printRussia’s paths in the future:
is our society ready to become a «Good Society»?
Koval E.A.
Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Assoc. Prof., Middle-Volga Institute – branch of All-Russian State University of Justice (RLA of the Ministry of Justice of Russia) in Saransk, Saransk, Russia nwifesc@yandex.ru
Ushkin S.G.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Leading Researcher of the social processes monitoring department of the Scientific Center of Social-Economic Monitoring State Institution, Saransk, Russia ushkinsergey@gmail.com
Koval E.A., Ushkin S.G. Russia’s paths in the future: is our society ready to become a «Good Society»?. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2018. No 2. P. 136-145
Actual theoretical and methodological trend in Russian and Western sociology is the reference to social and ethical problematics. In this connection, so the authors, praxeological significance obtains the notion of social imaginary – «good society». Models of «good society» are constructed basing on values and norms of everyday life. Substantial characteristics of a «good society» are being worked out in the framework of the discussion of liberals and communitarians. It is necessary to carry out an empirical analysis of the value-normative content of social good for the development of a generalized model that goes beyond this discussion, and is adapted to current Russian social realities. In this article the authors try to identify main structural elements of a «good society» relevant to these Russian conditions. The empirical basis of research results from the author’s questionnaire survey «Normative foundations of a “good society”» in April–July 2016 in the branches of the All-Russian State University of Justice (RLA of the Ministry of Justice of Russia) in twelve Russian cities. The choice of students of legal specialties as an object of research is motivated by the fact that they are promising social group already in the near future to use their professional skills for normative construction and reproduction of society that is understood at least as viable. The study revealed a significant gap between «ought» and «is» in the social imaginary of the youth, especially for such values as income and ecology. The authors argue that Russian society today contains both elements of a «good society» and the prerequisites for its further improvement.
Abraham M. (2015) Sociology’s Role in Making of Just Society. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 7: 3–5. (In Russ.)
Adorno T (2010). Introduction to Sociology. Moscow: Praxis. (In Russ.)
Bellah R.N., Madsen R., Tipton S.M., Sullivan W.M., Swidler A. (1992) The Good Society. NY: Vintage.
Belyanin A.V., Zinchenko V.P. (2010) Confidence in the Economy and Public Life. Moscow: Foundation «Liberalnaja missija» (In Russ.)
Burawoy M. (2010) Sociology: Facing the Inequalities. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 7: 5–14. (In Russ.)
Christoffersen H., Beyeler M., Eichenberger R., Nannestad P., Paldam M. (2014) The Good Society: A Comparative Study of Denmark and Switzerland. Berlin: Springer–Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Chukin S.G. (2009) «A Good Society» and its Opponents: to Problem of Conceptualisaton of Values in a Social Science. Russian Studies in Philosophy. No. 5: 36–46. (In Russ.)
Dworkin R. (2004) Taking Rights Seriously. Moscow: ROSSPEN. (In Russ.)
Etzioni A. (2002) The Good Society. Seattle Journal of Social Justice. Vol. 1. No. 1: 83–96.
Fedotova V.G. (2005) A Good Society. Moscow: Progress–Tradicija. (In Russ.)
Galbraith J.K. (1997) The Good Society: The Humane Agenda. Boston, NY: Mariner Books.
Honneth A. (1996) The Struggle for Recognition: The Moral Grammar of Social Conflicts (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Koval E.A. (2016) «The Good Society» as a Normative Ideal. Historical, Philosophical, Political and Law Sciences, Culturology and Study of Art. Issues of Theory and Practice. No. 4–2: 75–78. (In Russ.)
MacIntyre A. (2000) After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. Moscow: Akademicheskij proekt; Ekaterinburg: Delovaja kniga. (In Russ.)
Peltz A. (1998) The Good Society: The Humane Agenda. Azure. No. 5. URL: http://azure.org.il/include/print. php?id=386 (accessed 29.08.2017).
Rawls J. (1995) A Theory of Justice. Novosibirsk: Novosibirsk Univ. Press. (In Russ.)
Romanovskiy N.V. (2015) Future as a Problem of Contemporary Sociology. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 11: 13–22. (In Russ.)
Sandel M. (1982) Liberalism and the Limits of Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sen A. The Idea of Justice. London: Allen Lane, 2009.
Taylor Ch. (2007) A Secular Age. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Thompson J.B. (1984) Studies in the Theory of Ideology. LA: University of California Press Berkeley.
Tikhonov A.V. (2009) Russian Society as a New Social Reality and Meta-project of Our Sociology. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological studies]. No. 12: 16–25. (In Russ.)