Globalization of human activity. Man in the face of global problems of our time
Social foresight is an important task of social philosophy. Interest in the future in the modern era has become especially aggravated due to the acceleration of the "rhythm of history", with the emergence of global problems of our time. Global problems are called problems that are universal in nature. They affect the interests of both humanity as a whole and each individual. Their solution involves the unification of the efforts of most states and organizations at the international level.
All global problems of our time are interconnected. They did not ripen separately, but became a single result of the spontaneity and uneven development of mankind. In the second half of the 20th century, under the influence of scientific and technological progress and the acceleration of the pace of development, all kinds of contradictions are exacerbated, the disproportion in socio-economic, political, cultural development, in the demographic and environmental situation is increasing. Many believe that the crisis of modern civilization is ultimately caused precisely by scientific and technological development.
Economic interaction and increased technical capabilities contribute to the unification of mankind. Distance no longer separates nations. The planet becomes "transparent" for the communication of peoples. Humanity is uniting into a global civilization, but the problems in its development are becoming global.
1). Problems of interaction between nature and society. The growth of production rates leads to a deepening of the ecological crisis, puts a person before the problem of the exhaustibility of non-renewable natural resources. In the 20th century, the interaction of nature and society goes to new stage. To describe this new stage, V.I. Vernadsky introduced the concept of "noosphere". The noosphere (the sphere of the mind) is the sphere of interaction between man and nature, within which rational human activity is the decisive force.
2). Uneven socio-economic development of regions and countries of the world. The gap between the richest and poorest peoples is growing, one of the reasons for which was the colonial system.
3). demographic problem. Increasing rates of population growth in backward countries lead to a shortage of food and resources. At the same time, some developed countries are threatened by depopulation.
4). Health problems. Poverty and overpopulation in backward countries lead to the spread of epidemic diseases. In developed countries, the number of cardiovascular and mental diseases is increasing as a result of the increasing pace of life. And the spread of such hitherto incurable diseases as cancer and AIDS has become a threat to all mankind.
5). Exacerbation of political contradictions. After the fall of the socialist bloc, the United States is striving to become the sole pole of international politics. Inevitably, their interests clash with those of many countries. Israel's support pits the US against the mighty Muslim world. The situation is aggravated by the growing migration of the population from backward countries, including Muslim ones, to the developed countries of the West. The response of the West was the spread of nationalist ideas. Contradictions took on the character of a clash of civilizations. Mankind is faced with another global problem of our time, the name of which is international terrorism.
6). The threat of war. There is still a possibility that local military conflicts will escalate into a global one. Given the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, this problem is one of the most dangerous.
Each of the global problems of our time threatens humanity in itself. And, intertwined together, they call into question the very possibility of continuing human history. The premonition of the end of history appeared in the reflections of many philosophers. It was especially aggravated in the era of severe social upheavals. For the last two centuries, mankind has felt the acceleration of the rhythm of history, as if social time has become denser.
Many times false prophets predicted "the end of the world." I would like to believe that this time the society will also resolve the accumulated contradictions and enter a new era in its history. What it will be depends largely on us.
Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below
Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.
Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/
Kyrgyz - Russian Slavic University
Department of World Economy
Philosophy essay
Subject:Humanitybeforefaceglobalproblems
Bishkek 2010
Introduction
1. Origin and essence of global problems
1.1 Global problems and their historical formation
1.2 Hierarchy of global problems
2. Ways to resolve global problems
Conclusion
List of used literature
Introduction
The modern era has posed new problems for society that require philosophical reflection. Among them are the so-called global problems. They are associated with a number of factors: acceleration of processes community development; increase in anthropogenic impact on nature; detection of exhaustibility of natural resources; the ultimate aggravation of the problem of human survival; the all-penetrating influence of modern technical means and mass media, etc. The relevance of the topic of the work lies in the fact that at the beginning of the XXI century, modern civilization, having reached considerable heights in various fields public life- science, technology, culture - came face to face with the most acute global problems that threaten the very existence of civilization and even life itself on our planet. Their circle is fairly well known today. These are military-political, resource-economic, demographic, world economic problems, which manifest themselves, in particular, through crises in the field of healthcare, education, culture, and growing crime.
In the course of the development of civilization, complex problems have repeatedly arisen before mankind, sometimes of a planetary nature. These problems manifested themselves in full measure already in the second half of the 20th century, that is, at the turn of two millennia. They were brought to life by a whole complex of reasons that clearly manifested themselves precisely during this period.
How relevant this problem is now, how difficult it is to find the right approaches to solving it, the reason for this complexity lies in the fact that its roots lie in human relation to the world, in the worldview of not just individuals, but of all modern humanity, in the public consciousness, including all standards, stereotypes, as well as beliefs rooted in it. This is complicated by the heterogeneity and diversity of views and life concepts that exist in various regions and countries of our planet, which have developed due to a wide variety of social, cultural, economic and even geographical differences. Nevertheless, I will try to consider ways to solve global problems in the second chapter.
The purpose of this essay is to give modern ideas about the essence of global problems and the nature of their interrelations, about the role and tasks of science in general, and geography in particular, in developing a strategy and methodology for their solution.
1 . OriginAndessenceglobalproblems
1. 1 Global Problems And their historical becoming
Global problems are a set of vital problems that affect humanity as a whole and cannot be resolved within individual states and even geographical regions.
This term comes from the French word global- universal and from Latin globe(terrae) - the globe. It means a set of urgent problems of mankind, on the solution of which social progress and the preservation of civilization depend. Philosophical encyclopedias indicate that this term (“global problems”) has been widely used since the 60s.
At present, the term "globalistics", closely related to global problems, has become widely used. Globalistics is "the totality scientific research aimed at identifying the essence of global problems or problems affecting the interests of humanity as a whole and each individual, and finding ways to overcome them. The philosophical aspect of globalistics includes issues of a global outlook (the meaning of life, consistency, determinism, the relationship between necessity and chance, etc.), epistemological issues (such as questions of truth and lies in the case of public awareness of the Chernobyl tragedy), ethical issues ( concerning the responsibility, ethics of scientists or politicians, etc.), questions of social philosophy (on the criteria for social progress, on the material basis for the development of society, etc.). The development of the philosophical aspect of global studies may in the future become one of the independent disciplines within the framework of philosophy. The study of global problems leads, on the one hand, to the growth of information within globalistics itself, and on the other hand, to an expansion of the problematic and a deepening of understanding of the categories of philosophical knowledge proper. Globalistics in our time is becoming one of the most important sources of expanding ideas about reality in social philosophy.
