IN modern society There are various philosophical concepts of human spirituality. The leading place in their identification and study belongs to philosophical and anthropological analysis, which involves the knowledge of the nature, essence and prospects for the development of man, taking into account natural science and social knowledge about him. At the same time, attention is focused on both the epistemological and axiological aspects of the concept of human spirituality.
In the words of the famous thinker Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), "philosophy is the reflection on subjects, knowledge of which is not yet possible." Indeed, such a phenomenon as "spirituality" is not yet included in the scope of science, but is the subject of critically reflective thinking of philosophers. It is studied by many authors, but the thesaurus of the concept of "spirituality" has not received a clear definition and unambiguous interpretation.
Such authors as L.A. Myasnikova, D.V. Pivovarov and L.A. Shumikhina initially correlate the phenomenon of spirituality with a transcendent, religious foundation. We, however, consider it more important to consider spirituality from an axiological perspective: as a desire for higher expediency, which can become a system-forming worldview factor of our time. This idea is reflected in the works of young scientists, participants of the All-Russian scientific conference"Spiritual values in science, culture, education", held on the basis of the YarSU named after.
On present stage spirituality is revealed as an independent essential property of the world (expediency), in the process of mastering which a person develops and improves.
Spirituality is a new stage in the rational regulation of human relations with the world, which is characterized by the formation of a person as a purposeful, self-improving being. It can be considered as the sphere of revealing the reserves of the organization of man and the modification of his nature, the striving for the realization of the highest expediency. This criterion can be considered a backbone for spirituality. That is, by identifying in each movement the main thing, the main thing that leads not to a random goal, but to a goal that forms a system of a higher order, a language of a higher level, we reveal the spirit (spiritual intention).
There are certain signs and properties of human spirituality: creativity, responsibility, ability spiritual man organically fit into the world, etc.
The spiritual, active behavior of a person requires the development of a multi-valued logic, within which the concepts of "highest expediency", "highest values" will be substantiated.
The concept of a spiritual person reflected, in our opinion, the formation modern man in the changing environment of interaction: globalization of communication, loss of identity, new virtual culture.
The crisis of spirituality today is directly related to the problems of axiology: the problem of the nature of values, the problem of value absolutes and their criteria, the problem of understanding and assimilation of value meanings, the question of the relationship between national and universal, personal and collective values, etc.
The crisis of spirituality (goal-setting) in ethics is also associated with the name of Kant, for whom the whole area of morality, duty, freedom, moral ideal is a kind of supernatural and even divine reality, which science can only guess on the basis of indirect evidence - internal experiences.
NI Shevchenko writes: "Spiritual values are the arbiters of human well-being. They are creative and constructive mechanisms that work to stabilize society, to prevent its destruction, this is their regularity."
G.A. Avanesova notes that in modern Western works on society and culture, the concept of "spiritual culture" is almost never used, and the term "spirituality" is usually used in the world literature of religious and philosophical content.
The concept of "spiritual culture" is traditionally correlated with the concept of "material culture". The phenomena of consciousness, the products of its activity, are the "objects" of spiritual culture: language, customs and mores, art, science, etc.
Spiritual culture is often defined as a system of spiritual values. In our opinion, it is more correct to define it as a system of goals that become the cause of movement.
Culture can be divided into two components: dead and living. The first is material, static, the second is spiritual, dynamic. But the spiritual component of culture can also have its own culture, its own value core.
Understanding spirituality as a system of driving principles will allow us to analyze both the lofty aspirations of people - the innermost psychological experiences associated with religious orientation, and the manifestations of everyday cultural practice - atheistic positions, movements of the soul of an individualistic orientation.
Spirituality should be associated not with the "highest estimates" of human qualities, but with the "highest goals" that a person pursues.
G.A. Avanesova notes that in most cases Soviet analytical thought understood the spiritual as the ideal, but a number of historians, philosophers, literary critics (D. Likhachev, S. Averintsev, A. Losev, M. Bakhtin, etc.) developed a value-understanding approach to the study of the spiritual culture, when under the spiritual one sees the syncretic aspiration of a person and society to a high and perfect state.
The values prevailing in society are different in their substantive content.
Therefore, spirituality can also be represented by different types:
Aestheticism (the dominant value is beauty);
- theorism (the dominant value is truth), traditionally divided into materialism and idealism;
- ethism (the dominant value is good, the desire to evaluate life from moral positions), as well as individualism, collectivism, catholicity, communality.
Consideration of spirituality depending on the connection with various types of human activity was carried out by M. M. Bakhtin, R. L. Livshits, V. G. Fedotova.
Religiousness (the will of God is thought to be the source of moral norms);
- politicism (desire for power).
