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The problem of morality and the global crisis of society. Spiritual Issues in the Modern World Review Questions

The culture of the 20th century reflected the crisis into which technogenic civilization was slowly entering. Man faces the most important questions: about his place in space, about the essence and value of progress and science, about the future of the Earth and humanity itself. The ideal that European culture has been striving for since the Renaissance is the ideal of a self-developing creative personality. Its main characteristics were uniqueness and originality. In the future, the exaltation of man, on the one hand, and the protrusion of low instincts by mass culture, on the other, contributed to the development of extreme individualism and a decrease in the general level of cultural needs. In previous eras, the ideal of comprehending the truth was a priority. In modern life, the cult of life reigns. In the 20th century, the system of worldview attitudes, the establishment of European and American egocentrism, becomes dominant. Today, most of the world's population lives in underdeveloped countries. There is mass poverty, insolvency, social instability, aggressiveness, envy. Human intervention in biospheric processes upset the balance between nature and society. The growth of the earth's population leads to an increase in the shortage of natural resources. Global is the problem of the constant threat of nuclear, chemical and biological wars. The system of worldview attitudes is offered by science, mass culture, but not by religion. The collapse of traditional religious values contributes to the establishment of nihilism - the denial of generally accepted values: ideals, moral norms, culture, forms of social life. Culture develops, reflecting the needs of a new life, uses the achievements of science and technology, creates comfort and prosperity. Modern culture is rapidly transforming the environment, society, and people's way of life. In the XX century, according to researchers, there was a break in the social and cultural cycles. The pace of cultural change has become faster. The usual way of life is rapidly collapsing, things that recently constituted the meaning of being are becoming a thing of the past. Orientations change. Shrines are falling down. Social and cultural life is being transformed. All these problems can be effectively solved with the humanistic use of the achievements of scientific and technological progress: healthcare and education should become accessible, psychophysical conditions for life in the information society can be created, programs to combat environmental pollution, unemployment, stress, etc. should be introduced. The fate of the 21st century will be determined not only by scientific and technological achievements, but also by the cultural and worldview of people

CONCLUSION

Sociology is interested in culture in three main aspects:

1. as a shared system of values, norms, symbols and meanings;

2. as the basis of the socialization of the individual, i.e. as an object of assimilation by a person in the process of his life;

3. something that is passed down by people from generation to generation.

So, social culture is a system of socially significant values, norms and rules of behavior, representations of ideas, beliefs and traditions common to people, associated with a certain way, socially acquired, transmitted from generation to generation and serving to streamline experience and social regulation within the framework of the whole society or social group.

This work was devoted to the problems of spirituality in Ukraine, the influence of mass culture on public consciousness. The phenomenon of mass culture offers standard ideological and cultural and artistic ideas about the world around. Many programs are tuned directly to youth. Advertising the American way of life - "look like a million" distracts from the pressing issues of today: the fight against poverty, AIDS, the threat of war and environmental disaster. Entertainment genres do not allow a huge number of TV and Internet viewers to get in touch with the great masterpieces of true art. Attracting young people to the gaming business becomes dangerous for the family and society. The promotion of alcoholic beverages and violence is incompatible with the norms of morality and law. Today, many problems of spirituality in Ukraine are associated with the development of post-industrial society. Medical technology is a subject of controversy and condemnation of the church. Despite the emergence of a huge number of non-traditional religions for Ukraine, nevertheless, the basis of spirituality is the 10 biblical commandments. Spirituality in Ukraine is inextricably linked with national culture. The works of I.P. Kotlyarovsky, G. Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, N. Kostomarov, A. Metlinsky, T. Shevchenko, P. Mirny, L. Ukrainka, I. Franko, V. Vinnichenko, M. Rylsky. At present, despite the dominance of mass culture, many cultural and educational organizations have resumed their work. Relations between the state and religious confessions are developing on democratic principles. The development of the cultural potential of the Ukrainian people is possible only if the entire society is seriously interested in the prosperity of education, science, art, literature, the revitalization of church life, the establishment of democracy with a guarantee of freedom of creativity, conscience, speech and the protection of intellectual property.

2. The spiritual world of the individual. Worldview.

3. Do you agree with the statement of the French writer F. R. Chateaubriand: “As is almost always the case in politics, the result is the opposite nyu"? Justify your answer. How to explain thatthe result does not always coincide with the intended goal?

1. global problems - it's a collectionproblems affecting the vital interests of all mankind and requiring for their resolutionconcerted action by the entire world community.

The most important global problem is preovercoming the ecological crisis and its aftermathstviya. In the course of his economic activity, for a long time man occupied the position of a consumer in relation to nature, mercilessly exploited it, believing that natural reserves are inexhaustible.

One of the negative results of human activity has become depletion of natural resources, primarily energy. Mankind is also concerned about the problem of ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. As for other common energy sources - oil, gas, peat, coal - the danger of their depletion in the very near future is very high. Therefore, humanity, apparently, should heed the opinion that it needs voluntary self-restraint both in the production and consumption of energy.

The second aspect of this problem is behindenvironmental pollution(atmosphere, water, soil, etc.) - Powerful accumulations of harmful substances lead to the appearance of so-called ozone holes, which has a negative impact on the health of the planet's population and leads to global warming.