It should be noted that the concept of "globalization" is closely connected with the concept of "global problem". It means integrating many into one (growing interdependence of elements and systems) and achieving sustainable, highly efficient development. Unfortunately, in the globalization process over the past century, negative aspects have become more and more significant and new moments have arisen associated with regression and degradation. At the end of the 20th century, globalization became a force threatening man, destroying him as a subject of history. Many researchers consider main reason this process of changing the nature of those values that the countries that are leaders of globalization are trying to globalize. “These are the values of liberalism, industrialism of the market, the priority of scientific rationality over other forms of human exploration of himself and the world. These are the values of innovation, individualism and freedom.”
The very term "global problems", first introduced in the late 60s in the West, became widespread thanks to the activities of the Club of Rome to designate a whole complex of the most acute universal problems considered on a planetary scale. Well-known scientists and politicians have made successful steps to model possible scenarios for world development, global assessments of the state of mankind by the turn of two millennia.
The environmental congress in Rio de Janeiro is associated with the first attempt to influence global problems on a planetary scale. It was attended by 170 countries, including most of their leaders. Here, for the first time, the concept of sustainable development of society was formulated.
Global problems did not arise suddenly. Most of the problems that today we associate with the global problems of our time have accompanied humanity throughout its history. First of all, they should include the problems of ecology, preservation of peace, overcoming poverty, hunger, and illiteracy.
The development of human society has always been controversial. It was constantly accompanied not only by the establishment of a harmonic connection with nature, but also by a destructive effect on it.
Apparently, the synanthropes (about 400 thousand years ago), who began to use fire, already caused noticeable damage to nature. As a result of the resulting fires, significant areas of vegetation were destroyed. Scientists believe that the intensive hunting of mammoths by ancient people was one of the most important reasons for the extinction of this species of animals.
The transition from an appropriating to a productive economy that began about 12 thousand years ago, associated primarily with the development of agriculture, also led to very significant negative impacts on the environment.
The technology of agriculture in those days was as follows: a forest was burned in a certain area, then elementary tillage and sowing of plant seeds were carried out. Such a field could produce a crop for only 2-3 years, after which the soil was depleted and it was necessary to move to a new site.
In addition, environmental problems in ancient times were often generated by mining. So, in the 7th - 4th centuries BC. intensive development in Ancient Greece silver - lead mines, which required large volumes of strong forests, led to the destruction of forests on the Antique Peninsula.
Significant changes in natural landscapes were caused by the construction of cities, which began to be carried out in the Middle East about 5 thousand years ago, and, of course, the development of industry accompanied a significant burden on nature.
Mankind, developing along the path of progress, gradually accumulated material and spiritual resources to meet its needs, but it never managed to completely get rid of hunger, poverty and illiteracy. The acuteness of these problems was felt by each nation in its own way, and the ways of solving them had never before gone beyond the borders of individual states.
Meanwhile, it is known from history that the steadily growing interactions between peoples, the exchange of industrial and agricultural products, and spiritual values were constantly accompanied by the most acute military clashes. After the Second World War, thanks to the unprecedented scale of human transformational activity, all these problems turned into global ones, expressing the contradictions of the integral modern world and denoting with unprecedented force the need for cooperation and unity of all people of the Earth.
In our time, global problems: demonstrate the closest interconnection of states and reveal the deep inconsistency of this unity.
And what gave rise to global problems? The answer to this question is, in fact, quite simple. Global problems were the result of:
· WITH one side of the huge scale of human activity, radically changing nature, society, people's way of life.
· On the other hand, a person's inability to rationally dispose of this mighty force.
1.2 Hierarchyglobalproblems
Global problems have the following common features:
· They are planetary, global in nature and, because of this, affect the vital interests of all peoples, all states.
· They threaten (if no solution is found) either the death of civilization as such, or a serious regression in the conditions of life, in the development of society.
· They require the collective efforts of all states, the entire world community for their solution.
Global problems can be classified into the following groups:
1. A group of urgent political problems, which includes the prevention of hostilities between states with the use of weapons of mass destruction, the cessation of the production of nuclear and other especially lethal types of weapons (chemical, bacteriological).
2. Ecological group of global problems associated with the catastrophic destruction of the natural basis for the existence of world civilization.
The irresistible growth of production, the consequences of scientific and technological progress and unreasonable use of natural resources today put the world under the threat of a global environmental catastrophe. As evidence of this, only the following facts can be cited: technogenic warming on the planet has led to the fact that only in the Northern Hemisphere for last years the number of anomalous and catastrophic natural situations (storms, floods, droughts) increased by 2.5 times.
3. An independent group is formed by the problems of resource supply for the present and future generations of people. These include the problems of providing food and energy, problems of economical, rational use dwindling mineral, water and other natural resources.
The problem of the exhaustibility of resources (mineral, energy and others) is associated with obtaining maximum profit without taking into account the natural resource limitations that our planet has. Scientific and technical progress, which gave impetus to the development of modern industry, required a sharp increase in the extraction of various types of mineral raw materials. Today, the production of oil, gas, and other minerals is increasing every year. pledge successful development human society in the future may be the transition to the use of secondary raw materials, new energy sources and energy-saving technologies.
4. A group of topical social and biomedical problems, which include: the demographic problem, the problem of combating the most dangerous, rapidly spreading diseases (AIDS, tuberculosis, etc.), the problem of preventing a biological, in particular, genetic catastrophe, closely related to many political, environmental, technical and economic (location of industrial facilities hazardous to human health, etc.) problems.
5. Demographic crisis. In 1800, there were only about 1 billion people on the planet, in 1930 - 2 billion, in 1960 - already 3 billion, in 1999 humanity reached 6 billion. Today, the world's population is increasing by 148 people. per minute (247 are born, 99 die) or 259 thousand per day - these are the modern realities. Mankind faces the need to control population growth.