But more often they talk about the need to typify spirituality on the basis of religiosity and secularism.
All these types of spirituality are real life one-sidedness, generated by the division of labor and the absolutization of various aspects of spiritual activity.
The spirituality of the man of the "modern time" presupposes a harmonious union of the above types. Integrated spirituality is the unity of truth, goodness and beauty.
The main criteria for such spirituality can be:
Intentionality, i.e., the orientation "outside" to something or someone. We are talking about setting ideal goals, which is already the surest indicator of a spiritually developed personality;
- reflection on the basic life values that make up the meaning of a person's existence and serve as guidelines in life choices;
- freedom, understood as self-determination, i.e. the ability to act in accordance with their goals and values, and not under the yoke of external circumstances;
- creativity - understood as self-creation, aimed at realizing one's meaning of life;
- a developed conscience is something to which a person is responsible for the realization of his meaning of life, as well as for everything that happens in the world.
(These are the criteria of spirituality in the understanding of N.A. Berdyaev, V. Frankl, E. Fromm, T. de Chardin, M. Scheler, etc.)
The presented types of spirituality are based on the concept of "value", the significance of which for ethics was revealed by M. Scheler (1874-1928) and N. Hartmann (1882-1950) in their books on ethics. After the concept "value" was introduced into ethics, all ethical problematizations began to focus on it.
The concept of human spirituality is the system of values of the individual, his ideas about himself, which determine behavior through the will. This is a hierarchy of values, where the main ones are the "higher values" of the spirit, subordinating the values of the flesh.
IN modern world often come to the fore wealth while people completely forget about the spiritual side. So what is more important anyway? What are the material and spiritual
The concept and examples of material values
Our society is currently built in such a way that a person cannot exist without a set of certain things, items that make his life easier and more comfortable. So the origins material assets lies in the need for people to satisfy their needs.
Material values are a set of objects, money, property, the significance of which for a person is very high. Examples of such valuables are real estate, cars, gold jewelry, furs, furniture, appliances and equipment.
Some people are more, some less dependent on material goods. Some people cannot imagine their existence without expensive things, others are limited to only the most necessary. However, one way or another, material values occupy a significant place in people's lives.
Basic spiritual values of a person
Spiritual values are a set of moral, religious, beliefs of a person that are significant for him. They are formed from birth, change and improve over time. Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material ones in order to understand how important they are in our life.
Spiritual values include love, friendship, sympathy, respect, self-realization, creativity, freedom, faith in oneself and in God. All this helps us to find harmony with ourselves and those around us. These values are of particular importance, give meaning to life and make us human.
What to answer if asked: "Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material"?
Based on the concepts and given examples of spiritual and material values, we can conclude that their similarity lies in their significance and importance for a person. Both those and others make our existence flawed and meaningless without them.
So, you were asked: "Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material values." What will you answer? The answer boils down to the fact that the first of them cannot be seen and touched. However, this is not the most important difference.
First of all, like any good, it is limited. Contrary to the wishes of people, they cannot be available to each of us. Spiritual values are universal. Their number is infinite and does not depend on the number of people who possess them. Spiritual values can become the property of every person, regardless of his financial situation and other factors that are an obstacle to obtaining material values.
What values are more important for a person
Someone will say that in no case should you elevate material wealth over relationships with loved ones and your own conscience. For other people, there are no prohibitions and boundaries on the way to wealth and fame. Which of them is right and what is more important for a person?
The material and spiritual values of culture are closely interrelated. People will not feel comfortable having only one of these. For example, many businessmen who have earned a huge fortune often feel unhappy because they could not find harmony with their soul. At the same time, a person with a rich inner world will not feel good about losing their home or livelihood.
Thus, if someone asks you: “Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material values and explain which of them are more important for a person,” say that this cannot be answered unambiguously. Everyone sets their own priorities.
The mistake of some people is the desire to take possession of as much wealth as possible at all costs. At the same time, in the pursuit of money, they neglect friendship, honesty, warm relations with their loved ones. The approach is also wrong when people, living in poverty, do not make any efforts to improve their own. They believe that the main thing for them is wealth. inner world and everything else is completely irrelevant. Ideally, one should try to find the right balance between spiritual and material values.
Each person has their own unique value system. In the modern world, material goods often come to the fore, while people completely forget about the spiritual side. So what is more important anyway? What are the material and spiritual values of a person?
Our society is currently built in such a way that a person cannot exist without a set of certain things, items that make his life easier and more comfortable. Thus, the origins of material values lie in the need for people to satisfy their needs.
Material values are a set of objects, money, property, the significance of which for a person is very high. Examples of such valuables are real estate, cars, gold jewelry, furs, furniture, appliances and equipment.
