Trends in the development of culture in the modern world. Modern culture: signs and development trends Trends and prospects for the development of modern world culture

Trends in the development of culture in the modern world.

The current state of culture causes reasonable concern. One of the global problems in the development of society is the erosion of spiritual culture, which arises as a result of the total dissemination of monotonous information, isolating its consumers from the work of developing ideas about the meaning of existence in the socio-cultural process, aggravating the situation of “loss of meaning” in culture.

Overcoming the crisis and preserving culture are based on the main trends of its self-development and evolution.

Culture is an open system, that is, it is not complete, it continues to develop and interact with non-culture. For this reason, first let us pay attention to the external trend in the development of culture.

Culture is “not nature”; it arose and develops in interaction with nature. Their relationship was not easy. Gradually emerging from the power of natural forces, man - the creator of culture - made of his creation an instrument, an instrument for conquering and subjugating nature. Moreover, as soon as power over earthly nature began to be concentrated in the hands of people, the most perspicacious of them came to the conclusion that, along with nature, culture, within which negative processes arose, fell into slavery to the power of human labor. Having changed the attitude towards oneself as part of nature to the attitude towards nature as a “stranger”, man found himself in a difficult situation. After all, he and his body are inseparable from nature, which has become “alien” to culture. For this reason, man forced himself to make a choice between nature and culture. Started in the 18th century. J.-J. Rousseau's criticism of culture in some concepts was carried to the point of its complete denial, the idea of the “natural anti-culture” of man was put forward, and culture itself was interpreted as a means of his suppression and enslavement (F. Nietzsche). 3. Freud viewed culture as a mechanism of social suppression and sublimation of unconscious mental processes. And all this at a time when humanity was actively creating ways to suppress nature.

The confrontation between culture and nature has not disappeared today. At the same time, there has been a tendency to overcome it. The idea of the noosphere - the future kingdom of Reason, Goodness, Beauty - revealed in the teachings of V.I. Vernadsky and P. Teilhard de Chardin is finding an ever wider response. As one of the attributes of cultural development, the principle of conformity to nature is recognized, based on the mutually mediated ideas of culture’s responsibility to nature, on the one hand, and the relative freedom of the “second nature” from the “first”, the artificial from the natural, a certain inevitable distance between sociocultural and biological processes - with another.

The main patterns of internal development of culture are closely intertwined with the external trend of cultural development, the evolution of its relations with nature.

One of the basic trends in the internal development of culture is associated with a change in the balance of physical and mental expenditure of human energy in favor of the latter. Since the middle of the 20th century. Thanks to the use of scientific and technological advances, the need for hard physical labor began to sharply decrease. Human physical efforts play an increasingly smaller role in the reproduction of the sociocultural process. Culture, thus, increasingly defines itself as a product of the creativity of the human spirit, mind, soul. The value of spiritual efforts in this regard will steadily increase. And if previously natural science knowledge was often considered as a criterion for the progressiveness of culture, now its parity with humanitarian knowledge will be gradually restored.

Another internal trend in the evolution of culture is the transition from confrontation of “local”, “group”, “subjective” cultures to their dialogue. The 20th century introduced intense drama and a tragic sense of irreparable loss into the understanding of the cultural process. The idea of discontinuity of culture and incomparability of cultures is most consistently embodied in the concept of O. Spengler. The perception of the cultures of individual social subjects as “sealed organisms” is based on the belief that each culture grows out of its own unique “proto-phenomenon” - a way of “experiencing life”. If in the theory of cultural-historical types and cultural circles this approach is used when analyzing relations between cultures of different ethnic groups, then in left- and right-wing radical doctrines it is used when comparing cultures of different classes (the theory of “two cultures” in a class society), and in the doctrine “new left”, and then “right” - from the same positions the relationship between the “new” counterculture and the “old” culture is characterized. However, within the framework of the sociology of economic determinism, the carriers of incompatible, mutually exclusive cultures are classes, for the “new” ones - youth and the older generation. Conflict, mutual misunderstanding and rejection of cultures are seen as an absolute inevitability.

At the same time, the current situation in the sociocultural process demonstrates the futility and even disastrousness of the position of mutual ignorance of cultures.
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The need for the integrity of culture is comprehended “by contradiction” - through the awareness of the impossibility of its further existence in the form of a conglomerate of cultures.

Another important trend in the evolution of culture should be expressed as overcoming the conflict (while maintaining contradiction) between traditional culture and innovative culture. This trend is embodied in the culture of postmodernism.

No matter how conventional the designation of entire eras in the cultural life of society with the concepts of “classicism” or “modernism” is, it allows us to see how discontinuous culture is perceived in a given period.

At the beginning of the 20th century. The “modern” style established itself in culture. Modernism - the desire to reflect reality and especially culture in a new way as “not nature”, as an unnatural, artificial, pure, refined phenomenon - has permeated all spheres of spiritual life and, first of all, art and the humanities. Non-triviality, unconventionality and anti-traditionality are considered within the framework of this style as identical concepts. Gradually, what was modernism was partially included in the tradition, from which the avant-garde of culture carefully distanced itself. At the same time, in the search for forms and meanings that are not in contact with what already existed in culture (and therefore old and unnecessary), the avant-garde led itself into the dead end of the absurd - tuneless music, non-representative painting, non-explanatory science, ideology that serves not self-preservation, but self-destruction of the subject of ideology, breaking with the tradition of mythology. The natural need of the creator of culture to express the absurdity and disharmony of the world is satisfied in such a way that it leads to a deepening of the absurd.

In a culture filled with cacaphony, the need for silence is increasingly felt, which is sometimes defined as the only thing that is still missing “to replenish the golden fund of cultural values of humanity.”

Gradually, “silence” leads to calm, once-burned bridges to traditional culture are restored, and values acquired and developed by the cultures of previous eras reappear in a modern-enriched form. The broken connection of times is being restored, and once again it is revealed that “manuscripts do not burn.”

Contemporary postmodern culture is a culture that painfully but steadily overcomes the gap between the old and the new, the created and the created. Its fabric is saturated with “signs”, symbols of culture; it develops a “consensus” of desires to preserve tradition and keep up with the times.

Finally, the last of the identified trends in the evolution of culture at the present stage reflects the process of change in personality as a subject of culture. The diversity of culture from the external personality becomes internal, turns into the most important characteristic of its internal life.

The creation of modern culture by an individual presupposes its distance from both attempts to abandon the desire for integrity and from a false imitation of integrity. Internal contradiction and the desire to resolve it are the natural state of the spiritual life of the individual as a subject of culture. The one-dimensional person is replaced by a person who perceives contradiction not as a tragedy, but as a stimulus for the unfolding of the creative process.

Literature:

Main:

1. Babosov, E. M. General sociology: textbook. allowance / E. M. Babosov. -Minsk, 2006.

2. Babosov, E. M. Applied sociology: textbook. manual for universities / E. M. Babosov. - Minsk, 1999.

3. Babosov, E. M. Sociology. General sociological theory: textbook. manual for universities / E. M. Babosov. - Minsk, 1998.

4. Giddens, E. Sociology / E. Giddens. - M., 2004.

5. Lapin, N. I. General sociology: textbook. manual for universities / N. I. Lapin. -M., 2006.

6. Sociological encyclopedia / edited by. ed. A. N. Danilova. -Minsk, 2003.

7. Sociology: textbook. manual for universities / under general. ed. A. N. Elsukova. -Minsk. 2004.

Additional:

8. Durkheim, E. On the division of social labor. Method of sociology / E. Durkheim. - M., 1990.

9. Kirienko V.V. The mentality of modern Belarusians as a factor of social reform // Sociology. 1999. No. 1. pp. 35 – 57.

10. Kravchenko, A. I. Sociology: a reader for universities / A. I. Kravchenko. -M., 2002.

Trends in the development of culture in the modern world. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Trends in the development of culture in the modern world." 2017, 2018.

Main trends in the development of modern world and domestic culture

Introduction

Development of world culture in the 20th century. is a complex and contradictory process. It was influenced by a number of factors:

Two world wars and several local ones;

Dividing the world into two camps;

The establishment and fall of fascist regimes in a number of countries;

Revolutionary pro-communist movement;

Collapse of the socialist system, etc.

1. religious;

2. actually cultural:

a) theoretical-scientific,

b) aesthetic and artistic,

3. political;

The socio-economic sphere has received the greatest development. At this time it was stormy process of industrialization of culture, which manifested itself both in the development of science and technology, and in the emergence of technical branches of culture, as well as in the industrial production of works of literature and art.

The scientific and technological revolution has entered a new stage of its development. Today, the problems of automation and computerization of production are being solved. But the scientific and technological revolution had not only positive, but also negative consequences. It led to the formulation of the question of human survival, which was reflected in artistic creativity.