6. Socio-economic problems, the problem of the growing gap between highly developed countries and third world countries. The well-known philosopher and sociologist A. S. Panarin characterizes this process as follows: “... sung by liberal adherents open society the global world began to turn before our eyes into a system of global genocide. The community of countries that are considered highly industrialized is faced with the task of providing substantial and permanent assistance to countries that are still unable to adequately develop their industry, ensure the sustainable development of their economy and achieve a normal level of livelihood for their population.
7. In a large complex of global problems stands apart new problem XXI century - international terrorism is a special, cruel form of violence, primarily political. It is a continuation of extremism, radicalism and fanaticism. IN modern conditions we have not only individual acts of terrorism, but also specially organized terrorist activities of entire extreme organizations (and sometimes the leadership of individual states). The reasons for the growth of terrorism lie primarily in the growth of crisis phenomena in the economies of countries that generate unemployment, in the weakening of the law enforcement functions of the state, and the desire for separatism.
Undoubtedly, all global problems are closely interdependent. A. Peccei noted that many of the problems facing humanity grappled with each other, “like the tentacles of a giant octopus, entangled the entire planet ... The number of unresolved problems is growing, they are becoming more and more force squeeze the planet in their vise. The problems of war and peace, for example, are connected with the appearance of nuclear weapons, their testing in the atmosphere and underground; these atomic explosions also caused serious changes in the natural environment, which, in turn, caused the growth of malignant tumors and leukemia and, accordingly, increased the mortality of the population.
2 . Wayspermissionsglobalproblems
Solving the global problems of our time is the common cause of all mankind. Humanity must develop effective forms cooperation that would allow all countries to act together, despite the differences in socio-political, religious, ethnic and other worldview orientations. And for this it must be based on certain basic value orientations.
· Technocratic approach:
Its essence lies in the fact that the pledge of the decision contemporary problems seen in further development and improvement of various technical means, economic systems and objects, etc. Scientists who talk about this approach argue that it is scientific and technological progress and the energy-saving ones associated with it, using secondary raw materials, working in a closed or close to it production cycle, that will enable a person to develop successfully in the future, without fear of facing a global crisis. Some scientists who profess a technocratic approach believe that the current problems are only a sign of a kind of “growth crisis”, after which humanity is waiting for a long period of stable development. A positive feature of this approach is that it can already offer various ways reorganization of production, the introduction of technical innovations that would help reduce the negative impact of humans on environment. However, this approach is hardly applicable to solving humanitarian and socio-economic problems, although they are inextricably linked with the problems of the material field - such as, for example, ecology and the limited nature of non-renewable resources. Today it becomes obvious that the solution of the whole complex of the most burning problems is impossible using only technical, purely material means, because, as already mentioned, the roots of these problems lie much deeper than such factors. The current situation in the world, which has become a natural result of the entire cultural and socio-economic development of human society, cannot be cured of its diseases by using only a limited range of changes and technical innovations. This limited circle of changes can give, accordingly, only a limited effect, and, therefore, for a comprehensive consideration of the current situation in the world, it must be supplemented by others not related to technical means, methods.
Philosophical A complex approach
The philosophical integrated approach to solving global problems, in contrast to the technocratic one, involves the use of a variety of methods for this. Only their complex application can give an effective result, without which humanity will face an unprecedented crisis. Changes are needed in the field of people's consciousness, in the level of their awareness of the threats that the overdue contradictions carry. The main feature of this approach is that it draws attention to the root causes of contradictions, in accordance with them determines the ways in which these contradictions can be resolved. It is a serious philosophical analysis of the reasons for the emergence of any fact that can outline its essence and help in building a further strategy of action.
Existential-cultural approach
Existentialist philosophers say that the main cause of global problems was the dehumanization of society. Only the return of a person to a life based on genuine humanism, on moral and spiritual values, in accordance with which a person is responsible for his existence, can become the key to solving the problems facing humanity today. Only persistent work on solving global problems, taking into account the fullness of their interconnections and interdependencies, can give a satisfactory result. Only on the basis of international cooperation, reconsideration by all countries of their actions that are harmful to the environment, on the basis of closing the gap between highly developed countries and third world countries in terms of living standards and opportunities for development, on the basis of joint actions of the entire world community aimed at solving humanitarian, social, etc. problems, we can hope for the formation of a new society, freed from the burden of the most serious contradictions.
Humanism
It is defined as a system of ideas and values that affirm the universal significance of human existence in general and the individual in particular. The universal in this approach is considered as something significant not for some limited circle of people, but as something that matters for all mankind. It can be certain specific values and material objects, from a sufficient amount, which depends on the existence of mankind. Or, conversely, an excess of such objects, the absence official control above them pose a threat to humanity. Thus, the global problems of our time - awareness of the tragic prospects of mankind in the face of a nuclear threat, the threat of starvation and ecological catastrophe - force humanity to overcome the narrow horizon of local, particular, relative values and turn to the search for universal human values. The humanistic principle is inextricably linked with all spheres of human life, including social production, and with the system of production relations, since without satisfaction material needs society and man, there can be no talk of any spiritual and moral development of the individual.
To effectively solve problems on a planetary scale, huge financial and material resources are needed, the efforts of many specialists of various profiles, and cooperation between states, both on a bilateral and multilateral basis. And here the United Nations and its various agencies play an indispensable role.
Already today, the activities of the countries of the world community within the framework of the UN Environment Program help to strengthen international cooperation in the field of protecting the biosphere, coordinating national programs on environmental protection, the organization of systematic monitoring of its state on a global scale, the accumulation and assessment of environmental knowledge, and the exchange of information on these issues.
Only by the joint efforts of the entire world community can wars be gradually eliminated from the life of society, an ecological catastrophe be prevented, epidemiological diseases be overcome, hunger and poverty on our planet be overcome, a common barrier to drug trafficking and international terrorism be put in place, and the growth of crisis disproportions in the development of different regions of the world stop.
