Известия Томского политехнического университета: Инжиниринг георесурсов (May 2019)
Social devitalization of personality in reality of XX-XXI cc.: optimistic and pessimistic view of an epiphenomenon
Abstract
The relevance of the work is caused by increasing concern of the scientific community about the scale of an individual distance from society and by the mainstreaming the problems of social vitality in this context. The main aim of the research is to reveal the essence of epiphenomenon «personality social devitalisation» comparing opposite-type worldviews of scientific positions. It is no coincidence that the concepts of scientists analyzed by the author were chosen - pessimistically-tuned J. Ortega y Gasset was a pioneer in using the concept «devitalization» in relation to social life and social optimist A. Toffler, without using the above concept, reveals and complements it with his ideas and formulations. Test method: dialectical, due to the specific character of the research subject. Results. The concept «social devitalization of personality» proposed by the author to explain certain trends observed in recent years in the society is disclosed in comparing different and complementary points of view simultaneously. The theory of the Spanish philosopher J. Ortegi y Gasset became the background for introducing this concept; but the essence of the concept is better disclosed in papers of A. Toffler. The author of the paper noted the following facts: if Ortega introduced the concept of devitalization but did not consider it necessary to give a concrete definition of the term in a social context, then A. Toffler, presenting his own concept of the «Third Wave» to the world, characterizes definitely the concept in the Second Modernity, without using the category «devitalization». Devitalization for Ortega is loneliness and isolation from the roots. Pointing to the loneliness Toffler states as well that loneliness is a consequence of confrontation of being dragged into a crowd and it is distancing from the pressure of a social space.
