Socio-philosophical analysis of definitions and typology of the extremism phenomenon

Any extremist activity is a factor in undermining the political, economic, social and spiritual foundations of society. The analysis of official materials and statistics on this issue gives reason to suggest that the scale, mobility of extremist activity and its geography have increased significantly over the past twenty years. This article discusses the essence and classification of the concept of extremism. It is noted that a single definition of the phenomenon of "extremism" has not been worked out. The author concludes that numerous discussions on the definition of extremism and its typologization reveal the complexity and danger of this problem. Simultaneously, it is obvious that the lack of a unified interpretation of extremism creates certain barriers to the legislative process and law enforcement practice. In the author’s interpretation, modern extremism is a ‘mode of activity’, a complex structured phenomenon, which is not always possible to be reviewed in one typology.