The industrialization of culture led to the movement of the center of world cultural progress to the most economically developed country - the United States. Using its industrial power, the United States gradually expanded its influence in the world. American stereotypes of thinking and cultural values are being imposed. This was especially clearly reflected in the development of world cinema and music. The expansion of the United States created the preconditions for establishing a monopoly in the field of culture. This forced many European and Eastern countries to intensify efforts to preserve their cultural and national traditions. However, this problem still remains unresolved. This seems problematic, especially with modern means of communication.

Exacerbation of social contradictions in the 20th century. contributed politicization of culture. This was expressed in its ideologization, in the political content of works of literature and art, in their transformation into means of propaganda, in the use of scientific and technological achievements for military-political purposes, as well as in the personal participation of cultural figures in socio-political movements. All this led, to a certain extent, to the dehumanization of world art.

1. Prospects for the development of world culture

The future of culture is being laid today. Right now, radical changes are taking place in people's lives, which open up unprecedented opportunities and create unprecedented dangers. Which of the modern trends in social development will be of decisive importance for the culture of the future? Firstly, it should be noted that the coming decades will be characterized by the accelerating development of the scientific and technological revolution. There will continue to be a steady trend towards replacing scarce raw materials with the most widespread desire to save the most important components of the production process: materials, energy, human labor. In the near future, automation will cover the entire production process from start to finish. New areas and types of production activities will become widespread. One of the decisive places among them will be taken by bioengineering and biotechnology. The scope of human production activity will expand: widespread exploration of the world's oceans and space will become possible.

engaged in mental work. When enjoying free time, this social group is characterized by a desire to join cultural values. Consequently, the importance of culture in society will increase.

Determining trends in social and cultural development, can be called the growth of interdependence of the human community.

The one-world market, which developed back in the 19th century, has undergone changes. It has become global in the literal sense of the word, including all countries, regardless of region. Industrial relations between countries are very closely intertwined. Regional economic integration has received widespread development.

Throughout the 20th century. Transport developed rapidly. Communications have also undergone a revolutionary transformation. Today, any information can be reproduced and delivered in the shortest possible time in any form: printed, visual, auditory. The availability of transmitted information and the possibility of its individual consumption have expanded.

The consequence of all this was the growing intensification of the exchange of cultural values. As a result of the expanded interaction of national and regional cultures, a qualitatively new situation arose. A world culture, a common fund of civilization, began to take shape more and more clearly. This process will take many decades, if not centuries, to complete. But the primary contours of such a fund are obvious. There is every reason to talk about the generally recognized achievements of world literature, fine arts, architecture, science, industrial knowledge and skills. All this contributes to the fact that humanity is increasingly aware of itself as a global community.

Interdependence is also manifested in the fact that, along with the cultural achievements of various peoples, the negative phenomena that exist among them are becoming increasingly widespread.

The third factor, which largely determines the trends in social and cultural development today, is emergence and aggravation of global problems. These are problems that affect all countries and peoples in one way or another, and the solution also depends on the joint efforts of countries and peoples.

In the middle of the 20th century. life appeared on the planet as a result of a nuclear and environmental disaster. Global problems of our time are being studied global studies, considering the problems of man and his future. In this regard, modeling the future state and trends of global problems is becoming widespread.

In 1968, an independent community of leading scientists from around the world emerged, called the Club of Rome. Periodically, this organization makes reports that are addressed to all governments and peoples of the world. Already the first reports made a shocking impression.

One of the latest reports of the Club of Rome emphasizes that “never in history has humanity faced so many threats and dangers.”

The colossal growth of the world population, which increases by 1 million people every 4-5 days, leads to a huge increase in the demand for energy and raw materials. Uncontrolled population growth is outpacing the increase in food production. Moreover, it is happening in places where there is already high unemployment and severe poverty, and the task of providing millions of people with new jobs is difficult to achieve.

This applies primarily to developing countries, where the population is predominantly young, which will lead to further population growth. By the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. it will increase from 5 billion to 8.5 billion people. Industrialized countries will face the problem of slow population growth and the problem of aging. By the middle of the next century they will make up less than 20% of the world's population.

â developing countries could trigger waves of mass migration on an unprecedented scale that will be difficult to contain.

The situation in the future may be further complicated by the fact that many of the factors that previously contributed to social cohesion have now weakened. These are religious faith, respect for the political process, faith in ideology and respect for the decision of the majority.

extremely dangerous for yourself

The solution to all these problems will require increased cooperation from humanity, and this is impossible without a serious shift in the scale of values, without a deep restructuring of the sphere of spiritual life and culture.

An important factor, which largely determines the future of culture, is what is already today fundamental changes are taking place in the consciousness of humanity. Their key point is the search for a holistic view of man in the context of his natural - in fact, cosmic - habitat. The first result of this search can be called formation of a new view of the world

a) The modern perception of the world is materialistic; the emerging concept of matter takes on a new meaning and is interpreted as a set of ordered energy flows that influence each other in their flow, giving rise to unpredictable processes and autonomously arising phenomena.

b) The modern perception of the world is atomistic and fragmentary. It considers all objects to be separable from each other and from their environment. A new view must take into account the connections that exist between everything that happens and has ever happened. It recognizes the meaningful connections between humans and nature and even between the globe and the rest of the universe.

c) The modern perception of the world is characterized by an understanding of nature as a huge machine, consisting of complex and subtle, but replaceable parts. The new view interprets nature as an organism with irreplaceable parts.

d) The modern perception of the world elevates economic growth to the pinnacle of social progress. The new view initially starts from the whole, consisting of social, economic and environmental components.

e) The modern perception of the world is anthropocentric. It presents man as the ruler of nature. The new view considers man to be an organic part of a self-sustaining and self-developing system of nature.

f) The modern perception of the world is Eurocentric. It views Western industrial societies as paradigms of progress. The new view embraces the entire diversity of human societies, considering them to be equivalent entities.

An important trend cultural development of humanity is globalization of religions. This process of changing relations between religions, leading towards the achievement of religious identity, began a long time ago (about 150 years ago), but developed slowly.

The contact of religions can occur in four main directions:

1) orthodox rejection;

2) tolerant coexistence;

3) mystical unity;

Orthodox rejection was common among all religions. Today it dominates only in some religious communities. In orthodox rejection, other religions are declared to be the “spawn of the devil” and their founders “false prophets.” This orientation does not contribute to achieving the unity of humanity to resolve fundamental issues. Currently, in many religious movements one can observe a marked rejection of such an attitude towards other religions.

Tolerance is usually based on the following approach: other religions may contain recognition of the revealed truth, and their founders may be outstanding, deeply religious personalities, but only their own religion contains the comprehensive truth. Supporters of tolerance have existed in different religions at all times. Currently, there is a constant trend towards an increase in the proportion of believers who are tolerant of other religions.

The third direction can be defined as mystical unity. The inherent truth and revelation of every religion are recognized fundamentally and unconditionally. Supporters of this position make the choice of their religion independently, and treat other religions with great respect.

The historical unity of religion comes from the premise that religions collectively represent degrees of the divine plan of deliverance. Within the framework of this plan, all religions are connected by the following postulates:

All religions have a common basis - belief in the action of divine power;

Religious truth is relative, prophets proclaim only what they are able to perceive;

Revelation is progressive.

The next factor. Theoretically, this stage was predicted earlier by Western futurologists. In 1965, the American scientist Daniel Bell first put forward the hypothesis of a post-industrial society. Bell expressed the idea of changing periods in the historical development of society:

The pre-industrial period covers 1500 - 1750;

Industrial - 1750-1956;

Post-industrial - since 1950.

According to this hypothesis, we are talking about a process of reducing the role of industry and increasing the role of the service sector. This sector in post-industrial society becomes the dominant line of development.

In the 70-80s, many different concepts of post-industrial society appeared: super-industrial, technotronic, cybernetic, etc. One of the premises that unites them is that the factor in the emergence of this society is considered to be a new generation of technology and, above all, information technology. Due to this, the name " Information society"gradually replaces all others.

The main characteristic of the information society is that information becomes a more important component than land, labor, capital, and raw materials. Two main features characterize it:

1) demassification and destandardization of all aspects of economic and social life;

2) high level of innovation, rapid speed of changes occurring in society.

Informatization is sociocultural process computer literacy, formation of information culture, etc.

Changes in the entire noosphere, affecting the spiritual life, thinking, and lifestyle of people, will lead to the formation of a new habitat, the so-called infosphere will be formed. It will change the current picture of the world. Humanity will create a unique information model of the world.

The list of factors determining the shape of the culture of the future can be continued, however, the most significant, in our opinion, seem to be:

1) the accelerating development of the scientific and technological revolution;

3) the emergence and aggravation of global problems;

4) fundamental changes in the consciousness of humanity and the formation of a new view of the world;

5) globalization of religions, the beginning of the transition of interfaith relations to the level of mystical unity;

6) entry of humanity into the information stage of development.