There is a problem of general degradation of the environment. Humanity can solve it only together. In 1982 The UN adopted a document - the World Charter for Conservation of Nature, and then created a special commission on environment and development. In addition to the UN, non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, the Club of Rome, etc. play an important role in developing and ensuring the environmental safety of mankind.

Another global problem is the growth of the world's population. (demographic problem). It is associated with a continuous increase in the number of people living on the territory of the planet. This problem is generated by two global demographic processes: the so-called population explosion in developing countries and underreproduction of the population in developed countries. However, it is obvious that the Earth's resources (primarily food) are limited, and today a number of developing countries have had to face the problem of birth control. The demographic problem should be solved now, because our planet is not able to provide such a number of people with the food necessary for survival.

The demographic problem is closely intertwined with the problem reducing the gap in the level of ecoeconomic development between the developed countries of the West and the developing countries of the "third world" (the so-called "North-South" problem). The essence of this problem lies in the fact that most of those who were released in the second half of the 20th century. from the colonial dependence of countries, embarking on the path of catching up economic development, they could not, despite relative success, overcome the gap with developed countries in terms of basic economic indicators (primarily in terms of GDP per capita).

Another global issue that has long been considered the most important is problemprevention of a new - tpretpyey - mirdvawar. To date, the likelihood of conflict between the leading powers of the world is much less than before. However, there is a possibility that nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of authoritarian regimes or international terrorist organizations. There is a great danger of individual local conflicts escalating into regional and even international ones (with the possible use of nuclear weapons by one side).

The Threat of Global Terrorism has become a global problem of our time relatively recently. Terror (lat. toggog - horror, fear) - the use of violence, including the physical destruction of people, to achieve any political goals. Violent actions should instill a sense of fear in people. Terrorism is one of the extreme forms of political extremism. An integral property of terrorism is the systematic use of violence, used with appropriate socio-political and ideological justification.

Global problems include the looming AIDS epidemic And developdrug addiction, disease, alcoholism, tobacco smoking, as well as diseases - cancer, cardiovascular diseases.

All global problems are united by a number of common problems. signs:

1) they arose in the second half of the 20th century. and are a consequence of the negative consequences of the scientific and technological revolution;

2) global problems pose a threat to the existence of mankind as a whole;

3) they are all interconnected - it is impossible to solve each of them separately;

4) the presence of global problems is an indicator of the unity and integrity of the modern world;

5) their solution requires the unification of the efforts of all mankind, encourages the search for mutual understanding and harmonization of the interests of various countries and peoples, contributes to the formation of a single civilization.

2. Spiritual world of personality (human microcosm) is a holistic and at the same time contradictory phenomenon, which is a complex system.

Herelements are:

1) spiritual needs in the knowledge of the surrounding world, in self-expression by means of culture, art, other forms of activity, in the use of cultural achievements, etc.;

2) knowledge about nature, society, man, himself;

3) beliefs, firm views based on a worldview and defining human activity in all its manifestations and spheres;

4) belief in the truth of those beliefs that a person shares (i.e., unsubstantiated recognition of the correctness of some position);

5) the ability to one or another form of social activity;

6) feelings and emotions in which the relationship of a person to nature and society is expressed;

7) goals that a person consciously sets for himself, ideally anticipating the results of his activity;

8) the values that underlie a person's attitude to the world and himself, giving meaning to his activities, reflecting his ideals.

Values are the object of a person's aspirations, are the most important moment of the meaning of his life. Distinguish social values - public ideals that act as a standard of due in various spheres of public life, and personal values are the ideals of an individual, serving as one of the sources of motivation for her behavior.

An important element of the spiritual world of man is his outlook, which is understood as a set of generalized views on objective reality and a person’s place in it, on people’s attitude to the surrounding reality and to themselves, as well as the beliefs, principles, ideas and ideals conditioned by these views.

There are several types of worldview:

1) everyday (or everyday), which is based on personal experience and is formed under the influence of life circumstances;

2) religious, which is based on religious views, ideas and beliefs of a person;

3) scientific, which is based on the achievements of modern science and reflects the scientific picture of the world, the results of modern scientific knowledge;

4) humanistic (it is spoken of more as a goal than as a reality), which combines the best aspects of the scientific worldview with ideas about social justice, environmental safety and moral ideal.

3 . One can agree with the statement of F. R. Chateaubriand. Politics, by its very nature, is a goal-setting activity. This means that it arises and is carried out for the sake of certain goals. The goal, means and result are the main components of political and any other activity. Purpose is an ideal result worked out by human thinking, for the sake of which activity is carried out and which serves as its internal motive. In political activity, it performs organizing and motivational functions. Facilities politicians are tools, tools for the practical implementation of goals, for turning ideal motives into real actions.

The question of the influence of ends and means on the results and moral evaluation of politics has long been a subject of controversy.

Among the various views onThis account can be divided into three main ones:

1) the moral character of the policy is determined by its purpose;

2) the means used have a priority influence on the moral significance of the policy;

3) both the end and the means are equally important for making the policy humane, and they must be commensurate with each other and with the specific situation.

The concept of "global problems", their specifics;

characteristics and manifestations of specific global problems.

Essence, features, causes.

In the second half of the twentieth century. humanity is faced with a group of problems, the solution of which depends on further social progress, the fate of earthly civilization. These problems are called global (from lat. globe- Earth, globe) problems of mankind.