Conclusion
The analysis of literary sources allows us to draw the following conclusions. Currently, there is a wide range of global problems in the world, which is constantly updated with new problems. Hence the need arises to search for their causes, possible consequences and ways to deal with them. Moreover, the solution of the problems of the prospects for the development of mankind depends, of course, on the person himself. N.N. Moiseev emphasized more than once that the future of the world is unthinkable without new ethics and morality. The principle “do not harm yourself and your neighbor” should be supplemented with: “behave in such a way that it would be better for your descendants than for you.” Otherwise, do not survive. And in the way that humanity lives today, it is really impossible to continue to live, and it becomes more and more impossible.
In general, the global problems of our time are complex and comprehensive. They are closely intertwined with regional and national-state problems. They are based on contradictions of a global scale, affecting the foundations of the existence of modern civilization. The aggravation of these contradictions in one link leads to destructive processes in general, gives rise to new problems. The resolution of global problems is also complicated by the fact that the level of management of global processes by international organizations, their awareness and financing by sovereign states is still low. The strategy of human survival on the basis of solving the global problems of our time should bring peoples to new frontiers of civilized development.
Listusedliterature
global problem solution
1. Alekseev P.V. Social Philosophy. Tutorial. M. 2005
2.Vernadsky V.I., Scientific thought as a planetary phenomenon. - M.: Nauka, 1991.
3. Ivin A.A. Social Philosophy. Tutorial. M. 2003
4. Kanke V.A. Philosophy. Historical and systematic course. Textbook for universities. - M.: Logos, 1997.
5. Moiseev N.N. Modern anthropogenesis and civilizational faults. Ecological and political analysis. // Questions of Philosophy.- 1995.- №1.
6. Panarin AS Global political forecasting in conditions of strategic instability. M., 1999.
7.Pechchei A. Human qualities. M., 1985.
8. See: Delokarov K. Kh., Podzigun I. M. Globalization and social philosophical thought // Globalization and philosophy. M., 2001.
9.Radugin A.A. Philosophy course of lectures. - M: Publishing House "Center", 1996.
10. Frolov I. T. Introduction to Philosophy: Proc. allowance for universities. - M.: Respublika, 2003.
11. Chumakov L. N. Globalistics. // New Philosophical Encyclopedia. V 4 t. M., 2000. T. 1.
Hosted on Allbest.ru
Similar Documents
Classification of global problems of our time. Philosophical understanding of the future in the context of global problems. Scientific foresight, social forecasting and levels of forecasting. Description of the main global problems and the view of philosophers on their solution.
abstract, added 12/05/2014
Global problems as a set of problems of mankind, the main criteria for their selection. The moral content of the global problems of our time. The concept of tolerance, its principles and relationship with moral consciousness, the role of morality and customs.
abstract, added 08/18/2011
Social forecasting and scientific foresight as a form of philosophical understanding of the problem of the future. Analysis of the global problems of our time, their relationship and hierarchy. The concepts of post-industrial and information society, the phenomenon of globalization.
abstract, added 04/15/2012
Development of scientific theoretical and philosophical thought of the XX and current centuries. The idea of having and possible ways resolution of global problems, their classification and main varieties. The science of globalistics, its role, prospects and development strategy.
abstract, added 20.02.2010
The concept of global problems, their features and classification. The problem of the arms race and the threat of nuclear self-destruction of mankind. Danger of ecological catastrophe. Uncontrolled population growth and depletion of vital raw materials.
abstract, added 10/11/2014
Global problems of mankind: concept, classification, ways of overcoming. Problems of ecology and resources. The demographic situation in the world, its possible consequences. military conflicts in modern world. Concepts of the further destiny of mankind.
test, added 03/18/2011
The global issues of modernity cannot be resolved without a detailed study of them by philosophers and representatives of specific sciences. The specificity of global problems lies in the fact that they require a program-targeted organization of scientific research.
abstract, added 06/20/2008
Global problems of social development, their signs, essence and content. Philosophical foundations of the information society. Mankind faces a historical choice, exacerbation of environmental problems. The idea of unity, mutual dependence and mutual assistance.
abstract, added 11/15/2009
Philosophical understanding of the processes of globalization from the standpoint of axiology. The inclusion of Christian churches in solving global problems of our time. Tolerance as a pseudo-value of being. The essence and features of post-industrial society. Information inequality.
abstract, added 04/05/2013
The concept of global problems of mankind, their essence and features, classification and varieties. The main problems in the "society-nature" and "individual-society" systems, their distinctive features, possible consequences and ways of resolving at this stage.
Scientists identify about ten of the most acute, urgent problems facing the world community as a whole today. These problems are called "global". They can be roughly divided into two groups.
The first group of global problems includes the threat of an ecological catastrophe on Earth, the energy crisis, and problems related to the survival of mankind as a species. These are global problems of the "society - nature" type.
Another group of problems is related to relationships within human society. These include the problems of preventing a world war and a nuclear catastrophe, ending the arms race, the problem of the gap between economically developed and developing countries, and the growing alienation between people.
As the complexity of social relations grows, technology and management structures become more complex, the danger of humanity losing control over the situation on our planet grows. Man-made disasters such as the Chernobyl accident are a formidable warning of a growing danger.
Essence environmental problem modernity consists in a clearly revealed and aggravated contradiction between the productive activity of mankind and stability natural environment his habitat.
Any biological species is able to survive within a fairly narrow ecological niche, i.e. a combination of various conditions and environmental factors. Man is a biological species, although more universal than any other. Its biological organization allows it to adapt to a very wide range of conditions. However, its possibilities are not unlimited. There are thresholds external conditions, beyond which the biological organization does not withstand and humanity is threatened with death. In the conditions of modern technogenic civilization, the possibilities of adapting the human body to the conditions of life in the environment are close to exhaustion. At the same time, one should keep in mind not only physical factors associated with environmental pollution, but also psychological.
The essence of the energy problem of our time is that the needs of mankind for energy are constantly growing, and the reserves of natural non-renewable energy carriers are declining.