The modern sociocultural situation in our country is incredibly complex and contradictory. On the one hand, crisis phenomena in the political, economic and social spheres of life could not but affect the state of culture. On the other hand, culture often asserts itself as an independent force, which in some cases has a decisive impact on the entire atmosphere in society.

more painful and has greater consequences than in politics, economics or social relations.

The modern sociocultural situation in Russia is primarily characterized by unprecedented degree of freedom. This is manifested in the ability to turn to a variety of ways of expression in creativity, a variety of subjects, which was previously very difficult under conditions of totalitarian control over culture.

It should be noted that along with this, the names of authors and their works, which were erased from the history of art and literature, the memory of which was destroyed in the process of falsification of history, were returned to the people and their culture.

characterizing the current sociocultural situation: the return to the people of some names of cultural figures is accompanied by the simultaneous removal from cultural use of others that do not “fit” into the process of democratic transformation. Thus, the creative heritage of M. Gorky, V. Mayakovsky, M. Sholokhov, i.e., the most prominent representatives of Russian culture of the Soviet period, is criticized. Just as in the 30s the Bolsheviks excommunicated the symbolists, futurists, and acmeists from culture, so today representatives of socialist realism are ostracized. In such conditions, it is difficult to talk about the freedom of expression of the artist, his right to express any aesthetic tastes.

The modern sociocultural situation has another important feature: new organizational forms are emerging, new theaters, ensembles, associations of scientists and researchers are emerging. This makes it possible to identify potential talents and bring them into the orbit of culture. What was previously prohibited by the regime was legalized. Rock culture, various groups, associations, movements, trends came out of the shadows.

The entire social life of mass culture came to the fore. Those social groups that were themselves brought up on mass culture and that were not recognized by official circles of society entered the arena of cultural activity. The role of the mass media in the current situation comes down primarily to the consumption and development of free time, entertainment and entertainment.

It's going intense the process of reorientation of mass cultural activity from public to home forms. The space of modern apartments is filled with cultural objects and is increasingly becoming competitive with public institutions. In this regard, attendance at various cultural institutions is sharply decreasing.

In modern conditions, for a huge mass of people, there are many new sociocultural problems. Social insecurity of a person, an atmosphere of emotional tension in society, alienation from the usual cultural environment deprive one of internal stability and psychological security. This has given rise to a new phenomenon in our society, which can be characterized as a religious awakening or spiritual revolution. This means unprecedented conversion to religion as the only means of salvation from all adversity.

Along with the appeal to traditional religions, a wave of neo-mysticism and various religious and mystical movements is spreading in society. They often mix a variety of elements inherent in Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, as well as borrowed from the occult, theosophy and other mystical doctrines. Some of these movements are antisocial and criminal in nature.

It should be noted that the normal existence of culture is possible only with the harmony of social, political and economic conditions, each of which is equally important. always, and today especially, has been and remains decisive. The sociocultural situation in this regard is critical. The residual principle of cultural financing has produced negative results in the recent past. In connection with the transition to the market, this already crisis socio-cultural situation has become critical. Funding for culture primarily from the state budget has been replaced by local funding. As a result, there has been a widespread reduction in allocations for culture, the network of cultural institutions, printed publications, etc. is being reduced. In such conditions, talking about fulfilling the strategic task of the spiritual revival of the Fatherland becomes very problematic.

The modern sociocultural situation is characterized shortage and further outflow of qualified personnel from the cultural sector. Their reason lies in a decline in living standards, economic and political instability, and uncertainty about the future. One of the most important aspects of this problem is the so-called wave of emigration of scientists, which is becoming widespread.

Research conducted by the Russian Academy of Sciences in its institutes showed that 13% of scientists are ready to go abroad at the first opportunity, about 40% do not exclude this option. It should be especially noted that the most active, educated and young people are planning to leave. 2/3 of potential emigrants are under 40 years old, 25% are not even 30 years old, only 7% are over 50 years old.

out of six professorships are occupied by emigrants from Russia.

As a result of the departure of scientists from the country, the scientific, technical, cultural and spiritual potential is being destroyed. Particularly alarming is the fact that children, the intellectual future of science, are being taken away.

Commercialization of culture led to the creation of an atmosphere of competition in which, as we know, the strongest wins. We are talking not only about competition within the country, but also outside it. Domestic culture, unprotected financially and economically, is giving way to Western culture, based on a powerful monetary and technical basis. Our art, ballet, opera, painting, although occupying one of the leading places in the world, cannot compete in the Western market. As a result, the dialogue of cultures is gradually turning into a monologue: Western mass culture has poured into the country. Today the danger of the loss of the national spirit of culture and its unbridled Americanization is becoming real. The reaction of both the Russian people themselves and their cultural figures to this phenomenon is different. Some see this as “entry into world culture” and “incorporation into universal human values,” while others consider it a “national tragedy.”

At the same time, in the West, in almost all European countries, for decades there have been effective laws preventing the penetration of American spiritual products into the national market. Thus, in France, back in the mid-60s, a law was passed defining quotas for the screening of American films in both private and public cinemas. Excess of the number of American films over national ones (according to the law, the ratio should be 49: 51) is punishable by a fine and loss of license. A whole system of protectionist measures has been developed in Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, etc.

exchanging cultural values with them, they nevertheless do not lose the originality of their culture. In history one can find numerous examples of how states disappeared, whose people forgot their language and culture. A similar danger awaits the Russian nation today, because the price for Western technology may turn out to be too high. It is extremely difficult to regain lost positions in world culture, and to come to terms with the loss means to find yourself on the edge of an abyss in cultural and historical development.

3. Main directions of development of artistic creativity

With all the very complex interweavings of different artistic movements in the art of the 20th century. Two main trends are clearly visible: the search for new realistic forms and a departure from the principles of the realistic system that has been inherent in European art since the Renaissance. The second trend belongs to modernist art, which each time comes out from the position of opening new paths and therefore is called avant-garde these days.

Despite the widespread advance of modernism and mass culture, realistic trends still developed in the 20th century. They were based on well-known principles of real reflection of life, disclosure of universal and social problems.

At the beginning of the century, realism received its most striking manifestation in US fiction. This is explained by the fact that the literary work of the United States in the previous century was characterized by some lag: the late flowering of the romantic school and the later, in comparison with Western European countries, the establishment of realism. In the accelerated development of realism in the 20th century. great credit goes to Theodore Dreiser. His novels “Sister Carey,” “The Financier,” and “American Tragedy” revealed the most important social problems of American society at the turn of the century. Dreiser paved the way for a whole galaxy of talented realist writers of later times: Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway.

Separately, the name of Margaret Mitchell should be mentioned, who for a long time was not accepted as a writer by US literary circles. However, by mid-century, her novel Gone with the Wind, published in 1936, had gained widespread popularity. This work reflects problems that have not lost their significance to this day. The novel is about the American Civil War in 1861-1865, about the problems of “survival,” which is especially clearly reflected in the image of the main character Scarlet, about cynical enrichment, expressed in the activities of Rhett Butler. This character argued that “big money can be made in two cases: when creating a new state and when it collapses. During creation this process is slower, during destruction it is faster.”

Realistic tendencies also appeared in US cinema, which, using the industrial power of the country, took a leading place in the world. In the first half of the century, the development of American cinema was associated with the work of the great screenwriter, actor and director Charles Spencer Chaplin. His films showed signs of democracy to the greatest extent. At the beginning of the Second World War, Chaplin directed the pamphlet film “The Great Dictator,” in which the main character’s resemblance to Hitler was beyond doubt. An interesting fact is that this film, which is a parody of Hitler, was banned from showing in the USSR by Stalin personally.

In the second half of the century, US film production has reached such proportions that it is quite difficult to give preference to anyone. However, realistic tendencies remained to a greater extent in the work of director and producer Francis Ford Coppola. His most famous film, The Godfather, intertwined different threads: a naturalistic depiction of cruelty and violence, poeticization of the mafia, criticism of corruption, and the connection of the underworld with politics. No less famous is his film “Apocalypse Now,” which revealed the tragedy of the Vietnam War.

It should be noted that realistic art, having encountered at the beginning of the 20th century. with new facts and processes of life unknown to the realism of the previous century, it changed its visual language and the nature of the analytical study of man.

In 1905, at an exhibition in Paris, artists Henri Mathis, Andre Derain and others exhibited their works, which, due to the sharp contrast of colors and simplified forms, critics called works of “wild” - les fauves, and the whole movement was called “Fauvism”.

Henri Mathis was the most talented of the Fauves. He went through a fascination with impressionism, but in his search he came to the simplicity and flatness of forms.

In realistic literature, a change in the nature of the analytical study of man was manifested in the work of Stefan Zweig, who, under the influence of the theory of Sigmund Freud, in his works “Mary Steward” and “Impatience of the Heart” tried to shift social conflicts and processes into the plane of psychological experiences and clashes of heroes.

