In search of a national idea: conversation with professor Vasiliy Gritsenko

The main topic of the interview with a prominent Russian philosopher, Professor Vasily Petrovich Gritsenko, held in 2020, was problems related to state ideology, its essence and attempts to substantiate it, the national identity of the Russian people, their self-awareness. In the context of the search for the spiritual paradigm of Russian society, the views of Russian philosophers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries are considered. (themes of the Russian idea, the concept of a “God-bearing people,” Russian cosmism, etc.). Attention is paid to the development of social design technologies and the influence of “soft power” applied from the outside on social processes and the direction of social development. The main qualitative characteristics of the Eurasian direction of domestic policy and civilizational development are identified. An attempt is made to philosophically and culturally comprehend the spiritual unity of the peoples of Russia. The importance and necessity of preserving the cultural tradition accumulated by generations of historical spiritual experience is noted. Respect for cultural heritage is understood as a necessary condition for the adequate exercise by man and society of freedom of choice; otherwise, freedom will lead to the repetition of previously committed mistakes. The importance of the antinomies that the search for state ideology in Russia has faced over the years is emphasized. The idea of messianism as the basis of the Russian idea is criticized. The topic of civilizational differences and related concepts (civilizational choice, civilizational level) are considered. The distinction between the concepts of “culture” and “civilization” is substantiated, and the assumption is made that civilization as a conglomerate of cultures can only be defined through the presence of cultural differences. The ideas of Arnold Toynbee and Bronisław Malinowski related to the understanding of culture as a unique integrity, the statement of the thesis about the multilinear development of civilization are analyzed, and the value foundations of Russian culture are discussed. Russophobia is condemned as a phenomenon that does not relate to civilization as a highly organized system of cultural relations; Russophobic images created in the West are interpreted as mythologems, products of sick fantasy that arose in mass culture. It is suggested that the core of Russian culture (its ideal, future-oriented essence, created during the times of Kievan Rus) is its important reproductive property and contains the constructive potential of social unity.