Non-renewable energy sources include natural reserves of oil, gas, coal, and peat. According to some estimates
kam, stock certain types such energy carriers, while maintaining their current level of consumption, can be enough for mankind for no more than fifty years. This forces the expansion of the use of renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy sources include wind, river traffic, and solar energy. Recently, the use of these "alternative" energy sources has become increasingly relevant. However, these sources of energy are far from limitless. For example, in some regions of the world (Middle East, Africa) the use of water resources is still one of the factors of regional conflicts between states.
A peaceful atom is a practically inexhaustible source of energy. But it contains the threat of large-scale man-made disasters with unpredictable consequences. An example of such catastrophes is the accident at Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986
Another possible solution to the energy problem is the self-limitation of mankind in energy consumption, the regime of economy, careful attitude to natural resources. The development of energy-saving and economical technologies is a priority today.
The factor of population is one of the main factors in the development of society. For the normal development of society, constant reproduction of the population is required. Population growth can become a factor in socio-economic development. However, due to the problem of overpopulation, which is relevant today for some countries, excessive population growth can cause economic stagnation in dependence on external economic and humanitarian assistance.
It is characteristic that developed countries are characterized by relatively low level birth rate, as well as a low death rate. At the same time, in many underdeveloped countries, the birth rate is so high that it causes rapid population growth, despite high level mortality. The population of these poorest countries of the planet perceives children as a kind of "investment" in the future. In these countries, the social security system is extremely inefficient, and family ties are quite strong.
As a result, parents rely on their children as a support in the future, in old age, in illness, in case of possible disability.
Population growth not only exacerbates the problem of poverty and the gap in living standards between developed and developing countries, in the longer term it also threatens to overpopulate the Earth. So, at the beginning of the century, the planet's population was about 1 billion people, in 1930 - already 2 billion, in 1987 the five billionth inhabitant of the Earth was born, by 2000 the population of the Earth amounted to about 7 billion people. However, scientists' calculations show that from an energy point of view, with an ideal organization of the economy and nature management, more than a trillion people can live on Earth.
If many countries of the world, faced with the problem of overpopulation, take administrative measures to limit the birth rate, then in Russia there is a decline in the birth rate caused by economic reasons. Wanted great effort to boost the country's economy, restore social stability, and improve the health care system to stop Russia's population decline. Already in the XVIII century. English economist Malthus formulated the law of population growth. According to him, the population is growing exponentially, and the ability of society to provide people with food - in arithmetic.
Although Malthus's law was later refuted, the food problem is very relevant today for many developing countries. It is given particular ethical poignancy by the fact that hunger in the poorest countries of the South coexists with abundance in the industrialized countries of the West.
In addition, the problem of food security may escalate and take on the scale of a global disaster in the next century. Now for every inhabitant of the planet there is about 1 hectare of fertile land. With the skillful and careful use of natural resources, this should be enough. However, two factors are exacerbating the food problem: population growth and land depletion. The exit of lands from agricultural circulation is due to their inept, predatory use by humans, as well as global climate change - its warming
Another aspect of the food problem is the problem of food quality. Increasing environmental pollution and the increasing use of unsafe chemical technologies in agriculture And processing industry leads to a deterioration in the quality of food and can adversely affect the health of the world's population.
The global problems of our time have set before mankind the task of finding new ways of developing civilization. This task requires the combined efforts of the entire world community to joint work over the solution of global problems of our time. Solving these problems requires international efforts at the intergovernmental level (within the United Nations, other international organizations) and at the level of international non-governmental organizations.
One of the most influential international non-governmental organizations is the Club of Rome. The Club of Rome is an association of scientists and public figures from different countries who set themselves the task of studying the global problems of our time, finding new ways out of emerging crisis situations and popularizing these ideas. According to the law of the Club of Rome, several models of the development of mankind and its environment were developed. These models make it possible to single out the sources of crisis phenomena in modern civilization and outline ways to overcome them.
Most scientists today are sure that it is impossible to consider separately taken global problems of our time separately from each other. A comprehensive, systematic approach is needed using scientific, technological, economic and political means.
Another component of a comprehensive solution to the global problems of our time should be raising the cultural and moral level of mankind, understanding by each person of his personal responsibility for the fate of the planet.
Much attention should be paid to the following areas of solving the global problems of our time.
Global, or worldwide (universal) problems, being the result of the contradictions of social development, did not arise suddenly and only today.
Some of them, such as the problems of war and peace, health, existed before and were relevant at all times.
Other global problems, such as environmental ones, appear later due to the intense impact of society on the natural environment.
Initially, these problems could only be private (single), issues for a particular country, people, then they became regional and global, i.e. "problems of vital importance for all mankind." 1. Origin and essence of global problems In philosophy, global problems are commonly understood as global problems that, due to their severity and scale, call into question the further existence of mankind. Scientists and politicians, writers and public figures began to talk about them persistently, primarily in the 70s-80s, when these problems revealed all their acuteness and magnitude. Now, at the turn of the millennium, humanity is faced with the most acute global problems that threaten the very existence of civilization and even life itself on our planet. The term "global" itself originates from the Latin word "globe", that is, the Earth, the globe, and since the end of the 60s of the XX century it has become widespread to refer to the most important and urgent planetary problems of the modern era, affecting humanity as a whole. . This is a collection of such acute life problems on the solution of which the further social progress of mankind depends, and which, in turn, can be solved only thanks to this progress. The very term "global problems", first introduced in the late 1960s in the West, became widespread largely due to the activities of the Club of Rome.
However, many of these problems were anticipated as early as the beginning of the 20th century by such prominent scientists as E. Leroy, P. Teilhard de Chardin and V. I. Vernadsky. Since the 1970s, the concept of the "noosphere" (the sphere of the mind) developed by them was directly switched, among other things, to research in the field of the philosophy of global problems.
Modern global problems are a natural consequence of the entire global situation that has developed on the globe in the last third of the 20th century. For a correct understanding of their origin, essence and the possibility of their solution, it is necessary to see in them the result of the preceding world-historical process in all its objective inconsistency. This provision, however, should not be understood superficially, considering global problems as simply traditional local or regional contradictions, crises or disasters that have grown to planetary scales.