Some people are more, some less dependent on material goods. Some people cannot imagine their existence without expensive things, others are limited to only the most necessary. However, one way or another, material values occupy a significant place in people's lives.
Basic spiritual values of a person
Spiritual values are a set of moral, religious, moral, ethical beliefs of a person that are significant for him. They are formed from birth, change and improve over time. Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material ones in order to understand how important they are in our life.
Spiritual values include love, friendship, sympathy, respect, self-realization, creativity, freedom, faith in oneself and in God. All this helps us to find harmony with ourselves and those around us. These values are of particular importance, give meaning to life and make us human.
What to answer if they ask: “Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material values”?
Based on the concepts and given examples of spiritual and material values, we can conclude that their similarity lies in their significance and importance for a person. Both those and others make our existence flawed and meaningless without them.
So, you were asked: "Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material ones." What will you answer? The answer boils down to the fact that the first of them cannot be seen and touched. However, this is not the most important difference.
First of all, like any resources, wealth is limited. Contrary to the wishes of people, they cannot be available to each of us. Spiritual values are universal. Their number is infinite and does not depend on the number of people who possess them. Spiritual values can become the property of every person, regardless of his financial situation and other factors that are an obstacle to obtaining material values.
What values are more important for a person
Someone will say that in no case should you elevate material wealth over relationships with loved ones and your own conscience. For other people, there are no prohibitions and boundaries on the way to wealth and fame. Which of them is right and what is more important for a person?
The material and spiritual values of culture are closely interrelated. People will not feel comfortable having only one of these kinds of values. For example, many businessmen who have earned a huge fortune often feel unhappy because they could not find harmony with their soul. At the same time, a person with a rich inner world will not feel good about losing their home or livelihood.
Thus, if someone asks you: “Formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material values and explain which of them are more important for a person,” say that this cannot be answered unambiguously. Everyone sets their own priorities.
The mistake of some people is the desire to take possession of as much wealth as possible at all costs. At the same time, in the pursuit of money, they neglect friendship, honesty, warm relations with their loved ones. The approach is also wrong when people, living in poverty, do not make any efforts to improve their financial situation. They believe that the main thing for them is a rich inner world, and everything else is completely unimportant. Ideally, one should try to find the right balance between spiritual and material values.
Oddly enough, it has become quite fashionable to talk about what values are more important for a person. There is such a thin line between the two "fires" that it is sometimes difficult to put one or the other in the first place. To prioritize, you will have to understand and study in depth what are the main differences between spiritual values and material ones. Often people are confused, characterizing their actions as done for the good, but in fact they are driven by the material side.
What are material and spiritual values for a person
Without material and spiritual values it is impossible to imagine any human life. No matter how someone chases after money and expensive things, he will always need understanding, care, his own significance in relationships, mental peace, love. And with the loss of material significance, existence becomes unbearable, the spiritual side ceases to bring happiness.
Material values are everything that can be bought, created, built. In other words, that there is an opportunity to see, touch, use. Bought - clothes, cars, medicines. Companies, factories, industry are being created. Houses, shops, schools are being built. Everything that is in the office or apartment also refers to material values.
Spiritual values are something that cannot be seen, felt tactilely, sold or bought. These values are within every person. For some they are more, and for others they are less important. These include: freedom, joy, justice, dignity, creativity, harmony, respect. The list can continue indefinitely, everyone determines for himself what is most significant.
For a clearer understanding, you should study examples of material values.
- Not a single person will survive without food, water, comfortable living conditions. To secure this for yourself, you will have to earn and spend money.
- Books, paintings, sculptures are more of spiritual values, but in order to possess them, you need to pay.
- Clothes, medicines, cars are also integral parts of the material world. Without them, a person does not feel happy, becomes doomed (in case of illness), alienated (dressing in rags, having unsuitable transport).
Examples of spiritual values
- No matter how strong the satisfaction from material life is, the soul will be drawn to mutual understanding, the search for true happiness, love.
- Without love, even a strong, steely nature will eventually wither away and lose the meaning of life. Procreation, raising children, become one of the most important spiritual values.
- A creative nature, not being able to do what they love, loses its purpose, doing unloved work only to satisfy primary needs.
How to understand what is more important for a particular person? This will become clear, having learned what goals he sets for himself. But there is a catch in that the achievement of one value always leads to the completion of another.
For example, a person sets as his goal the creation of a solid bank account, building a large business, gaining fame. He goes to his dreams, not sparing and closing his eyes to the feelings of other people. The priority is only material wealth. Having come to your goal, there is a lack of something else very important. Of course, the spiritual component. During the races, he did not think about creating a family, he forgot about his parents. And suddenly having lost all his fortune, he is left with nothing at all. No friends, no money, no happiness.