In cinema, the transformation of realistic art was reflected in the movement of neorealism, which became most widespread in Italy. The films of Fellini, Montaldo, Pietri, Rosi, Damiani and other directors revealed problems that worried not only Italy, but also other countries: social conflicts, corruption, mafia, crime, the dominance of American capital.

3. 2. Modernism

With all the complex interweavings of different directions in artistic creativity XX â. Two main trends are clearly visible: the search for new realistic forms and a departure from the principles of the realistic system that has been inherent in European art since the Renaissance. The second trend belongs to modernist art, which each advocates the discovery of new paths and is therefore called avant-garde these days.

Despite the persistence of realistic trends, the development of Western art in the 20th century. defines modernism more than realism. The word “modern” is associated with the idea of something new, unconventional, different from the past. Modernist art, as a rule, is incomprehensible to many viewers and lacks communication. Various avant-garde movements are connected by one thing - they are united by the denial of the real reflection of reality.

The emergence of modernism was a crisis of Western culture, which had deep socio-economic foundations. It aroused the desire of artists to move away from imitating reality. This desire was greatly facilitated by the emergence of cinema and photography, which reflected reality as it is better than any artist. Modernism affected almost all branches of artistic creativity. It manifested itself most clearly, most clearly in the fine arts and, above all, in painting. Therefore, we will focus on avant-garde painting.

E expressionism

Expressionism, which appeared around 1905 in Germany, can be defined as the very first direction of modernism.

Expressionism (from the Latin expressio - expression) is based on the theory that a person becomes an artist when his hand is capable of making expressive movements, which embodies the “inner activity” of the individual. Expressionist artists preferred to embody the inner movements of the soul rather than the phenomena of the external world. They declared that the purpose of art was not to depict reality, but to express its essence. Expressionist painting is characterized by passion, intensity and a deeply personal approach to the painting, which serves as a means of expressing emotions.

The world's view, dictated by the reality of the 20th century, determined the style of expressionism: fundamental “anti-classical”; rejection of harmonic clarity of forms; attraction to abstract generalization; furious, heightened expressiveness; aspiration to conscious deformation of the picture of reality.

Expressionism in painting is characterized by: broken lines; color contrast; deformation of space. It has a flaming color, far from real natural colors. Nervous brush strokes fill expressionist paintings with trembling vitality. The Expressionists drew inspiration from Van Gogh's painting with its innovative technique and extraordinary color.

and America.

Cubism

In the first decade of the 20th century. In France, a new direction of modernism was founded - cubism. Its founder is considered to be the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, who lived and worked in France.

vision. Instead of creating the illusion of an object in space, as artists have attempted since the Renaissance, Cubism renders objects in terms of a two-dimensional canvas.

Refusing to convey atmosphere and light, three-dimensional perspective, the masters of Cubism developed new forms of shallow multi-dimensional perspective, allowing one to imagine an object in the form of many intersecting and semi-transparent planes (quadrangles, triangles, semicircles), concentrated along vertical, horizontal and diagonal axes. The object was depicted simultaneously from many points of view, as a combination of geometric shapes, thanks to which the viewer could see its back and sides. Thus, according to the Cubists, their paintings not only depicted the appearance of the object, but also presented knowledge about it.

According to the Cubist theory, a painting is an independent organism, and it acts not by image, but by formal means, by its own rhythm. “Not the art of imitation, but the art of concept” is the slogan of Cubism. The beauty of a painting has nothing in common with the beauty of the real world; it is based only on plastic feeling.

The first Cubist painting was Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, painted by Picasso in 1907.

supermatism.

If the birthplace of cubism is France, then the next direction of modernism appeared in Italy in Milan. It made itself known in 1909, when Marinetti’s 11 theses were published, which proclaimed the apotheosis of rebellion, “offensive movement,” “feverish insomnia,” “a slap in the face and a blow from a fist,” “the beauty of speed.” This direction became the first openly hostile to realism. Futurists denied the art of the past, called for the destruction of museums and libraries of the entire classical heritage: “Down with archaeologists, academics, critics, professors.”

with its preaching of humility and love for one’s neighbor, according to Nietzsche, it distorted the true essence of man and suppressed his instincts, the main one of which is “the will to power.” The main pathos of futurist art was the cult of power - “Art can only be violence, cruelty and injustice”; wars - “We want to glorify war, the only hygiene in the world”; lust - “Lust for the winner is a well-deserved tribute.”

Futurism means “the art of the future” (from the Latin futurum - future). “We assert,” they declared, “that portraits should not resemble their originals and that the artist carries within himself the landscapes that he wants to capture on canvas.” The object of art should not be the objective world, but the movement introduced by the artist into matter through the synthesis of time, place, form, color and tone.

and sharp contours. A distinctive feature of the futurists’ creativity was the desire to convey movement and speed. This was achieved by using the technique of superimposing different positions of the same object on each other: repeating the contours of a moving object and its transparency. This created the impression of continuous movement.

Futurism also invaded the field of music. In a special manifesto issued in Milan in 1911, the Futurists declared their task to “express the musical soul of the crowd.” This required new “musical” instruments - whistles, boxes, frying pans, pots, etc.

In 1917 in Holland, TheovanDoosburg and Piet Mondrian founded a magazine and art movement called "Destail". Artists believed that art should strive for absolute harmony, clarity and order, achievable as a result of complete purification. The basis of their aesthetic concepts was supermatismK. Malevich.

The works of the De Stijl group are distinguished by strict geometric shapes, mostly square. They are made up of the simplest elements: straight lines and primary colors.

The movement set itself deeply philosophical goals and was based on the idea that art should to some extent reflect the mystery of the Universe and universal harmony.

The movement ceased to exist in 1931 after the death of Doesburg. It had a huge influence on the architecture and applied arts of Europe.

Dadaism

The most chaotic, colorful, short-lived performance of avant-garde artists, devoid of any program, is Dadaism. Its founder was the poet Tristan Tzara. The name of this movement in art is deliberately meaningless (from the French dada - horse, wooden horse, baby talk). It denotes a movement - a protest against all previous art.

Dadaism did not last long. It arose almost simultaneously in 1915-1916 in New York and Zurich. The center of Dada activity was the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, where like-minded poets, artists and writers gathered for creative experiments in the field of nonsense poetry, “noise” music and automatic drawing.

Dadaists in New York in 1917 was accompanied by the “music” of beating boxes and cans, and dancing in sacks. The Dadaists' call read: "The destruction of logic, the dance of the impotent - creation is Dada, the destruction of the future is Dada." Behind all this “artistic hooliganism” there was a denial of all spiritual values, a desire to shock the well-behaved bourgeoisie.

Dadaism tried to break established ideas about art, its types and genres, and sneered at the replication of the achievements of world culture. He relied in artistic creativity on random processes, mental automatism of actions, collective recitation born through improvisation, and photomontage. Dadaism tried to break the boundaries between life and art, theoretically substantiated and tried to practically implement the introduction of ready-made art into the artistic culture. Ready-made is a trivial object, removed from the environment of its natural existence and exhibited as an object of art.

It should be said that Dadaism as an independent movement quickly ceased to exist. He was exhausted by 1922.

Metaphysical painting

Metaphysical painting is characterized by distorted perspective, unnatural lighting and a strange world of images in which mannequins and statues appear instead of people.

Unlike the latter, it has a very static compositional structure and a love of architectural structures.

The Dada movement and metaphysical painting with its cult of the irrational played an important role in preparing the ground for surrealism that emerged in the 1920s.

On the basis of Dadaism, and at first only as a literary movement, surrealism arose. It took shape in France in the 1920s. Its initiators were young French writers, poets and artists A. Breton, L. Aragon, P. Eluard, J. Cocteau and others. The word surrealism itself can be translated as overrealism or superrealism. In Schopenhauer, with his disbelief in progress and human reason, the surrealists found a theoretical basis for their idea of combining elements of reality and illogical fantasy in artistic practice. They called for the liberation of the human “I” from the “shackles” of materialism, logic, reason, morality, and traditional aesthetics.

Having originated among writers, surrealism became most widespread in painting.

The artist must rely on any experience of unconscious expression of the spirit - dreams, hallucinations, delusions, memories of infancy, mystical visions, etc. The image arises from the convergence of distant realities.

The surrealists declared their main task to be a “revolution of minds.” Their goal was “to resolve the hitherto existing contradictions between dreams and reality.” The ways to achieve this goal were very different: artists depicted frightening, illogical scenes with photographic precision, created strange creatures from a set of familiar objects, or developed a special painting technique to reproduce the movements of the subconscious. The works of the surrealists represent a world alien to man, inhabited either by images of peaceful dreams or by creatures of nightmares.

Surrealists build their works on the extreme aggravation of logic, paradox, surprise, and the combination of the incompatible. Due to this, a special, surreal artistic atmosphere arises, inherent only in works of surrealism.