On the contrary, being the result (and not just the sum) of the previous social development of mankind, global problems are a specific product of the modern era, a consequence of the extremely aggravated uneven socio-economic, political, scientific, technical, demographic, environmental and cultural development. 2. Hierarchy of global problems. In the second half of the 20th century, such conditions, processes, and phenomena arose on our planet that put humanity in front of the threat of undermining the very foundations of its existence. The human race, for the first time in its history, faced the possibility of its total destruction.
Never before has mankind been so close to the fatal line and the Hamlet question - to be or not to be? - never sounded so literal, so warning. The very existence of life on Earth turned out to be questionable, because the destruction of the biosphere became technically possible.
Global problems have the following common features: They are planetary, global in nature and, because of this, affect the vital interests of all peoples, all states.
They threaten (if no solution is found) either the death of civilization as such, or a serious regression in the conditions of life, in the development of society.
They require the collective efforts of all states, the entire world community for their solution.
Global problems can be classified into the following groups: A group of urgent political problems, which includes the prevention of hostilities between states with the use of weapons of mass destruction, the cessation of the production of nuclear and other especially lethal types of weapons (chemical, bacteriological). Ecological group of global problems associated with the catastrophic destruction of the natural basis for the existence of world civilization.
An independent group is formed by the problems of resource supply for the present and future generations of people. These include the problems of providing food and energy, the problems of economical, rational use of dwindling mineral, water and other natural resources.
A group of topical social and biomedical problems, which include: the demographic problem, the problem of combating the most dangerous, rapidly spreading diseases (AIDS, tuberculosis, etc.), the problem of preventing a biological, in particular, genetic catastrophe, closely related to many political , environmental, technical and economic (placement of industrial facilities hazardous to human health, etc.) problems.
The ongoing gap between economically developed countries and many countries of the "third world" remains a negative trend in modern world economic development. Currently, the countries of the "third world" are characterized by deepening economic backwardness. Among the new, increasingly aggravated global problems is international terrorism, which challenges modern society. Its manifestations are very diverse. These include, first of all, the creation and maintenance of "hot spots" in unstable areas of the world.
It was international terrorism associated with the extremist trend in Islam that gave rise to "hot spots" in the territory of the former Soviet Union(Chechnya, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan). Other manifestations of international terrorism include: crimes against a person, seizure Vehicle and others.
The above classification of global problems is to some extent relative.
Various groups of these problems, taken together, form a single, extremely complex, multifactorial system in which all components are dialectically interconnected.
It should also be taken into account that global problems do not arise somewhere near pre-existing and local problems, but organically grow out of them.
Searching for ways to resolve global problems Since the late 1960s - early 1970s, global problems of mankind have been in the center of attention of scientists of various profiles (economists, sociologists, political scientists, mathematicians, environmentalists, computer modeling, etc.). Moreover, studies of these problems from the very beginning were carried out in close connection with the study of the prospects for the development of world civilization. For without a sufficiently clear understanding of what the world may look like in the foreseeable future, what awaits humanity at the beginning of the third millennium, it is difficult to determine ways to solve global problems. Since the beginning of the 1970s, global forecasts have become widely known, in the form of reports to the Club of Rome.
The term Club of Rome refers to an international public organization created in 1968 and designed to promote integrity in the face of the scientific and technological revolution.
The founder and "ideological father" of global forecasting using mathematical methods and computer modeling is considered to be J.
Forrester. In his work "World Dynamics" (1971), he created a variant of the model of world economic development, taking into account, in his opinion, two most important factors - population and environmental pollution. The first global forecast contained in the report to the Club of Rome "The Limits to Growth" (1972) had a particularly noisy effect. Its authors, having singled out several main, from their point of view, global processes (the growth of the population of our planet, the growth industrial production per capita, an increase in the consumption of mineral resources, an increase in environmental pollution) and using the mathematical apparatus and computer tools, they built a dynamic "model of the world", which showed the need to limit the development of the current civilization.
The authors of the study came to the conclusion that if the growth limits of these factors are not limited and they are not taken under control, then they and, above all, the growth of industrial production itself will lead to a socio-economic crisis somewhere in the middle of the 21st century.
Two decades later, this alarming forecast was confirmed by the global Mir-3 model. Noting that humanity is using resources and dumping waste at a rate that the planet cannot sustain, one of the authors of the new Mir-3 model, Danela Meadows, notes that “if changes are not made, then in this case our computer model predicts a collapse in for 50 years". Quite gloomy, although not so pessimistic in comparison with the global studies of the recent past, are the conclusions of M. Mesarovich and E. Pestel in the report to the Club of Rome "Humanity at the Turning Point". It presents the complex interconnection of economic, social and political processes, the state of the environment and natural resources as a complex multi-level hierarchical system.
Rejecting the inevitability of a global ecological catastrophe, M. Mesarovich and E. Pestel see a way out in the transition to "organic growth", i.e. to the balanced development of all parts of the planetary system. If until recently, a special, priority place among global problems was occupied by the problem of preventing a world thermonuclear war with all its grave consequences for the destinies of mankind, today, due to the disappearance of the armed confrontation between two giant military-political blocs, the primary attention of scientists and politicians is riveted by the process of habitat destruction humanity and the search for ways to preserve it.
It is important that mankind has already crossed the line when the existing type of economic growth with its extensive, highly wasteful, resource-intensive production becomes unacceptable in terms of the damage it causes to the environment and human health.
Therefore, one of the most important tasks of today is to eliminate the contradiction between economic development society and the need to preserve natural ecosystems.
Hence - the desire to create fundamentally new, resource-saving, low-waste or waste-free technologies, the search for ways of reliable burial of all kinds of (radioactive, chemical) deadly waste, the development effective methods and protection and purification of the natural environment from different kind industrial pollution, etc. To effectively solve all these problems on a planetary scale, huge financial and material resources are needed, the efforts of many specialists of various profiles, and cooperation between states, both on a bilateral and multilateral basis. And here the United Nations and its various agencies play an indispensable role. Already today, the activities of the countries of the world community within the framework of the UN program on the environment help to strengthen international cooperation in the field of protecting the biosphere, coordinating national programs for protecting the environment, organizing systematic monitoring of its state on a global scale, accumulating and evaluating environmental knowledge, and exchanging information on these questions.
