Philosophical Understanding of the Process of Modernizing the Institutions of the Rule of Law and Civil Society in the 21st Century

Based on an analysis of sources, facts of public life, and the historical process, the study examines the origin and development of the rule of law and civil society. Their peculiarities in modern and postmodern culture are revealed. It is shown that changes in these institutions entail their transformation into simulacra – structures that strive to preserve their traditional form, but change their essence. Unfortunately, the essence of the rule of law and civil society in the 21st century is the direct opposite of the concepts that were formulated in the works of philosophers of Antiquity and the Enlightenment. While paying lip service to the classical principles of the rule of law, modern politicians are actually forming a new totalitarianism. This new totalitarianism is also a simulacrum. It is based on the proclaimed principles of total freedom of expression, which in practice means a ban on the manifestation of any traditionalism.