The features of global problems are that, firstly, they are of a planetary nature, secondly, they threaten the death of all mankind, and thirdly, they require the collective efforts of the world community. Currently, humanity is experiencing a crisis that is systemic in nature and manifests itself in the following areas:

The crisis of attitude towards nature is an environmental problem (exhaustibility of natural resources, irreversible changes in the environment).
Economic crisis - overcoming the backwardness of developing countries (it is necessary to help reduce the gap in the level of economic development between the developed countries of the West and the developing countries of the "third world").
Political crisis (destructive development of many conflicts, ethnic and racial conflicts as an expression of the uncontrollability of social processes; the task of mankind is to prevent the threat of a world war and fight against international terrorism).
The crisis of human survival conditions (depletion of food resources, energy, drinking water, clean air, mineral reserves).
The demographic crisis is a population problem (uneven and uncontrolled population growth in developing countries; stabilization of the demographic situation on the planet is required).
The threat of thermonuclear war (arms race, pollution caused by nuclear weapons testing, genetic consequences of these tests, uncontrolled development of nuclear technologies, the possibility of thermonuclear terrorism at the interstate level).
The problem of health protection, prevention of the spread of AIDS, drug addiction.
The crisis of human spirituality (ideological breakdown, loss of moral values, addiction to alcohol and drugs). In the last decade, the revival of cultural and moral values has become increasingly important.

The classification of global problems, carried out on the basis of many years of research, helps to better understand the essence of global problems and outline ways to solve them. All global problems can be divided into three groups.

1) Intersocial problems related to relations between groups of states with similar political, economic and other interests: East-West, rich and poor countries, etc. For a long time, the confrontation between two socio-economic systems, two ideologies was at the center of intersocial and communist. Today, this confrontation is a thing of the past, however, the severity of intersocial problems has not decreased - their nature has changed:

in place of the threat of a world war as a consequence of the clash of two opposing socio-political systems, many local conflicts have come, the spread of which can lead to a general military catastrophe. According to the International Institute for Peace Research, only in the last 10 years of the twentieth century. there were 120 armed conflicts that affected 80 countries and claimed the lives of almost 6 million people, and about 300 million civilians became refugees. The largest number of hot spots is in the Asia-Pacific region - 20, in Africa - 16, in Europe - 5, in the Middle East - 3, in South America -2. Two thirds of the current conflicts have been going on for more than 5 years, and the rest for more than 20 years;
the problem of establishing a fair economic order has become aggravated, since there is a sharp difference between countries in terms of the level of socio-economic development, and, consequently, the level of well-being of the population. On the one hand, a small group of developed countries, on the other hand, a large number of economically backward states in which the quality of life of the population is low. The economy of backward countries is based on the extraction and export of raw materials, which gives rise to a large number of environmental problems. The backward and moderately developed countries make up the vast majority of the world's population: about 5 billion out of the 6 billion of the total population of the planet. Russia is one of the backward countries, and it faces the same problems as the rest. The solution of these problems and the achievement of real success is possible in the case of mobilization of internal reserves and changes in the system of international economic relations.

2) Problems related to the interaction of society and nature , can be divided into several groups.

1. Environmental problems are understood as measures against environmental pollution.

They cover the protection of the water and air basins, the protection of soils, the conservation of flora and fauna, and the conservation of the gene pool. In the approach to solving environmental problems, three main directions can be distinguished. They form the main strategies for environmental protection:

restrictive strategy as the main means of preventing environmental disasters involves limiting the development of production and corresponding consumption;
optimization strategy involves finding the optimal level of interaction between society and nature. This level should not exceed the critical level of pollution and should ensure the possibility of the exchange of substances between society and nature, which does not adversely affect the state of the natural environment;
The strategy of closed cycles involves the creation of industries built according to the cyclic principle, due to which the isolation of production from environmental impact is achieved. Closed cycles are possible with the use of biotechnology, which allows the processing of inorganic production waste into organic substances.

These strategies can be used simultaneously, based on specific life circumstances. Optimization and closed loop strategies depend on the technological sophistication of the manufacturing process. A restrictive strategy is not always possible where the level of production and consumption and, accordingly, the quality of life is low.

2. Resource issues, such as air, water, without which human life is impossible, as well as energy and raw materials. For example, the problem of water resources is considered the most acute in the world. Fresh water makes up a small part of the Earth's water basin - 2.5 - 3%. At the same time, its largest part is concentrated in the ice of the Arctic and Greenland, and a very small share falls on the share of rivers and lakes. Energy resources are represented by fossil fuel reserves, such as oil, coal, gas, oil shale. Raw materials are, first of all, mineral raw materials containing components necessary for industrial production. Today, there are no sufficiently accurate data on how long humanity can consider itself provided with fossil fuels and minerals. However, it is quite obvious that their reserves are exhaustible and non-renewable.

3. Problems of Outer Space and the World Ocean.

3) Problems directly related to the person , his individual being, with the system "individual - society". They directly concern the individual and depend on the ability of society to provide real opportunities for the development of the individual. This group of problems includes the problems of health care, education, population control, the development of moral, intellectual and other inclinations of a person, ensuring a healthy lifestyle, and normal mental development of the individual.