Only by the joint efforts of the entire world community can wars be gradually eliminated from the life of society, an ecological catastrophe be prevented, epidemiological diseases be overcome, hunger and poverty on our planet be overcome, a common barrier to drug trafficking and international terrorism be put in place, and the growth of crisis disproportions in the development of different regions of the world stop.
Conclusion.
The performed analysis of literary sources allows us to draw the following conclusions. Currently, there is a wide range of global problems in the world, which is constantly updated with new problems.
Hence the need arises to search for their causes, possible consequences and ways to deal with them.
Moreover, the solution of the problems of the prospects for the development of mankind depends, of course, on the person himself.
Moreover, a creative, talented person, possessing versatile knowledge, capable of seeing modern phenomena and processes in a complex.
It is these people who are able to solve emerging problems.
Of course, we believe in the power of science, but still there is the problem of the limits of human capabilities, the limits of scientific knowledge. Is not the task facing science and man too difficult, and is not too little time allotted for its solution? After all, salutary discoveries should be made in the next 10-20 years, not require too large expenses from society for implementation, and quickly give a global effect.
Some researchers believe that the concept of sustainable development, which is increasingly used as a reliable weapon in political and economic battles, despite all the efforts of its many adherents, seems too vague to seriously talk about it as saving civilization.
There were also quite a few specific proposals, but all of them are perceived by the world community with extreme restraint. One thing is certain: market economy in principle, it is unable to solve the problems that have arisen, because in its essence it is focused on unlimited satisfaction of demand. And we seem to have to come to terms with conscious limitations.
The global strategy should be aimed not at the ever-increasing growth in consumption, but at its reasonable limitation and redistribution, as well as the development of optimal, adequate technologies for organizing social life. We can agree with the opinion of the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (1999) that the term "sustainable development" should not be seen as a spell, not as a way out of solving the problems of the future, but as an urgent call for concrete action. It is necessary for all countries (both rich and poor) to agree on what to focus on in the first place.
Undoubtedly, non-waste technologies remain a priority direction in this sense (it is a crime against humanity to save on them). Difficult tasks are also facing the humanities.
Academician N.N. Moiseev emphasized more than once that the future of the world is unthinkable without new ethics and morality.
The principle “do not harm yourself and your neighbor” should be supplemented with: “behave in such a way that it would be better for your descendants than for you.” Otherwise, do not survive. And in the way that humanity lives today, it is really impossible to continue to live, and it becomes more and more impossible.
List of references Kanke V.A. Philosophy: Textbook for students of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions. M.: Logos, 2001. 272 p.
Vernadsky VI, Scientific thought as a planetary phenomenon. - M.: Nauka, 1991. - 271 p.
Golubentsev V.O., Dantsev A.A., Lyubchenko V.S., “Philosophy for technical universities”. Series " Higher education". Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix Publishing House, 2004. - 640 p.
Moiseev N.N. Man and the noosphere. - M.: Young Guard, 1990. Moiseev N.N. Modern anthropogenesis and civilizational faults.
Ecological and political analysis. // Questions of Philosophy.- 1995.- No. 1.- p. 3-30. Khoroshavina S.G., Concepts of modern natural science. Course of lectures / Rostov n / a: "Phoenix", 2003. - 480 p. N.N. Moiseev believes that the planet and society are entering a completely new stage of their development. “It gradually becomes obvious that the load exerted by human activity on the environment is not only turning into a factor that determines its evolution, but is also growing so rapidly that it is no longer necessary to talk about any balance of the biosphere and at the same time about maintaining the homeostasis of the species homo sapiens. .
No living species, having become a monopolist in its ecological niche, is not able to avoid an ecological crisis. And it can have only two outcomes: either the species will begin to degrade, or it, having properly changed (changing the standards of its behavior and relationships with nature), will form a new ecological niche. restructuring of the very process of anthropogenesis and, in particular, the content of civilization, its goals, relationships with nature, people among themselves...”. “Our society, apparently, is already beginning to react to the possibility of a coming crisis.
Definition of global Problems and their interrelation. -Multilevel environmental problems. - Globalthe reality of the crisis of culture.- Globalistics of the militarylytic problems.
Definition of global problems and their interrelation. Global problems are problems relating to the "world-man" system as a whole and having not a local, but an all-encompassing, planetary character. The life of society, the fate of mankind, the conditions of its habitat, the state of the natural environment, social progress and the preservation of civilization directly depend on their solution. These include problems of ecology, protection of human health, demographic problems, problems of the crisis of culture, issues of war and peace. Accordingly, they are divided into ecological, demographic and military-political ones.
Modern research allows us to classify more than two dozen problems as global problems, including:
Threat of ecological catastrophe;
Mineral resource crisis;
Medico-biological problems of health;
Conservation of the homo sapiens species;
Problems of preventing war with the use of weapons of mass destruction;
Cessation of the arms race;
Reduction of areas of poverty and poverty;
Problems of the energy crisis, etc.
The causes of global problems are the increased growth of human needs, the increased technical means of society's impact on nature, the scale of these impacts.
The characteristic features of the global problems of our time include the presence of a close relationship between them, in which the aggravation of one leads to the aggravation of the entire chain of problems. We can say that global problems are a complex tangle of problems. Therefore, attempts to separate their consideration and solution are ineffective. Global problems must be solved comprehensively, in a coordinated manner, by the efforts of numerous subjects of the world community.
Multilevel environmental problems. At the present stage of human development, most of the global problems are concentrated on the pole of active interaction between man and nature. The uncontrolled use of natural resources, the barbaric consumption of natural resources raises the question of a special social policy that regulates the relationship between man and nature, raises the problem of the need to protect both nature and humanity, which is interested in its future. The environmental problem is exacerbated by the fact that 150 species of plants and animals disappear annually in the world, soil depletion, water pollution, atmospheric layers of air and the environment as a whole occur. A person pollutes everything around him with chemical and radiation substances: from the oceans to outer space. Changes in the biosphere, ionosphere, characteristics of air, soil and water, under which human life originated and became possible, testify to the destruction of that ecological niche, the destruction of which leads to the disappearance of all living things. K. Lorenz in the article "The Eight Deadly Sins of Civilized Mankind", drawing attention to the exponentially accelerating pace of technological development, speaks of the threat of complete destruction of biocenoses in which and at the expense of which a person lives.
