober, practical, dynamic. He had to have special knowledge in the field of activity in which he was engaged. Technical and technological knowledge, but not only. Knowledge of history and geography was certainly assumed, as was knowledge of languages ​​and knowledge of foreign languages. And of course - in your native language. The ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings clearly, competently and beautifully in writing and orally was important. The epistolary genre is a genre of the 19th century. Gradually, especially towards the end of this century, one of the elements of civilization is physical development (thanks to exercise, sports), not to mention neatness and hygiene, which is receiving more and more attention. All this taken together had to be combined with enterprise and skill in action, based on and with the help of knowledge. This type of civilized person was embodied in particular by Engineer Smith in Jules Verne's novel The Mysterious Island. But the above-mentioned features and traits do not exhaust the ideal characteristics of a European of the 19th century. He still had to be able to behave in any society, according to the situation and conditions in which he found himself. This was facilitated by knowledge of various norms of behavior, control of the body, which ensured freedom of movement, and control of one’s feelings. The feelings of a civilized European should have been sufficient, but not too subtle, not too openly expressed. Civilized emotionality did not allow excessive affectation of passions, violent anger or sentimental tearfulness. Of course, this skill and “formalized” feelings concern not only civilization, but also culture. A gentleman or a “true intellectual” is not just a civilized person, but a representative of the cultural elite of his time. And yet, both gentlemanliness and intelligence in the 19th century are manifestations of orderly behavior and relationships between people. Religious life, religious feelings in this century are also being “put in order”, being civilized. In European societies, reasonable faith, without pathological exaltation, is valued. This faith among both Catholics and Protestants is, moreover, quite practical: God helps Christians in their, even completely secular, affairs. Such a faith, somewhat formalized, calmly reasonable, was successfully combined with the legal and moral civilization of Europeans. It certainly presupposed respect for existing laws, for a person’s property and life, for his wallet and his wife. It is obvious that the listed values ​​correspond to the biblical prohibitions: “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not steal,” “thou shalt not commit adultery,” etc. In general, these above-mentioned civilizational traits and features, all together, embodied the desire of 19th-century Europeans to bring reasonable harmony to the world and into a person (torn apart by contradictions and passions), into a society (hostile and warring). It was a desire to ennoble and cultivate the world. It is not without reason that the aesthetic and artistic values ​​of the 19th century, all the so-called “classical” art, are associated with harmony, not static, dynamic, but harmony. A cultured European, by the way, had to be a connoisseur of artistic creations, have a sufficiently developed aesthetic and artistic taste, which allowed him to feel harmony and experience it. In general, human civilization and culture in the 19th century are closely connected with each other precisely through the desire to harmonize life, its orientation towards reasonable orderliness, correct design. What we call civilization and what we distinguish as culture itself, in the 19th century, first took shape (in Europe!) as a synthesis of all previous eras. German classical philosophy, especially the Hegelian system, is indicative in this sense. Hegel's philosophy, in terms of worldview, claimed to be the culmination of the entire development of philosophy and human wisdom in general. In the 70s, while a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of Leningrad State University, M. A. Kissel noted in lectures on the history of foreign philosophy that Hegel’s logic was a synthesis of pre-existing philosophical trends. Not in the sense that they were all contained in this logic, but in the fact that, according to Hegel’s plan, all the best was taken from the past. The category of “pure being” modeled the teaching of Parmenides. “Becoming” is the philosophy of Heraclitus, and the philosophy of the concept is the system of Aristotle. In this regard, Hegel's philosophy seemed to express absolute truth. Because, according to its creator, it accumulated the results of the entire history of philosophical thought. Hegel's philosophical system therefore acted as the result of the self-consciousness of humanity. Hegel, at the same time, expressed the general worldview of the intellectual elite of the early 19th century. He argued that the history of society is progress, and not just progress, but progress in the consciousness of freedom. That is, history was seen as the path of humanity to the freedom achieved in the 19th century, to bourgeois freedom, to equality and fraternity. Moreover, this was a path of spiritual development that emerged in real life. For at first man was part of a polis, a despotism (the whole), where only one could be free, and there was no real concept of freedom at all, which is why slavery could exist. At the next stage of human development (according to Hegel), in connection with the emergence and establishment of Christianity, the idea of ​​the inner freedom of man, the self-worth of man as a spiritual being, and the spiritual equality of all before God arose. And finally, starting with the Great French Revolution, freedom turned out to be affirmed in social terms: both in consciousness and in social institutions. Freedom has triumphed. And thus civilization and culture triumphed. It is symptomatic that the development of culture in the 19th century was considered (like Hegel, the development of the consciousness of freedom) - according to a threefold scheme: savagery - barbarism - civilization, the pinnacle of which was the 19th century itself. This scheme was expressed by the ethnographer L. Morgan in his book Ancient Society. It was repeated after him by F. Engels, discussing the origin of the family, private property and the state. Of course, the absolutization of both Hegel’s philosophy and the state of civilization (or culture) in Europe in the 19th century is equally erroneous. The absolutization of both is apparently due to the fact that in the worldview of Europe in the 19th century, the beginning of a systemic self-awareness of civilization and culture, a philosophical understanding of their significance, was actively manifested.

Examples of cultured people

If a group of people asks “What does it mean to be a cultured and civilized person?”, you can hear many different opinions in response. For one, a cultured person is one who does not litter on the street. The other puts forward broader and deeper demands on the individual. But you can still try to highlight and consider examples of a cultured and civilized person.

• These people are polite, they treat even strangers with respect.
• A cultured person should also be moderately erudite.
• Constant learning and learning something new is a distinctive feature of a cultured person.
• A cultured person adheres to the rules of cohabitation in society. That is, he does not litter on the streets and maintains order at home and in his hometown.

An uncultured person is someone who does not comply with these rules and is an antisocial person.

Assessment of a person according to basic criteria

What is most important when assessing a person? What are the most fundamental qualities in him? The answer to this question depends on the purpose for which the assessment is being made. Experience in personnel consulting and analysis of psychological theories of personality shows that in order to select personnel for organizations, it is necessary to firmly know four parameters of a person as an individual:

• temperament;
• installation on the type of activity;
• system of internal values;
• informal role in the group.

The concept of “temperament” summarizes the emotional and dynamic qualities of a person.
In total, the methodology of socionic analysis distinguishes the following four temperaments in decreasing order of energy: assertive, flexible, sensitive and balanced. The problem of leadership is based on temperament. It is unlikely that you will ever become a leader if nature has deprived you of energy. To be a full-fledged leader, you need to be an extrovert. Assertive types do best in formal leadership roles, while flexible types do best in informal leadership roles.