Article
Article name The Irrationality of Public Consciousness
Authors Ardashev R.G. Candidate of Law, ardachev.rg@bk.ru
Bibliographic description Ardashev R. G. The Irrationality of Public Consciousness // Humanitarian Vector. 2020. Vol. 15, No. 2. PP. 76–84. DOI: 10.21209/1996-7853-2020-15-2-76-84.
Section PHILOSOPHY OF THINKING AND COGNITION
UDK 801.31
DOI 10.21209/1996-7853-2020-15-2-76-84
Article type
Annotation The article discusses the forms, conditions and features of the development of the irrational consciousness of our contemporaries. On the basis of increasing faith in supernatural, not logical but intuitive, prelogical knowledge, the idea of strengthening the irrationality of individuals and social groups, the emergence of new and the revival and strengthening of old explanatory models of social reproduction is proved. The example of our own empirical research shows the forms of irrationality, the causes and consequences of its actualization, changes in styles and forms of thinking, violation of cause-effect relationships and patterns, inconsistency of actions and many other processes based on prelogical thinking, social anomie of social reproduction. In addition, with the help of factor analysis, explanatory models and explanatory paradigms of thinking that are relevant for those who are prone to irrational thinking (sociocultural, socio-psychological, socio-educational, ideological-ideological form of irrationality of public consciousness) are considered. Examples of respondents’ answers about the importance and motivation of using irrational thinking in their ordinary everyday life are also given. The study takes into account both macro indicators of socio-cultural development (traditions, customs, beliefs) and micro indicators of social practices (rituals, social actions endowed with mystical power and supernatural strategies of explanation). The result of this study is the conclusion about the strengthening of the irrationality of thinking of contemporaries, which acts as an instrument of social adaptation to social changes, requiring new points of support for participants in social interactions, the search for new meanings of life, new strategies for explaining and interpreting events. The irrationality of thinking is a quasi-indicator of social reality, changing the conditions of social reproduction and social dynamics in general.
Key words irrationality of consciousness, social anomie, social uncertainty, lack of confidence, lack of reference points
Article information
References 1. Andryushkova, N. P. Psychological factors of superstition in youth. Bulletin of the Perm University. Philosophy. Psychology. Sociology, no. 3, pp. 107–114, 2016. (In Rus.) 2. Golovakha-Hicks, I. Ye. The concept of paralogical thinking of L. Levy-Bruhl and the role of the mystic in modern consciousness (based on modern beliefs and folklore narratives). Traditional Culture, no. 3, pp. 164–173, 2011. (In Rus.) 3. James, W. The diversity of religious experience. M: Nauka, 1993. (In Rus.) 4. Durkheim, E. Elementary forms of religious life. Mysticism. Religion. The science. Classics of world religious studies. Anthology. M: Canon +, 1998: 175–231. (In Rus.) 5. Kabanova, L. I. Games with the «pre-logical». Studia Culturae, no. 39, pp. 47–55, 2019. (In Rus.) 6. Levy-Bruhl, L. Supernatural in primitive thinking. M: Pedagogica, 1994. (In Rus.) 7. Polyushkevich, O. A. The transition ritual: implementation tasks for incurable diseases. Health Philosophy: Integral Approach. Interuniversity collection of scientific papers. Irkutsk: IGMU, 2018: 12–20. (In Rus.) 8. Polyushkevich, O. A. Rituals as social conjunctors. Consolidation of Russian society: organizational, educational and sociocultural resources. Materials of the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference. Ed. O. A. Karmadonova, O. A. Polyushkevich. Irkutsk: ISU, 2015: 338–341. (In Rus.) 9. Fromm, E. Psychoanalysis and religion. To have or to be? M: Politizdat, 1990. (In Rus.) 10. Ariely, D. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions. New York, NY: Harper-Collins. 2008. (In Engl.) 11. Davison, Gerald C. Irrational beliefs in the articulated thoughts of college students with social anxiety. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, no. 5, pp. 238–254, 1987. (In Engl.) 12. Deglin, V. L. Paradoxical Aspects of Human Thinking. Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology, vol. 39, pp. 12–32, 2003. (In Engl.) 13. Evans, J. S. B. T. Rationality and the illusion of choice. Front Psychol, no. 5: 104, 2014. DOI: 10.3389 / fpsyg.2014.00104 (In Engl.) 14. Goldstein, D. G., Gigerenzer G. Models of ecological rationality: the recognition heuristic. Psychol. Rev, no. 109, pp. 75–90, 2002. doi: 10.1037 / 0033–295X.109.1.75 (In Engl.) 15. Kim, G. R., Olson, M. H. Sound mind, irrational behavior? Front. Psychol., no. 5: 104, 2014. DOI: 10.3389 / fpsyg.2014.00104 (In Engl.) 16. Stanovich, K. E. Rationality and the Reflective Mind. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2011. (In Engl.)
Full articleThe Irrationality of Public Consciousness
0
20