Speaking about the causes of global problems, scientists single out the main one - spiritual and moral, and it already gives rise to economic, political, etc. Such spiritual and moral basis for the emergence of global problems of our time is the widespread ideology of consumerism. Modern production has created the prerequisites for meeting the needs of the population and, to a certain extent, freed it from complete dependence on certain things. Thus, a person falls into an endless circle, becomes a prisoner of his own desires and obsessions. Global problems are closely interrelated, and they need to be addressed comprehensively.

Finally, THE FOURTH, no less terrible GLOBAL PROBLEM - THE CRISIS OF HUMAN SPIRITUALITY. Virtually all secular and religious, global and regional, ancient and new ideologies today cannot even provide any convincing answer either to the actual problems of the era or to the eternal demands of the spirit. Defenseless, tossing, limping human thought in many cases is unable to grasp the present, maturely evaluate the past, at least somehow foresee the future.

There are currently no reliable social theories and philosophical and anthropological concepts within which it would be possible to more or less definitely characterize our today, and even more so tomorrow. Fear, anxiety, anxiety permeate all layers of human consciousness. One of the influential American philosophers Richard Rorty in the spring of 1995 at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences told that in the American philosophical community everyone is so tired that they hope for something to appear, but no one has the slightest idea what it should be.

It is sometimes said that two ideas came to us from the 19th century, worthy of being called the ideas of the century (realizing that this is a strong simplification, we nevertheless agree with it conditionally). One idea is socialist, the other is scientific and technological. It was believed that, relying on them, the people of the Earth would build a just society, gain the fullness of life, assert the freedom and dignity of the individual.

Both of these ideas are now in ruins. Both of them faced the limits set by biospheric global possibilities of human existence.

The socialist idea raised social justice to the shield, the technocratic idea raised economic efficiency. Their docking, conjugation, organic unification is not possible today. And our age has not generated new bright, principled, unifying ideas. And all mankind is now in some kind of ideological vacuum. Such is the fate of secular, scientific and philosophical-sociological ideas.

And world and local religions, or esoteric teachings of Western and Eastern shades, as they should, are called to the “other world”. However, despite the abundance of neo-religions (such as "Munism" or "Bahaism"), many-sided sectarianism in world religions, there are no fundamentally new ideas. All this is just a rewriting of traditionalist, canonical provisions that came from the past, sometimes very old. The dynamics of sharp global historical shifts sometimes leads to a loss of orientation, the collapse of shrines, and spiritual devastation.

These are some of the global problems of our time. They are real. They cannot be seen. However, you should not give up, fall into hopeless pessimism, despair and dramatize everything and everything. There are threats, but there are also hopes. Though timid, but still hopes, prerequisites for overcoming global crisis collisions.

For many centuries and even millennia, people have been solving eternal questions about the meaning of their existence, about ways to improve the world, about improving their nature. The turn of the third millennium, the beginning of a new era brought to mankind such upheavals and problems that hitherto did not excite the minds and feelings of people. In fact, these are problems accumulated throughout the course of previous history, but which have acquired particular relevance in our modern period.

Therefore, today we often talk not about “eternal questions”, but about “threats and challenges”. These words are heard from the pages of newspapers, in the speeches of presidents, politicians, representatives of the media, and scientists.

Under the challenges and threats, researchers understand the totality of problems that imperiously fall on people in a certain era and are the difference of this era. And how successfully people manage to find answers to these challenges depends, at times, on the further survival of mankind.

These challenges cannot be unambiguously assessed as either positive or negative. This is the new, the unknown, which sweeps away the old in its path, inevitably leads to a change in outdated social structures, stereotypes, values, and life guidelines. All traditional attitudes and norms are being seriously tested. And, sometimes, it is this new, unknown, something that cannot be learned from the experience of ancestors, that frightens with its novelty.

Scientists refer to new for mankind phenomena that have a positive meaning - challenges the widespread development of democratic orders; approval in the practice of peoples and states of peaceful ways to resolve conflict situations; ensuring free and quick access of people to information.

So, in the modern civilized world, nationalism, racism, intolerant attitude towards people of a different skin color, a different culture are universally condemned. Any manifestation of such behavior is considered by people as savagery. Fundamental human rights and freedoms have become universally recognized in the world.

But at the same time, it is impossible not to single out that which carries a serious danger to humanity and threatens the very foundations of its existence. In contrast to the term "challenges", we will apply the term "threats" to the characteristics of these phenomena. The modern Russian scientist R.B. Rybakov names three main groups threats:

Threats to nature these include environmental and man-made disasters, environmental pollution with harmful emissions, problems of population growth.

^ Threats to human health - the spread of drugs, AIDS, in recent years, these problems have become one of the leading national threats for our country. In addition to the danger to physical health, the threat to spiritual health is also increasing, the degradation of culture, its commercialization, the replacement of high art with cheap stamps and fakes is rapidly growing.

^ Threats to the stable development of society - the scientist identifies among them various social ills, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment. The scale of these troubles more and more covers the underdeveloped countries, the "global South".

Among the most important threats of our time are wars and terrorism.

There are other classifications of these challenges, also understood as global problems of modern humanity. And they are a feature of the modern world. And earlier, in the old days, there were questions that can be classified as universal - these are questions of war and peace, hunger, the spread of terrible diseases. But never before have they been so sharp as to raise the question: "To be or not to be for humanity tomorrow?" “Will the human race survive or perish, destroying its green planet along with it?” It is this type of problem that is called global.

