“The runaway world” and “liqiud modernity”: the image of sociality in British post-nonclassical sociology

The content of the article is focused on analyzing the problems of reflecting social instability and searching for vectors of development in contemporary British postnonclassical sociology. The issues of class inequality, dichotomy of freedom and order, egalitarianism and elitism, past and future, local and global dimensions are highlighted and analyzed. It is emphasized that contemporary British postnonclassical sociology is seriously influenced by the factors of social instability, total risks, and the lack of a distinct positive image of a desirable future. Bauman’s “liquid modernity” is presented. Common postulates of the theories are revealed, such as instability of the present and unpredictability of the future, frustrated and loneliness of personality in modern society. Differences in the accents of constructing the model of modern sociality by these scientists are noted. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that British postnonclassical sociology, represented by its two most prominent representatives, is clearly oriented towards the search for integration of the poles of the dichotomies under study, which is manifested in Giddens’ category of trust and Bauman’s category of dialog. This testifies to the gradual penetration of the axiological component into the paradigm of modern sociology.