No abstract

This paper explores an operationalization of the concepts for contemporary Russian society. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of some concepts such as postmodernism, consumer society, post-industrial society the authors operationalize them. Our findings suggest that contemporary Russian society has a wide range of definitions. It is defined as post-historic, network or information society, postmodern society, etc. The set of different concepts represents Russian society and makes a definitions confusion. Such definitions should be applicable to modern Russian society. Using a particular concept for analysis of Russian society, it is important to compare the concept with our knowledge about society. The concept should not contradict our knowledge of about the society. Based on this presumption, some social-philosophical concepts should be operationalized.

The article attempts to assess the research potential of a civilization code's con­cept, which claims to identify the determining algorithm of social life and, re­spectively, the direction of development of societies and states. The analysis of the concept under consideration is based on a constructivist approach. From the standpoint of this approach, it is demonstrated that the supposed conditioning of the civilization code by the dominant ideals of culture is largely determined by personal historicity and responsibility for the past. The ideals of culture also cover the sensory world of subjects – they are fixed in moral norms and regulate the value orientations of participants of historical events. This aspect of the cul­tural conditionality of the social behavior of people, according to the authors, is actually fixed in the concept of the civilization code. At the same time, the work notes that the originality of the manifestations of shame and conscience among the adepts of culture determines both the relationship between them and their at­titude towards other cultures' representatives. Civilization is understood as a form of cultural manifestation with specific features that make it possible to talk about the general mentality of a given society, a given civilization. Meanwhile, there are risks of losing the potential of constructive ideals in a consumer society that presents ideals that focus, first of all, on the satisfaction of personal, egoistic in­terests. The authors believe that the main thing for Russia today is not to lose the potential of personal ideals that focus on the priority of common human, hu­manistic values that demonstrate the rise above egoism and respect for represen­tatives of other cultures.

Chelovek i tsivilizatsiya (Man and civilization). Saratov, 2012, no. 4, pp. 27-33. 13. Ustyantsev V. B. Kontseptualizatsiya v sotsialnoy fi losofi i: klassicheskiye i postklassicheskiye nachala (Conceptualization in social philosophy: classic and postclassic origins). Vektory sovremennogo tsivilizatsionnogo razvitiya (Vectors of modern civilizing development).

Устьянцев Владимир Борисович, доктор философских наук, профессор, заведующий кафедрой теоретической и социальной философии, Саратовский национальный исследовательский государственный университет имени Н. Г. Чернышевского,