Global problems of mankind cover all earthlings, regardless of their state affiliation, concern everyone and everyone. Modern man has finally realized that the Earth is not as big as it seemed to him before. The world is fragile, the life of a person in it and of all creatures living on our planet is fragile. Much needs to be solved for humanity to continue its existence. The greenhouse effect and the rapid depletion of resources, overpopulation in a number of regions and the danger of nuclear war - all this is just a small fraction of what threatens life on earth.

^ Classification of global problems . It is possible to distinguish environmental, social, political and economic problems related to the category of global ones. The former include such problems as the "greenhouse" effect, the "ozone hole", deforestation, pollution of the atmosphere, ocean waters, soil depletion, and many others. Social problems are a huge number of illiterate people, a difficult demographic situation and moral and ethical problems. Political problems include, first of all, issues of international terrorism, the threat of local wars, the danger of a global war.

Economic problems are the depletion of resources and the division of the world into poles of economic development, the problems of food supply and scientific and technological revolution.

^ The threat of international terrorism.

International terrorism has become one of the leading global problems of the modern world. Terror as a method of solving political problems did not arise in our day and not even in the near past. Acts of terror have been committed in the past. Terrorism is understood in science as a method by which an organized group or party seeks to achieve its proclaimed goals primarily through the systematic use of violence. The very concepts of "terrorism" and "terrorist" appeared at the end of the 18th century. According to one of the French explanatory dictionaries, the Jacobins often used this concept orally and in writing in relation to themselves - and always with a positive connotation. However, already during the French Revolution, the word "terrorist" began to carry an offensive meaning, turning into a synonym for "criminal". Subsequently, the term received a more expanded interpretation and began to mean any system of government based on fear. Then, until very recently, the word "terrorism" was used very broadly and meant the whole range of different shades of violence.

Terrorism - violent influence on people, pursuing the goal of intimidating them and getting them to realize their goals.

Terrorist actions are always public in nature and aimed at influencing society or the authorities.

Scientists involved in the study of terror distinguish three main stages in the history of the development of terrorism. The first stage covers the period until the middle of the 20th century, when terrorist acts were mainly organized and carried out by small groups of conspirators or loners. In the words of Albert Camus, it was the so-called "handicraft" terrorism.

The history of Russia knows examples of this kind of political terror. The loudest of them are the elimination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 by the Narodnaya Volya group, the assassination attempt on the Ministers of the Interior Dmitry Sipyagin and Vasily Plehve, the assassination of Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin. The terrorist act - the assassination of the Austrian heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand, a member of the Serbian nationalist organization Gavrilo Princip, was the reason for the outbreak of the First World War.

The second stage in the history of terrorism is associated with the period of World War II and the Cold War, when terror began to be actively applied and used at the state level. Already not only certain groups of conspirators, political parties and movements began to use methods of terror, but also states to fight their opponents. Thus, during the era of the Cold War, terrorist activity began to be encouraged as a means of struggle by the governments of the two superpowers - the USA and the USSR.

Finally, in the modern era, terror has gone beyond states. It has acquired a global, transnational character. Terror has become an integral system that combines large financial resources, the possibility of their flow and use in various regions of the world, the most powerful information support, a single network - a web covering the whole world. Terror has become a means of not only political pressure on certain states, but also an economy that allows you to receive significant income. And today, in our day, it is unthinkable to solve the issues of combating terrorism within the framework of one or several countries. This is a task that requires the utmost concentration of the efforts of many, many countries and peoples.

A feature of terrorism today is the use by terrorist organizations and groups of the specific features of modern society. These, undoubtedly, include a significant influence on the power of public opinion, the development of mass media focused on reflecting sensations, the habit of most people in developed countries to a quiet life in abundance.

Russian researchers D. Gusev, O. Matveychev, R. Khazeev and S. Chernakov emphasize: “No matter what slogan a terrorist comes up with, he is an adept and a product of globalism. The main precepts of globalization: 1) everyone must be heard; 2) there should be space for statements. A terrorist is one who believes that they do not listen to him and who are not considered in communication and practice. Therefore, he takes the floor and the whole "world of publicity" rushes to him. Terrorism today is like a work of art, like a show, like a painting. It is happening in front of the lens of hundreds of thousands of photo and movie cameras. It is only possible where there are these cameras and this publicity. That is, in the civilized world. Indeed, information about terrorist acts is presented on the front pages of newspapers and in all news releases. The actions of terrorists are aimed at making people stop supporting a state that is unable to ensure the safety of its citizens.

These conditions have led to the fact that today terrorists prefer not to encroach on the lives of leaders, politicians, but to take hostage or destroy as many innocent ordinary people “from the masses” as possible. The psychological effect of such crimes is very significant. Let's look at the lines of one of the newspaper articles: "It's scary to ride the subway, fly by plane, go to theaters and concert halls, it's scary to just relax in your own house in the evening after a working day ...". This is precisely the purpose of the actions of modern terrorists. Intimidate people, plant fear in their hearts.

The Russian scientist D. Olshansky distinguishes several types of modern terrorism: 1) political (aimed at directly influencing political leaders and their decisions, perhaps achieving their elimination); 2) informational (direct, often violent, impact on the psyche and consciousness of people in order to form the necessary opinions and judgments, the spread of certain "frightening" rumors); economic (discriminatory economic actions aimed at influencing competitors, which may include both individual companies and states); social (domestic) (everyday intimidation that we can face on the street, at school, at home, for example, from "skinheads", racketeers who terrorize small businesses).