In the 1930s, an artist appeared among the surrealists who embodied the culmination of this trend in his work. The name of this artist is Salvator Dali. He was an artist of enormous talent, exceptional flexibility, and a manner that allowed him to copy and imitate great masters. He was the creator of large canvases and a mass of drawings, the author of films and ballet librettos, as well as books about himself. Dali's early works were very verbose. The illogic of surrealism is clearly visible in the title of his painting “The remains of a car giving birth to a blind horse that kills a telephone.”

In the 1940s and 1950s, the surrealists had their greatest success. Researchers explain this by the fact that the public, tired of abstract art, rushed to paintings that “really depict something.” In the 1960s, surrealism began to give way to new directions of avant-gardeism.

We have seen that in the first half of this century several centers of modernist art emerged. However, the political events of the 1930s and the establishment of totalitarian regimes in a number of European countries changed the situation. The center of avant-garde art is moving to America. The first museums of modernist art were opened here: in 1937 in New York - the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, and in 1939 - the Museum of Modern Art, created with funds from Rockefeller. It should be noted that during the Second World War and after it, all the ultra-left forces of the artistic world gathered in America.

Abstract expressionism

In the 1940s, a new movement of avant-garde art emerged in New York - abstract expressionism.

Most abstract expressionists professed the principle of energy painting (or gesture painting). They used large canvases, applying paint quickly and vigorously with a wide brush, sometimes splashing it or throwing it directly onto the canvas. This expressive method of writing was considered no less important than the work itself.

Other representatives of this movement sought to impart serenity and mysterious meaning to abstract images. Not all of their works were purely abstract or expressive, but they all shared the belief that the spontaneity of the painting method would help release and capture the creative powers of the subconscious.

Art informel

without resorting to recognizable forms used by their predecessors (Cubists, Expressionists). Their goal was to discover a new artistic language as a result of the rejection of geometric and figurative forms. Forms and methods emerged in the process of improvisation.

The creativity of Artinformel representatives is extremely diverse; they are united by free brush strokes and thick application of paint. Like abstract expressionism, which existed in parallel in the United States, Artinformel is a very broad movement and includes painters of both figurative and abstract orientations.

Although the center of this movement was Paris, it spread to other European countries, especially Spain, Italy and Germany.

Kinetic art

The next direction of avant-garde art that will be discussed is kinetic art. This term is used to designate works containing real or apparent movement. The idea of such creativity was first formulated in the 1920s, but it reached its consistent development only in the 1950s-1960s.

Kinetic art refers to “inventions” with various kinds of humming, rotating and other mechanisms, compositions with magnets, etc. It can be simple (such as mobiles driven by air currents) or more complex (sculptures driven by a motor).

Kinetic art uses the possibilities of movement and real structures, machines and illusory images created by means of cinema, television, video, laser beams, neon and electric lighting. Often, the viewer can be a co-author and accomplice of the work if he puts the construction into motion, rearranges something, or even enters the work.

Back in the early 30s, the American Calder created mobiles, structures driven by atmospheric phenomena.

mechanisms.

Kinetic art was quite widely developed and was used to aestheticize public interiors.

Conceptual art

In avant-garde art of the 1960s, the leading direction was conceptualism, in which the idea (concept) behind the work was more important than the technical perfection of execution.

The concept can be communicated in a variety of ways, including text, maps, video, photography and performance, and the work can be displayed in a gallery or created specifically for a particular location.

comparing them in such a way as to more clearly present the concept - concept, idea or general idea.

The image of the artist as a creator, first and foremost, of ideas undermines traditional ideas about the status of the author and the work, and makes the final result of the creation insignificant.

One of the directions of conceptualism is Arte. It originated in Italy and developed the idea of the concept using banal materials and garbage.

Minimalism

In the 1960s and 1970s, the avant-garde movement known as minimalism arose and developed primarily in painting and sculpture in the United States. As the name suggests, the art of minimalism is reduced to its basic essence. It is purely abstract, objective, devoid of external decorativeness or expressive gesture.

Minimalist paintings and graphics are monochrome and often reproduce mathematically regular lattices and linear structures.

Minimalist sculptors use industrial processes and materials such as steel, foam, or fluorescent tubes. They create various geometric structures, often in large series.

Such a sculpture does not resort to any illusionistic techniques, but is designed for tactile (tactile) perception by the viewer. Minimalism can be seen as a reaction to the emotionalism of Abstract Expressionism, which dominated art throughout the 1950s.

Pop Art

“sun” or the source of his figurative world.

The Americans were alien to the prevailing theories in Europe, which called for a departure from a rational awareness of reality. This is explained by the fact that in the United States the ideas of pragmatism were widespread, according to which “belief in the possibility of achieving the desired results” was promoted, which formed the basis of the American way of life.

Pop art arose initially in painting and sculpture, claiming to replace abstractionism, which was incomprehensible to mass audiences, with “new realism,” and then spread to other spheres of culture.

One of the creators of pop art, Richard Hamilton, defined its content in the following words: “popular, short-lived, transient, cheap, mass, young, witty, sexy, comic, chic and Big Business.” The immediacy of the subject in painting is often emphasized using a technique reminiscent of the effect of photography, and in sculpture by careful reproduction of small details.

Repeating the extravagant techniques of Dadaism, representatives of pop art used in their compositions real everyday objects (tin cans, old things, car parts) and their mechanical copies (photos, dummies, reproductions, clippings from comics and illustrated magazines), elevating their random combination to the rank of art .

In the 1960s, a movement of abstract art emerged, called op art. Op art (short for OptikalArt - optical art) is built on the effects of optical illusion. The artist seems to be playing with the viewer, making his images flicker and pulsate. Although the work itself remains static, the shapes and colors are chosen to create the optical illusion of movement.

Works of op art are based on various visual effects, optical illusions, when, through careful selection of color and shape, it is possible to create on the plane the impression of distance and approach of plans, the dynamics of abstract space. Specially designed light sources, sets of optical glasses, mirrors, and metal plates can also be used as materials. Often these structures are shown in motion.

Conclusion

To sum up, it should be said that changes are currently taking place in art with far-reaching consequences. Analyzing them, the greatest Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset pays special attention to the following:

Tendency towards dehumanization;

Tendency to avoid living forms;

The desire to ensure that a work of art is only a work of art;

The desire to understand art as a game and nothing more;

The tendency to avoid any falsehood and, in this regard, careful performance skills;

The tendency to avoid transcendence, that is, not to go beyond the limits of experience and knowledge.

2. Gombrich E. History of Art. - M., 1998.

3. Gorelov A. A. Culturology: Textbook / A. A. Gorelov. - M.: Yurayt-M, 2002.

4. Karmin A. S. Culturology: textbook / A. S. Karmin. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - St. Petersburg: Lan Publishing House, 2003.

5. Kertman L. E. History of culture of European and American countries. - M., 1987.

6. Kravchenko A. I. Culturology: a textbook for universities / A. I. Kravchenko. - 4th ed. - M.: Academic Project; Trixta, 2003.

7. Cultural studies. History of world culture: Textbook for universities / Markova A. N. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - M: UNITY, 2002.

8. Culturology: a textbook for students of higher educational institutions / scientifically. ed. d.f. Sc., prof. G.V. Dracha. - 6th ed. - Rostov n/a: “Phoenix”, 2004.

9. Nalivaiko D.S. Art: directions, trends, styles. - K., 1986.

10. Self-awareness of European culture of the 20th century. - M., 1991.

Development of world culture in the 20th century. is a complex and contradictory process. It was influenced by a number of factors:

Two world wars and several local ones;

Dividing the world into two camps;

The establishment and fall of fascist regimes in a number of countries;

Revolutionary pro-communist movement;

Collapse of the socialist system, etc.

All this made its own adjustments to the world cultural and historical process. In the 20th century, out of four types of cultural activities

1. religious;

2. actually cultural:

a) theoretical-scientific,

b) aesthetic and artistic,

c) technical and industrial;

3. political;

4. socio-economic.

The list of factors determining the shape of the culture of the future can be continued, however, the most significant, in our opinion, seem to be:

1) the accelerating development of the scientific and technological revolution;

2) the growth of interdependence of humanity and the formation of a common cultural fund of civilization;

3) the emergence and aggravation of global problems;

4) fundamental changes in the consciousness of humanity and the formation of a new view of the world;

5) globalization of religions, the beginning of the transition of interfaith relations to the level of mystical unity;

6) entry of humanity into the information stage of development.

Changes in Russian society have given rise to both positive and negative phenomena in the field of culture. It should be noted that the inconsistency of changes in culture sometimes manifests itself more acutely, more painfully and carries greater consequences than in politics, economics or social relations.