Why is it that one person values only money, while the other is content with little. The root of all problems or successes is education. The ability of the child to find a balance between the material and the spiritual depends on how educated the parents are. Buying everything that the child desires for every whim, he becomes sure that everything in life gets just like that. As an adult, he will need a job where he will wait for someone to work in his place.
Therefore, gifts should not be given to stop whims, but to give the child the opportunity to receive them, for example, for good behavior or appreciation. Pocket money should also be obtained for certain actions. And when there is a desire to spend them, the child will remember how hard he earned them, and what work he will have to do to get them again.
What to answer if you are suddenly asked to formulate the main differences between spiritual values and material ones?
For each person, one is more important than the other. This is due to what he lacks in a particular period of life. If everything is in order in his family and relationships, but bad with money, the emphasis will be on the latter. The desire for peace of mind, good deeds, respect for others, speaks of the usefulness of the spiritual state. Such people are not chasing fame and big money, they are happy here and now. Of course, education also plays a huge role here.
As a rule, a person becomes happy by learning to maintain a balance between materiality and spirituality. This can take many years, or even a lifetime. The world dictates its own rules - overtake others, go over the heads, become the most popular. A person lights up, seeing other people's successes. It makes its way, forgetting about morality and morality. It is important to understand what is really necessary and what you can do without, while remaining cheerful and ambitious. But they say correctly, what kind of attitude you want to yourself, so do with others.
Own realization, respect for people, observance of public morality is a combination of material and spiritual values. The main thing is that the realization of your most significant desires comes as soon as possible. Without losing the most fleeting - time.
The main differences between spiritual values and material was last modified: December 17th, 2015 by Elena Pogodaeva
Spiritual values are a kind of spiritual capital of mankind, accumulated over millennia, which not only does not depreciate, but, as a rule, increases. Acting as criteria for the spiritual development of a person, spiritual values express the meaning of his existence and life.
The concept of "spiritual values" covers social ideals, attitudes and assessments, as well as norms and prohibitions, goals and projects, standards and standards, principles of action, expressed in the form of normative ideas about good, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, fair and unfair, lawful and illegal, about the meaning of history and the destiny of man. As can be seen, they are heterogeneous in content, as well as in functions and the nature of the requirements for their implementation. Standards, rules, canons, standards are included in the class of prescriptions that rigidly program goals and methods of activity. The norms, tastes and ideals that serve as the algorithm of culture are more flexible, representing sufficient freedom in the implementation of values. Spiritual values motivate people's behavior and provide a stable relationship between people in society.
Classification of spiritual values
1. Health values - show what place health and everything related to it occupies in the value hierarchy, what prohibitions are more or less strong in relation to health.
2. Personal life - describe the set of values responsible for sexuality, love and other manifestations of intersexual interaction.
3. Family - show the attitude towards the family, parents and children.
4. Professional activities - describe the attitudes and requirements for work and finance for this particular individual.
5. Intellectual sphere - they show what place thinking and intellectual development occupy in a person's life.
6. Death and spiritual development - values responsible for the attitude towards death, spiritual development, religion and church.
7. Society - values responsible for a person's attitude to the state, society, political system, etc.
8. Hobbies - values that describe what an individual's hobbies, hobbies and leisure activities should be.
Max Scheler The main areas of his research are descriptive psychology, in particular the psychology of feeling, and the sociology of knowledge, in which he distinguished a number of types of religious, metaphysical, scientific thinking(depending on their attitude towards God, the world, values, reality) and tried to put them in connection with certain forms of social, practical state and economic life. The contemplative and cognizing person, according to Scheler, is opposed by objective, objective worlds not created by man, each of which has its own essence accessible to contemplation and its own laws (essential laws); the latter stand above the empirical laws of the existence and manifestation of the corresponding objective worlds, in which these entities become data due to perception. In this sense, Scheler considers philosophy to be the highest science of essence, the broadest in scope. At the end of his spiritual evolution, Scheler left the soil of the Catholic religion of revelation and developed a pantheistic-personalist metaphysics, within which he wanted to include all sciences, including anthropology. Nevertheless, he did not completely depart from his phenomenological-ontological point of view, but the problems of philosophical anthropology, the founder of which he was, and the problem of theogony, now moved to the center of his philosophy.
Scheler's theory of value
At the center of Scheler's thought is his theory of value. According to Scheler, the value of being an object preceded perception. The axiological reality of values preceded knowledge. Values and their corresponding disvalues exist in objectively ordered ranks:
the values of the saint against the non-values of the vicious;
the values of the mind (truth, beauty, justice) against the non-values of lies, ugliness, injustice;
the values of life and honor versus the non-values of dishonor;
pleasure values versus non-pleasure values;
the values of the useful versus the non-values of the useless.