All the mentioned types of terrorism are somehow connected with each other, they pose a threat to people's lives, lead to the spread of fear among the population. “Terrorists are capable of changing the social atmosphere in the most serious way, sowing fear, uncertainty, and distrust in the institutions of power. Their actions can be especially destructive for democratic states, where the irritation and indignation of citizens may well be expressed in supporting in the elections the one whose only promise will be to end terrorism,” notes Russian scientist L.Ya. Gozman.

It can be stated that as a result of the actions of terrorists, there is often a change in the government's course, a change in the ruling circles.

Terrorism has brought serious changes to the life of peoples and states. Habitual connections, habitual way of life are broken. It turns out that the openness of society, the trust in citizens by the state is actively used by terrorists to achieve their goals. An important problem for a modern state is the need to limit the rights and freedoms of an individual in order to more successfully counter terror. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, which shocked the whole world, the US authorities took unprecedented security measures at airports, introduced a new procedure for entering the country, and tightened control over citizens. At airports, checks have been tightened significantly. And people realized that in the name of security, they should agree to these restrictions. According to the popular magazine Business Week, “Surveillance and surveillance are under the control of a law that requires citizens to be made aware that some kind of verification is taking place and that gives citizens the right to correct misinformation about themselves.” The dilemma of modern society, which was mainly born under the pressure of the terrorist threat, is "Freedom in exchange for security."

The wave of terror rises every year of the beginning of the 21st century. The modern world, Russia, has experienced a number of major terrorist attacks. The largest of these attacks was the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 in New York, which led to the collapse of the towers of the World Trade Center. The collapse of the twin towers killed more than 3,000 people from around the world. Many praised this attack as the beginning of a new era. The year 2004 became tragically memorable for the people of Spain, when terrorists blew up a passenger train arriving at Madrid's Atocha railway station. The explosion claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

The mournful list of victims of terror in our country is significant. In September 1999, terrorists blew up houses with civilians in Moscow and Volgodonsk. About 300 people died. We learned a terrible word - hexogen. There were explosions in passenger trains, markets, bus stops.

In October 2002, in Moscow, the theater center on Dubrovka was seized by bandits. The name of the musical performance "Nord-Ost" has become a symbol of a terrible tragedy in the modern history of Russia. During the release of the hostages, which were more than 800 people, about 130 people died. 70 people were killed in an explosion near the Government House in Grozny. Dozens of people were killed in an explosion near the Tushinskaya metro station at the Wings festival in the summer of 2003, during the explosion of a car in the Moscow metro at the Avtozavodskaya station in February 2004. A new wave of terror covered our country in August-September 2004. Suicide bombers blew up two passenger planes with 90 people on board. An explosion near the Rizhskaya metro station claimed the lives of 10 people.

And the most terrible tragedy, for which there are not even words to describe, occurred in the North Ossetian city of Beslan, at a school where about 1,200 people, most of whom were children, were taken hostage by terrorist militants on Knowledge Day on September 1. During the release of the hostages, 338 people died. A monstrous crime that resulted in the death of many children. What is this if not a war declared to us by terrorists, by those who stand behind them and allocate huge financial resources for their activities?

How to counter terror? How to protect yourself from a repetition of such a nightmare? These questions are asked by ordinary people, and the military, and the heads of the leading states of the world. Unfortunately, today terrorism outstrips the reaction of peoples and states. In many ways, public and state structures were not ready to adequately repel the threat from terrorists. And each of us must seek the answer to these questions. The war on terror is becoming all-out. And one of its fronts is the one that passes through the consciousness and heart of each of our contemporaries. We are normal people, striving to preserve and maintain a normal life, the vast majority. Terrorists are fighting for our souls, seeking to instill fear in them and take away our dignity and reason.

In his address to the citizens of Russia on the occasion of the tragedy in Beslan, President Vladimir Putin said: “We ... have faced crises, rebellions and terrorist acts more than once. But what has happened now is an inhuman, unprecedented in its cruelty crime of terrorists. This is not a challenge to the president, parliament or government. This is a challenge to all of Russia. To all our people. This is an attack on our country.

The terrorists think they are stronger than us. That they will be able to intimidate us with their cruelty, they will be able to paralyze our will and corrupt our society. And, it would seem, we have a choice - to repulse them or agree with their claims. Surrender, allow Russia to be destroyed and pulled apart in the hope that they will eventually leave us alone...

... I am convinced that in reality we simply have no choice.

... All world experience shows that such wars, unfortunately, do not end quickly. Under these conditions, we simply cannot, should not live as carelessly as before. We must create a much more effective security system, demand from our law enforcement agencies actions that would be adequate to the level and scope of the emerging new threats.

But the most important thing is the mobilization of the nation in the face of a common danger. Events in other countries show that terrorists receive the most effective rebuff precisely where they encounter not only the power of the state, but also with an organized, cohesive civil society.