We have the right to say that people’s hopes for spiritual renewal and cultural emancipation have come true. However, this process does not occur painlessly. Another, very contradictory trend has emerged that characterizes the current sociocultural situation: the return to the people of some names of cultural figures is accompanied by the simultaneous removal from cultural use of others that do not “fit” into the process of democratic transformations. Thus, the creative heritage of M. Gorky, V. Mayakovsky, M. Sholokhov is criticized, i.e. the largest representatives of Russian culture of the Soviet period. Just as in the 30s the Bolsheviks excommunicated the symbolists, futurists, and acmeists from culture, so today representatives of socialist realism are ostracized. In such conditions, it is difficult to talk about the freedom of expression of the artist, his right to express any aesthetic tastes.

The modern sociocultural situation has another important feature: the base of artistic creativity is expanding, new organizational forms appear, new theaters, ensembles, associations of scientists and researchers emerge. This makes it possible to identify potential talents and bring them into the orbit of culture. What was previously prohibited by the regime was legalized. Rock culture, various groups, associations, movements, trends came out of the shadows.

It should be noted that the normal existence of culture is possible only with the harmony of social, political and economic conditions, each of which is equally important. Material factor always, and today especially, has been and remains decisive. The sociocultural situation in this regard is critical. The residual principle of cultural financing has produced negative results in the recent past. In connection with the transition to the market, this already crisis socio-cultural situation has become critical. Funding for culture primarily from the state budget has been replaced by local funding. As a result, there has been a widespread reduction in allocations for culture; the network of cultural institutions, printed publications, etc. is being reduced. In such conditions, talking about fulfilling the strategic task of the spiritual revival of the Fatherland becomes very problematic.

The modern sociocultural situation is characterized shortage and further outflow of qualified personnel from the cultural sector. Their reason lies in a decline in living standards, economic and political instability, and uncertainty about the future. One of the most important aspects of this problem is the so-called "brain drain"- a wave of emigration of scientists, which is becoming widespread.

Most young scientists under the age of 30 are focused on leaving. Moreover, the most qualified specialists are leaving. Here's just one example: at the Minnesota Institute of Theoretical Physics, five out of six professorships are occupied by emigrants from Russia.

The danger of the Americanization of Russian national culture, the formation of a market personality, is poorly understood by the Russian public and is deliberately ignored by opponents of Russian national culture. At the same time, in the West, in almost all European countries, for decades there have been effective laws preventing the penetration of American spiritual products into the national market. Thus, in France, back in the mid-60s, a law was passed defining quotas for the screening of American films in both private and public cinemas. Excess of the number of American films over national ones (according to the law, the ratio should be 49: 51) is punishable by a fine and loss of license. A whole system of protectionist measures has been developed in Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, etc.

Any people, any nation can exist and develop only when they preserve their national-cultural identity, when, being in constant interaction with other peoples and nations, exchanging cultural values with them, they nevertheless do not lose the originality of their culture. In history one can find numerous examples of how states disappeared, whose people forgot their language and culture. A similar danger awaits the Russian nation today, because the price for Western technology may turn out to be too high. It is extremely difficult to regain lost positions in world culture, and to come to terms with the loss means to find yourself on the edge of an abyss in cultural and historical development.

3.1 Realism

The Fauvists, with their understanding of the relationship between spots of pure color, a laconic design reduced to an outline, and simple, childish linear writing, had great opportunities for solving decorative problems. The most talented of the Fauves was Henri Mathis. He went through a fascination with impressionism, but in his search he came to the simplicity and flatness of forms.

3.2. Modernism

Tendency towards dehumanization;

Tendency to avoid living forms;

The desire to ensure that a work of art is only a work of art;

The desire to understand art as a game and nothing more;

Gravity towards deep irony;

The tendency to avoid any falsehood and, in this regard, careful performance skills;

The tendency to avoid transcendence, i.e. do not go beyond the limits of experience and knowledge.

1. Current problems of culture of the 20th century. - M., 1993.

2. Gombrich E. History of Art. - M., 1998.

3. Gorelov A.A. Culturology: Textbook / A.A. Gorelov. - M.: Yurayt-M, 2002.

4. Karmin A.S. Culturology: textbook / A. S. Karmin. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - St. Petersburg: Lan Publishing House, 2003.

5. Kertman L.E. History of culture of European and American countries. - M., 1987.

6. Kravchenko A.I. Culturology: textbook for universities / A.I. Kravchenko. - 4th ed. - M.: Academic Project; Trixta, 2003.

7. Cultural studies. History of world culture: Textbook for universities / Markova A.N. - 2nd ed., revised. and additional - M: UNITY, 2002.

8. Culturology: a textbook for students of higher educational institutions / scientifically. ed. Doctor of Philology, Prof. G.V. Dracha. - 6th ed. - Rostov n/a: “Phoenix”, 2004.

9. Nalivaiko D.S. Art: directions, trends, styles. - K., 1986.

10. Self-awareness of European culture of the 20th century. - M., 1991.

Functions of culture

Culture determines the development and functioning of society as a whole and man as an integral part of it. Culture is a “second nature”, which includes, on the one hand, life-giving human activity to create material and spiritual values, on the other hand, the activity of selecting, disseminating and storing these values for the purpose of further development and functioning of society on the basis of acquired historical memory . Based on this, we can identify the main functions of culture as a sociological phenomenon.

Active, creative function of culture: the process of interaction between a person and society and society with a person stimulates the development of the human-creative (humanistic) function, i.e. development of human creative abilities in the diverse forms of his life.
Cognitive (epistemological) function: the creation of a “second nature” - culture - requires significant cognitive efforts of a person comprehending the world and himself as a member of a social group, society.
Information function: transfer and exchange of knowledge and experience of life, ensuring the connection of times - past, present and future, forming the historical memory of mankind and its ability to foresight.
Communicative function (communication function): the interaction of people among themselves, between social groups and society as a whole, providing people with the opportunity to correctly understand each other in this process.
Value-orientation function: ensuring selection and selectivity of a person’s inheritance of cultural achievements, orienting him towards a kind of “map of life values”, ideals and goals of existence.
Management function: ensuring the preservation of society as a socio-cultural system; maintaining the activity regime of society, implementing a program for its development towards the target results of this activity on the basis of social and organizational norms for regulating the behavior of individuals developed by humanity in the process of historical development. In this regard, the management function is often called normative and regulatory, when culture acts as a means of social control over the behavior of individuals.

Modern trends in cultural development

It is sometimes argued that not a single cultural process can be assessed unambiguously and categorically in terms of “good or bad.” However, there is one natural criterion for assessing any social process, including cultural ones. This criterion is simple: how does culture serve people? Does it help him live in accordance with universal human values? Does it make him spiritually richer, kinder, nobler, more honest, more compassionate towards the grief and troubles of another person? Everything here is quite clear: if culture serves a person and develops his best – from the standpoint of universal human values – qualities, abilities and inclinations, then this good cultural process, beneficial culture! It is from this position that it is necessary to consider those visible trends in the development of the cultural situation in our country that are unfolding today.

1. De-ideologization of culture(elimination of ideological influence on culture) through the abolition of the state monopoly on the implementation of policy in the field of culture. It is believed that, in terms of content, this has led to greater freedom of creativity and freedom of choice in the cultural sphere - processes that are, of course, positive. But freedom of creativity and freedom of choice are good and unconditional only when there is confidence that they are aimed at the benefit of the individual and society as a whole. Is there such confidence today? Unfortunately, no: freedom of creativity and freedom of choice, often implemented according to the principle “I can do whatever I want!”, have led to a loss of control over the quality and level of cultural products offered to consumers.
2. Privatization and commercialization embraced culture, regardless of its characteristics and significance in human life and society. The people of Russia are alienated from cultural values, including such values as education, which have practically become paid (including primary and secondary, since school repairs, textbooks and other educational services are often paid for by parents). Culture, understood as the process of spiritual enrichment of a person through the means of music, literature, poetry, painting, etc., has, in principle, become inaccessible to the broad masses. It is turning into that mass culture and counterculture discussed above. Show business managers invest money only in this highly profitable area, since profit is the only motive for their activities.
3. Artificially fueled interest in Russia's pre-revolutionary past, including to its cultural heritage, is a trend intensively cultivated by the media. Sometimes this interest takes on grotesque forms of rehabilitation and resuscitation of an archaic, outdated heritage. For example, in an effort to revive the authority of the church, many forget such gains of a democratic society as the separation of church and state and school from church.
4. Trends in the development of national relations are forming very slowly, as this is the largest and most sensitive area requiring tact and political professionalism. Humanity as a whole, not only Russia, is faced with a choice of development strategy: will it be a “clash of civilizations” or “cross-cultural co-evolution”? The solution to the national question and the problem of the diversity of national cultures also depends on the choice of path. Will the world divide into the industrial North and the “global village” of the raw material South, or will it follow the path of searching for a fair distribution of raw materials and energy resources? Perhaps no one will say now what humanity will choose, although there is less and less time left for choice.
5. Modern processes of education and enlightenment are extremely complex. The trends in introducing universal higher education and lifelong education are opposed by the processes and phenomena of “secondary illiteracy”, the widening gap between elite culture and mass, low-quality, populist culture.
6. The problem of cultural education of young people is of particular concern. A vicious circle has formed here: the low personal culture of the consumer determines the demand for low-quality cultural products, the production of which, in turn, reproduces the low taste of the consumer. A breakthrough here is only possible through the joint efforts of civil society and the state.

