The issue of the purpose and subject of social philosophy

The article raises the important issue of the social and political philosophy’s subject and analyzes the ways to resolve it. In defining the subject of social philosophy, the authors consider the specifics of the philosophical form of cognition as well as the need for an ontological marking of society as a subject of social philosophy and also for the identification of cultural and historical types of society. The authors believe that today’s practice of socio-philosophical dissertation research urgently requires the development of a theoretically verified definition of the subject of social philosophy. An initial definition of the subject of social philosophy is given as society in its entirety. Further, this definition is clarified in light of ideas about the purpose of social philosophy, using the concept of society as a really existing integrity, or a «socio-historical organism». Accordingly, the general subject of social philosophy is specific real societies, regional and global systems of these societies with their general and typologically specific characteristics. The paper analyzes the relationship between social and political philosophy within the framework of the new general scientific specialty uniting these two disciplines. The authors show that research in political philosophy within the framework of the passport of the new specialty should be relevant in relation to the representation of society as an integrity in social philosophy. Further, the authors discuss the relationship between different subjects of the research areas specified in the passport and the subject of social and political philosophy, this entailing the question of the essence of interdisciplinary research. The paper gives recommendations to authors of dissertation research works on social and political philosophy.