The validity of these words is repeatedly confirmed by examples from recent history. That, as a negative attitude towards terrorists on the part of society, forced to abandon the radical actions of terrorist organizations in Germany, Italy, Northern Ireland, which a couple of decades ago terrified civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world expressed their protest against terror after September 11, 2001, after the explosion of the Atocha station, all of Spain, all of Europe took to the streets. More than 130,000 Muscovites took part in a rally against terror during the days of the Beslan tragedy. And millions and millions of Russians on September 9 at 9 o'clock in the morning (the time the terrorists seized the school in Beslan) honored the memory of the dead with a minute of silence, horns of their cars, headlights on. Society mourns, but this mourning does not lead to weakness and confusion. People unite, support each other, become stronger from the pain experienced together.

^ Global problems - environmental, economic, political, social.

Environmental pollution arises from the fact that we get used to any actions, and when we find out how harmful they are, we cannot refuse them. So our habits become our enemies. The essence of pollution is the accumulation of harmful, toxic substances (toxins) in the environment. Currently, this process is going on so intensively that the natural cleansing mechanisms are unable to cope with the influx of toxins. And the consequences of environmental pollution will be that in all the products of nature that we considered safe, substances created by us and often life-threatening will appear. In addition, many species of living organisms are very sensitive to the concentration of harmful substances, so that an increase in this concentration will lead to the extinction of many species of life on Earth.

^ Rapid population growth. At the end of the 18th century, the level of medical care in general rose in European countries. The death rate began to decrease, but the birth rate remained at the same level. This led to an increase in the population. However, by the middle of the 20th century, a decline in the birth rate occurred in these countries, as a result of which the natural increase was greatly reduced. Another picture is typical for those countries that now have the status of developing countries. In them, in the middle of the 20th century, there was a sharp improvement in medical care. However, the birth rate remained high and, as a result, a huge population growth rate. The so-called "population explosion" is one of the most important problems today. As a rule, a high rate of natural increase is characteristic of countries with an underdeveloped economy, where the state cannot provide human existence for the already existing population. The "population explosion" is due to the fact that in countries with traditionally high mortality and therefore high birth rates, the level of medical care has been increased. The death rate has declined, but the birth rate has remained high. The results of the population explosion are already visible today. Territories with a surplus of population are subject to destructive processes: soil erosion, deforestation; acute problems are food, unsanitary conditions and many others.

^ The problem of the overpopulated "South" due to the fact that the population explosion is associated with specific regions: Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America. The reason for the real problem is that these countries do not have sufficiently developed economies and cannot solve the problems they face on their own.

^ International strife. In a number of regions of the world, interethnic contradictions have not been completely overcome, many peoples have not been able to create their own national states, self-determine, and for them the problem of ethnic self-identity is very relevant (for example, the Kurds, a number of Balkan peoples, the peoples of the former USSR). In some cases, inter-confessional strife is added to inter-ethnic strife, if the peoples living nearby profess different religions, often such a neighborhood gives rise to conflicts, including armed ones. Thus, the problem of interethnic strife is closely connected with the existence of local conflicts.

^ local conflicts. They bear in themselves, first of all, all the horrors and disasters of war. But besides this, there is always the danger of a local conflict growing into a global one, because strong developed countries can take the positions of different parties in resolving the conflict. In the event of a global war, complete devastation and degradation of civilization are certainly guaranteed. Unless the worst happens, nuclear war.

^ Nuclear War. It consists in the fact that in the course of hostilities, weapons of mass destruction will be used, based on obtaining energy in the course of nuclear and thermonuclear reactions. The danger lies in the fact that, firstly, the destructive effect of such weapons is quite long in time, secondly, there is practically no protection against it, and thirdly, the nuclear weapons available today are enough to destroy everything several times living on earth. In addition, after the massive use of nuclear weapons, even in one point on the globe, we will all be threatened with a nuclear winter. Thus, nuclear weapons are an easy way to destroy humanity. It doesn't matter who is first, what matters is that if someone presses the button first, nothing else will happen. That is why many nuclear countries sign conventions banning the use and testing of nuclear weapons.

To the number global political issues one can also include the poles of power remaining on the world stage, the difference of interests (USA - Europe - Russia - the Asia-Pacific region), the struggle for spheres of influence. The path to a just world order is still long enough.

One of the problems is the difference in political systems. Most modern states have fully realized the advantages of democracy, the age of totalitarian regimes on earth is constantly decreasing, but this problem has not yet been fully exhausted - original reserves of totalitarianism remain in the East (North Korea, Iraq, a number of African countries), political modernization of China, Cuba has not been carried out , and many countries, having declared their commitment to democracy in words, are in no hurry to confirm the words with deeds. Democracy here is too immature and imperfect, the threat of restoration of totalitarian orders remains (this is the entire post-Soviet space - Russia, the republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States, some countries of Eastern Europe).

^ food problem is the inability of developing countries to fully feed their populations. In fact, the potential of the planet and modern technologies make it possible to feed twice as many people as the entire population of the Earth today, moreover, the volume of food production in the world can satisfy the needs of the entire planet. However, for economic reasons, a “take and share” solution is not possible.

^ Resource depletion. Previously, a person could calmly develop deposits, caring only that it was economically profitable for him. But the current situation shows that soon the minerals will simply run out. So, at the current level of production, oil reserves cannot be enough for 100-200 years; natural gas - 100 years. Depletion threatens not only non-renewable resources, but also resources classified as renewable.

A complex problem remains identified back in the 1970s by the "Club of Rome" the problem of economic growth and its limits.