The relevance of the topic of culture, its current state and development trends is beyond doubt. The relevance of the problem under consideration is due primarily to the fact that the modern world is oversaturated with conflicts and disasters, the main reason for which is the clash of people professing different cultural values. This could be religious strife, the desire of autonomies to gain independence, the struggle of financial groups. By examining the motives of such conflicts, one can always find differences in spiritual values among the conflicting parties. There are groups of people who perceive foreign culture as something hostile. Fortunately, there are those who, on the contrary, understand and recognize the equivalence of any manifestations of spirituality and culture. Consequently, modern civilization will be able to resist self-destruction only if, in addition to technological progress and an increase in material values, the spiritual potential of its culture becomes the basis for the development of society. Thus, cultural values have not lost their significance today.

In addition, the relevance of the problem of culture is associated with the so-called “crisis of culture”. Almost every day we hear addresses from Russian President D.A. on TV screens. Medvedev and other famous politicians about the need to improve the level of culture in our society. It should be noted that the topic of culture is relatively new for our school. Previously, this topic was studied in cultural institutes, art and theater schools, and philosophy departments at universities. There are special textbooks and programs on the theory of culture that were written in the spirit of, so to speak, stagnant times. The entire understanding of culture was reduced mainly to the Marxist-Leninist one, little attention was paid to world culture and the teachings of foreign authors. It was believed that the “true” culture is in our country, and its development is possible only on the basis of a certain ideology. However, the perestroika processes forced us to look differently at our own cultural achievements and evaluate them more modestly. It is also important that our domestic culture was recognized as part of the world.

Today we need new assessments and ideological approaches; in particular, it is necessary to recognize that the level of culture of a society is represented not in individual highest achievements, but in the everyday life of millions of people. It’s exactly the same here as in physical culture: we have world-class achievements in many sports, but the general physical culture of the masses is very low. And this, as we know, affects the health of society as a whole.

The achievement of recent years has been the understanding of a simple fact: what matters first of all is the level of culture of ordinary human life. That is, the culture of everyday life, production, the culture of streets and public institutions, the culture of everyday communication between people. Society and the state can either promote the development of culture, or, on the contrary, hinder its development. However, they will never replace an individual in creating culture.

But what is culture? Why do we miss it? What does it mean? How is it that there is a lack of culture? What exactly is missing? There are people, there are houses, there are cars, mechanisms, factories, there are theaters and libraries too. What is missing, what is perceived as a lack or low level of culture?

In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to turn to the history of the origin of the word and concept “culture”. Note that it is necessary to distinguish between a word and a concept. The word appears before the concept and serves to designate or name something. The concept already contains an understanding of the designated object or action, i.e. expresses a person's attitude towards him.

So, the word “culture” appeared in Latin. It was used in treatises and letters by poets and scientists of Ancient Rome. It denoted the action of cultivating or processing something. Roman statesman and writer Marcus Porcius Cato(234-149 BC) wrote a treatise on agriculture, the name of which in Latin would sound something like this: agriculture. This treatise is devoted not just to cultivating the land, but specifically to caring for a plot, a field, which presupposes not only the cultivation of the soil, but also a special emotional attitude towards it. There is, for example, advice on purchasing a plot of land. Cato wrote that one should not be lazy and walk around the plot of land being purchased several times. If the site is good, the more often you inspect it, the more you will like it. This is the “like” you should definitely have. If it doesn’t exist, then there won’t be good care, i.e. there will be no culture.

Consequently, the word “culture”, even in its early days of use, meant not only processing, but also veneration, perhaps even worship. It is no coincidence that there is also a related word “cult”.

The Romans used the word “culture” with some object in the genitive case: culture of behavior, culture of speech, etc. The Roman orator and philosopher Cicero (106-43 BC) used the word to refer to spirituality. He considered philosophy to be the culture of the spirit or mind. Basically, all cultural historians agree that this implies the influence of philosophy on the mind with the purpose of processing it, educating it, and developing mental abilities. But another meaning can be found here if we remember Cato. Philosophy is not only the cultivation or education of the mind, but also its veneration, respect for it and worship of it. And indeed: philosophy was born out of preference for the spiritual principle in man, out of respect for this principle.

In the Middle Ages, the word “cult” was used more often than the word “culture”. What was meant was the possibility and ability to express the creative power and will of God through a certain attitude towards him and ritual. As is known, there was also the concept of chivalry, i.e. a kind of cult or culture of valor, honor and dignity.

During the Renaissance, there was a return to the ancient meaning of the word “culture” as the harmonious and sublime development of man, containing his active, creative beginning.

In its independent meaning, the concept of “culture” appeared in the works of the German lawyer S. Pufendorf(1632-1694). He used it to denote the results of the activities of a social person. Culture is opposed to the natural or natural state of man. This sense of something extra-natural, something developed and cultivated by man has been preserved to this day in the concept of “culture”. Culture was understood as the confrontation of man and his activities with the wild elements of nature, its dark and unbridled forces. This concept is used more and more often in the sense of enlightenment, education, and good manners of a person. It is no coincidence that the birth of the concept of “culture” coincided in time with the emergence and development of new relations in society towards man and nature.

It was New Times. Its novelty lay in the fact that people for the most part began to live not in accordance with the rhythms, cycles or patterns of nature, but in the mode of urban life. A new way of life became the basis for a person’s new idea of himself. The labor activity of the townspeople also mattered. Even in the Middle Ages, village artisans made up the original population of cities. Gradually, the craft gained independence and lost its service character in relation to agriculture. Ultimately, it rose above him and became an indicator of Man’s superiority over nature, turning it into the means and object of his actions.

The city dweller was, as it were, fenced off from nature; his life was largely artificial or simply man-made, if we mean craft as his main occupation. This gave him a reason to recognize himself as a bearer of culture. By the way, city-polises were understood in antiquity as unique cultural spaces.

Bourgeois”, “burghers” (as the first inhabitants of medieval cities in Western Europe were called) gradually turned into a new class - the bourgeoisie. This process was accompanied by the accumulation of capital and the emergence of a mass of poor people, i.e. proletarians. Naturally, it was the bourgeoisie who became the owner of cultural values.

In addition, it was the era of technical and industrial revolutions, the emergence of machine production, the era of great geographical discoveries and colonial conquests. Life, activity and its results were increasingly determined by the person himself. This was especially obvious in comparing the life of a European and a resident of overseas colonies. The obviousness of the determining role of man served as the basis for the understanding of culture as an independent phenomenon.

All these events were accompanied by the formation of a new worldview. Not only people’s relationships with each other and with nature changed, but also everyone’s relationship with God.

Man no longer needed a mediator to communicate with him; he bore personal responsibility for his actions directly before God. On the other hand, an earthly measure of personal success and dignity appears: property and wealth in general, which every person could possess. In the era of initial accumulation of capital, this wealth could still arise through robbery, but as legal relations took shape in bourgeois society, personal initiative and enterprise became the source of success and well-being. A person had to hope and rely only on himself. A type of active, calculating person was being formed, for whom his own work became his own measure. We must not forget that all this happened against the backdrop of poverty and deprivation of the masses, whose situation was perceived as the result of a person’s lack of necessary business qualities. Naturally, such qualities included, first of all, rationality and enlightenment - what generally distinguishes a person from an animal. “Knowledge is power,” proclaimed the English thinker and one of the founders of modern philosophy, F. Bacon. Only a knowledgeable person is actually a person and can count on the obedience of nature. And an indicator of knowledge is the ability to do something reasonable and expedient, which ultimately elevates a person above the elements of nature as a cultural being.

French enlighteners of the 18th century. (Voltaire, Condorcet, Turgot) reduced the content of the cultural-historical process to the development of human spirituality. The history of society was understood as its gradual development from the stage of barbarism and ignorance to an enlightened and cultural state. Ignorance is the “mother of all vices,” and human enlightenment is the highest good and virtue. The cult of reason becomes synonymous with culture. This position of the enlighteners reveals pride, “secret arrogance,” as E. Soloviev called this trait. The revaluation of reason and culture became the subject of Rousseau's philosophizing. He did not associate any hopes for the eradication of vices in man with the progress of culture and contrasted the depravity and moral depravity of a civilized person with the simplicity and purity of morals of the patriarchal life of people.

It was typical for the figures of the Enlightenment to search for the meaning of history precisely in connection with the concept of “culture.” The attitude towards history, in which not only something happens, but is naturally formed, develops, and grows, took shape in the concept of “philosophy of history,” which was introduced into use by Voltaire. The concept of “civilization,” as established by the French linguist E. Benveniste, appeared in European languages in the period from 1757 to 1772. It contained the idea of a new way of life, the essence of which was urbanization and the increasing role of material and technical culture. The term “humanitarianism” or “humanitarian” was increasingly used in relation to an educated person with extensive knowledge in all spheres of human activity, to whom “nothing human is alien.” It was believed that a person acquires his knowledge by studying the “liberal arts” and classical languages. In this way, an idea of the cultural level or cultural norm was formed.

The Enlightenmentists contributed to the fact that man’s sensory relationship to reality became the subject of rational or scientific knowledge. The German philosopher Baumgarten (1714-1762) called the science of perfect sensory knowledge the term “aesthetics,” which later began to be used by some thinkers as a synonym for culture in general.

The concept of “culture” in classical German philosophy. Rousseau was the founder of a critical attitude towards culture. In essence, this attitude became the main motive in the teachings of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and philosophers of Germany at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries. For them, the contradictions and factors that existed in bourgeois culture and civilization that impeded the free development of man and his spirituality were obvious. Culture easily turns into its opposite if the material, mass, quantitative principle begins to predominate in it. Culture is the self-liberation of the spirit, thanks to which nature becomes more perfect and spiritual. The means of liberation of the spirit were called moral (Kant), aesthetic (Schiller, romanticism), philosophical (Hegel) consciousness. Culture, therefore, was understood as the area of human spiritual freedom. This understanding was based on the recognition of the diversity of types and types of culture, which are the steps in a person’s ascent to the freedom of his own spirit.

The role of human spiritual liberation was critically rethought by K. Marx. The condition for such liberation must be fundamental changes in the sphere of material production and relations in society. The liberation and development of genuine culture is associated in Marxism with the practical activities of the proletariat, the political and cultural revolutions that it must carry out. All history is a successive series of socio-economic formations, each of which is more culturally developed than the previous one, which is determined by the development of the method of material production. This development is the basis of the unity of world culture.

In Marxism, therefore, culture is understood as the sphere of practical human activity, as well as the totality of the natural and social results of this activity. The development of culture is a contradictory process of interaction between “two cultures,” each of which expresses the interests and goals of antagonistic classes. Culture, having gone through the stages of resolving contradictions, will ultimately become the unity of man and nature and will have a universal (communist) character. The condition for achieving such a state of culture is the dictatorship of the proletariat, the elimination of private property and the construction of a classless society.

In Marxist teaching, each formation has its own type of culture. It follows from this that each type of culture, like culture as a whole, is the result of human activity and represents a variety of changes in nature and society. Moreover, activity or labor act only as socially productive forces of man. Outside of this activity, as well as outside of society, a person simply does not exist. A person is a cultural being to the extent that he participates in social (material or spiritual) production. It not only creates culture, but also turns out to be its result and its actual content. In this understanding, culture can be defined as a way of naturally and socially conditioned active existence of a person.

Variety of definitions of the term “culture”. According to cultural theorist L.E. Kertman, there are over four hundred definitions. This is due to the diversity of culture itself and the use of this term. This situation exists, of course, not only with the word “culture”. The word “science,” for example, also has a very wide range of definitions. We are usually irritated by the lack of any one definition. But this comes from our mental laziness, from the desire to memorize and remember rather than understand and comprehend. The diversity of definitions of culture should not irritate us, since behind it lies the diversity of culture itself. And its diversity is one of the main reasons for its existence at all. Culture is like life: it exists only because it is different. And the monotony of culture is a sign of its approaching death.

From all the variety of definitions of culture, one can single out, according to L.E. Kertman, three main approaches, conventionally called anthropological, sociological and philosophical. The essence of the first approach is the recognition of the intrinsic value of the culture of each people, no matter what stage of its development it is at, as well as the recognition of the equivalence of all cultures on earth. In accordance with this approach, any culture, like any person, is unique and inimitable, being a way of life of an individual or society. There is not just one level of culture in the world, to which all peoples should strive, but many “local” cultures, each of which contains its own values and has its own level of development. To understand the essence of this approach, we provide several definitions. Culture is:

- “everything that is created by man, be it material objects, external behavior, symbolic behavior or social organization” (L. Bernard);

- “a general way of life, a specific way of adapting a person to his natural environment and economic needs” (K. Dawson);

- “the entirety of the activity of a social person” (A. Kroeber);

- “everything that is created or modified as a result of the conscious or unconscious activity of two or more individuals interacting with each other or mutually determining behavior (P. Sorokin);

- “a way of life followed by a community or tribe” (K. Whisler).

It is easy to see that with an anthropological approach, culture is understood very broadly and in content coincides with the entire life of society in its history.

Sociological understanding of culture. Too broad a definition and lack of indication of any specific characteristics make it difficult to understand culture. The sociological approach tries to identify precisely such signs. Culture here is interpreted as a factor in the organization and formation of the life of a society. It is understood that in every society (as in every living organism) there are certain culture-creating “forces” that direct its life along an organized, rather than chaotic path of development. Cultural values are created by society itself, but they then determine the development of this society, the life of which begins to increasingly depend on the values it produces. This is the uniqueness of social life: a person is often dominated by what is born of himself. Here are some definitions of culture characteristic of its sociological understanding. Culture is:

- “strong beliefs, values and norms of behavior that organize social connections and make possible a common interpretation of life experience” (W. Becket);

- “inherited inventions, things, technical processes, ideas, customs and values” (V. Malinovsky);

- “language, beliefs, aesthetic tastes, knowledge, professional skills and all kinds of customs” (A. Radcliffe-Brown);

- “a general and accepted way of thinking” (C. Jung).

In 1871, the book “Primitive Culture” by the English ethnographer E. Tylor was published. He is, so to speak, one of the fathers of cultural studies. In general, his views can be attributed to the anthropological understanding of culture, but he had several definitions of it, including those close to the sociological. “From an ideal point of view, culture can be looked at as the general improvement of the human race through the higher organization of the individual with the goal of simultaneously promoting the development of morality, strength and happiness of man,” wrote E. Tylor. Here, culture includes such aspects of the development of society as “general improvement”, “higher organization”, and “goal”. These seem to be understandable things, but the difficulty is that, as they say, they cannot be touched or seen directly. And yet it is difficult to argue against the fact that they play a major role in the life of a person and society.

Philosophical approach to culture differs from other approaches precisely in that, through analysis, certain features, characteristics, and patterns are identified in the life of society. They are understood as what constitutes the basis of culture or the reason for its development. Here it is important to understand the specifics of the philosophical approach as such, and not only to culture. Philosophy usually deals with that which is inaccessible to simple, direct perception. We are not talking about any special, abstruse things. Philosophy explores what already seems understandable and known. But it often turns out that in reality we do not have an understanding, that it just seemed to us that we understood something. You need to look with special vision - speculation, i.e. understand, not just watch. Seeing and understanding are two different things. Philosophy deals With understanding. That's why The philosophical approach to culture is not limited to describing or listing cultural phenomena. It involves penetration(through thinking, understanding) into their essence. Culture is understood as the “content” or “way of being” of society. Here are some definitions in line with this approach:

- “culture is a relatively constant intangible content transmitted in society through the process of socialization” (G. Becker);

- “a symbolic expression rooted in the subconscious and brought into the public consciousness, where it is preserved and remains in history (D. Regin).

Thus, it is important to note that from a philosophical point of view, culture is understood not simply as a sum of ideas or things that can be isolated, separated from each other, described. Man’s whole world is the world of his culture, and the question of culture is, in essence, a question about man himself, about his human way of existence and about his attitude towards himself. This attitude is characteristic only of man, and to understand its essence, its birth and development is the task of research in the field of philosophy of culture.

Let us now return to the problems of modern culture and the main trends in its development. Of course, the development of world culture in the 21st century. is a complex and contradictory process. It was influenced by a number of factors:

Two world wars and several local ones;

Dividing the world into two camps;

The establishment and fall of fascist regimes in a number of countries;

Revolutionary pro-communist movement;

Collapse of the socialist system, etc.

All this made its own adjustments to the world cultural and historical process. In the 21st century, there are four types of cultural activities:

1. religious;

2. actually cultural:

a) theoretical-scientific,

b) aesthetic and artistic,

c) technical and industrial;

3. political;

4. socio-economic. The socio-economic sphere has received the greatest development. Lately you can see process of industrialization of culture, which is manifested both in the development of science and technology, and in the emergence of technical branches of culture, as well as in the industrial production of works of literature and art.

The industrialization of culture led to the movement of the center of world cultural progress to the most economically developed country - the USA. Using its industrial power, the United States gradually expanded its influence in the world. American stereotypes of thinking and cultural values are being imposed. This was especially clearly reflected in the development of world cinema and music. The expansion of the United States created the preconditions for establishing a monopoly in the field of culture. This forced many European and Eastern countries to intensify efforts to preserve their cultural and national traditions. However, this problem still remains unresolved. This seems problematic, especially with modern means of communication.

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