^ Spiritual problems. Global problems are diverse, complex and contradictory. They cover a wide range of human relations, human activities. How can a person preserve his humanity, remain himself? Their solution is the task of the entire planet, and this requires peaceful, voluntary, conscious cooperation of all the inhabitants of the cradle of mankind. It can be said that today we all found ourselves in the same boat in the middle of a raging sea, a hole formed in the bottom of this boat. This is not the time to discuss and argue what to do, where to row and how to bail out water. Everyone should grab and row in one direction, as well as jointly bail out water and try to plug the gap. If we get bogged down in discussions, we will perish.

A number of problems are associated with the spiritual life of modern mankind, the degradation of "mass culture", the erosion of established moral, ethical guidelines, people's departure from real problems into the world of illusions generated by drug intoxication, the use of special psychotropic drugs, difficult questions to put before humanity scientific and technological revolution, especially its modern stage - mass computerization, progress towards solving the problem of creating artificial intelligence. Mankind is in danger of losing its spirituality, its ability to perceive and feel the beautiful, to create this beautiful. In the struggle for the preservation of man, scientists rallied who created the "blue" movement (as opposed to the "green" - fighters in defense of nature). This movement defends the right of a person to remain himself, even in the age of modern technology. It must be admitted that in many respects it is necessary to protect a person from himself. After all, who, if not we, strive to put everything on the machine, and indulge in laziness ourselves, waste time on completely useless activities. We are ready to be content with ersatz culture, cheap imitations of great masters. We stopped going to museums, reading books, writing poetry. Publishing houses that undertake to publish the works of the old classics do not dare to print their products in large print runs, but the entire market is overstocked with cheap high-circulation "fiction" - detective stories with shooting, violence, chases, sugary love stories, simple science fiction and comics about space monsters. These books eat up our time, leaving neither mind nor heart to write. We forget the live sounds and voices of musical instruments: violins, cellos, guitars, pianos. Instead, crazy decibels of artificial, synthetic sound. Understanding all this, one can really doubt the value of the human race.

The resolution of these problems is possible only with the help of the concerted efforts of all modern mankind. We all must follow the same path that will lead us out of the current crisis. There are several points of view on the way out of the crisis. Let's consider two opposite views on what should be the role of man in the world, how serious the existing and expected problems with the environment and resources really are, and what to do with these problems.

Neo-Malthusians (followers of the 19th century scholar Malthus) are confident that if current trends continue, the world will become even more overpopulated and more polluted than it is now, and many types of resources will degrade or become depleted. They are confident that such a situation will lead to serious political and economic collisions and increase the threat of nuclear and conventional war as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Members of the opposition group are called Cornucopians. This term comes from the word cornucopia (lat.), meaning a cornucopia, a symbol of wealth. Most Cornucopians are economists. They are confident that, if current trends continue, economic growth and technological advances will ensure the creation of a less crowded, less polluted, and more resource-rich world community. We can say that the disputes between them are akin to disputes between optimists and pessimists. Which of them is right? Can it be argued that only one of the parties is right in this dispute?

Leading scientists of the modern world could not stay away from the discussion and search for ways to resolve global problems. They formed a number of influential international organizations that influence the adoption of important political decisions. One of these organizations - the "Club of Rome" - was created in 1968 by a group of scientists to discuss the problems of the survival of human civilization. For many years, the head of the club was the Italian public figure Aurelio Peccei. It was Peccei who formulated the main task of the organization - the development of research in the field of ecology, resource depletion, economic growth, population explosion, etc. Among the organizers is Eduard Pestel, a well-known German scientist, a specialist in the theory of system analysis and automated control methods. The first report to the Club of Rome was entitled "The Limits to Growth" and was prepared by a research group led by Dennis and Donella Meadows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) and published in 1972. The report denounced the rampant growth of world production. The second report appeared in 1974 and was called "Humanity at the Crossroads". Its compilers were E. Pestel and M. Mesarovich. In it, unlike the first report, the concept of “organic growth” was put forward as a promising for human civilization, in which the world was likened to a living organism, where each region has its own functions within the framework of a single whole.

The third report to the Club of Rome was compiled by the well-known Dutch economist Jan Tinberger and his group. It was called "Restructuring the International Order" or RIO. The RIO project proceeded from the idea of interdependence of all countries and peoples, the need for changes in the socio-economic, political and cultural spheres and the formation of a new world order. The purpose of this order should be to create an effective system of regulation of international relations by coordinating the interests of all countries, both developed and developing, and the problem of creditor states and debtor states must be resolved. Those of them who, in principle, are not able to pay the debts accumulated over decades of unequal existence in the world market, should be knocked off. The world must become more just, otherwise it has little chance of survival. The arms race must be stopped. It is pointless and unpromising to spend huge amounts of money and human resources on the creation of weapons; it is necessary to direct all efforts towards the rational use of the earth's resources, the preservation of the natural balance, and the achievement by all people of the earth of a decent standard of living.

In addition to the Club of Rome, there is also the Pugwash movement, founded by a number of modern humanist scholars (for example, Bertrand Russell, Albert Schweitzer). The main task of this movement is to discuss the problem of scientists' responsibility for the fate of their discoveries, so that these discoveries are not used for evil, so that they are organically combined with the humanistic nature of man, serve him for good.