The ecological problem is multilevel. It should be addressed both at the national and international, global levels. The basis of the exacerbation of the environmental problem is the rapid scientific and technological progress, focused on the unbridled growth of consumption. It is fraught with a shortage of natural resources in many countries. Soil, hydropower, fresh water, fish stocks in many countries have reached their critical levels.
The Club of Rome is one of the leading research centers that includes politicians and scientists who develop models for eliminating crisis tendencies in the relationship of humanity with its environment. Its activity is aimed at developing a new ecological thinking, a system of measures that ensures safe living on earth. Pollution of the world's oceans with chemical and industrial waste has led to the creation of organizations such as the North Sea Confederation and the International Maritime Organization. The activities that can provide a turn towards the harmonization of relations "man-nature" include:
Waste disposal;
Prevention of emissions of gases into the atmosphere during fuel combustion;
Mastering energy and resource saving technologies;
Stimulating the restoration of the natural environment.
The ecological problem closely raises the issues of human ecology, the health of his body and spirit. There are warnings from biologists, geneticists, physicians that man is in danger of extinction as a biological species. Genetic engineering in its discoveries and achievements poses a real threat to human existence. The spread of pathogenic microorganisms and the weakening of the immune system under the influence of various stresses lead to catastrophic consequences in the human ecology and cannot be left without close attention. AIDS is the plague of the 20th century. today is also a universal problem. Its origins lie in mass drug addiction, sexual perversion and prostitution, which destroy a person and induce him to antisocial actions.
Speaking about human ecology, one should keep in mind the study of the real way of life of human populations. Here, not only the corporeality of a person and the physical environment are important, but also the spiritual component. Of course, in order to give life to the spirit, it is necessary to provide life to the body. This mutual positing and mutual negation of the spirit and the body as a real contradiction, which develops each time with new force, requires its solution in something else, which would not be only spiritual and would not be only bodily. In this sense key issue Human ecology has always been the problem of his self-realization, understood as the development of everything potentially inherent in him. At one time Montaigne wrote: "The most important thing in the world is the ability to be yourself." The new term - "ecosophy" means a personal code of values and a view of the world that determines and initiates personal behavior, giving the joy of being oneself.
The global crisis of culture. Some of the global problems are based on fixing the state of society as a victim of global upheavals. World wars and local military conflicts have led to the loss of humanity's faith in humanistic ideals. The crisis of human spirituality, the ideology of consumerism is, in the words of the Russian philosopher M. Mamardashvili, "an anthropological catastrophe." All this is very typical of the late 20th century. The modern Western philosopher J. Ortega y Gasset sees the foundations of the crisis of culture in the fact that European history has been given over to mediocrity. It has matured and operates a new type of mass man who interferes in everything and does not know morality. This type is parasitic, his actions have the character of violence.
K. Jaspers drew attention to the fact that in comparing modernity with the time of the decline and death of ancient culture, there is one significant difference: technology during the collapse of antiquity was in a state of stagnation, while in the modern world it is not.
continues its "destructive progress" at the previously heard pace.
The backwardness in the development of a huge part of the population and the need to overcome it is also recognized today as one of the global problems of mankind. The economic gap between the population of the most developed countries and the vast mass of the poorest population of developing countries cannot create a favorable background for the development of modern civilization and is also included in a number of global problems of our time. The volume of production per capita in underdeveloped countries is on average 12 times less, and energy consumption is 14 times lower than in developed countries. 3/4 of the population of developing countries live in unsanitary conditions, and 31% of the population live in conditions of absolute poverty. The areas of poverty and hunger indicate that society has not solved the problem of its provision with food and energy resources, which leads to the destruction and pathologies of the human population.
Globalistics of military-political problems. Along with the global environmental problem, the issues of ensuring peace and preventing war are also the most serious problem of human existence. Among the military-political ones is the problem of the aggravation of the arms race, the atomic or nuclear threat. A large number of tests and the accumulation of nuclear charges, outbreaks of military conflicts, mass terror lead to a situation where humanity is teetering on the brink of peaceful coexistence. Even A. Einstein called for the released energy of the atom to work for the benefit of mankind, and not for its destruction. The signing of treaties on the reduction of strategic nuclear arsenals somewhat reduces the danger of a direct nuclear collision, but the threat of a technological atomic explosion does not disappear, there are no guarantees against a repeat of the Chernobyl catastrophe on a global scale. New types of weapons, including not only chemical and bacteriological, but also "genetic", "plasma", "solar" weapons, offer ever newer and more sophisticated methods of destruction. Unfortunately, it is with the problem of war that humanity is crossing the threshold of the new millennium. Progressive scientists and philosophers, representatives of literature and art call for the preservation of peace on earth in the name of all mankind. The UN plays a special role in solving the global problems of our time. The world community is trying to coordinate the efforts of mankind to minimize the global problems of our time, to ensure consensus and improve world economic relations.
Philosophers note with concern that the prospects for solving global problems are largely determined by the level
development of mankind and its culture. On the threshold of the XXI century. humanity, faced with the need to solve the problems of the world order: pollution of the environment by industrial waste, the irreplaceable disappearance of natural resources; imbalance in demographic processes; the danger of a radioactive catastrophe, etc. - cannot fail to realize the catastrophic nature of further technogenic development. Knowledge of threats, identification of risks and assessment of new hazards can equip scientists in activities to minimize global problems. The researchers note that the negative consequences of scientific and technological activity can be overcome not by its suspension, but by the creation the latest technologies for the disposal of hazardous waste. The possibility of creating robotic doctors living inside the human body and eliminating any deviations from the norm, as well as saturating the ecosphere with robotic orderlies that process waste is noted.
Philosophy cannot be aloof from solving the global problems of our time, since they are associated with the possibilities and prospects for the survival of all mankind. At the same time, philosophy alone is not able to solve them. A complete and comprehensive solution to the global problems of our time or a gradual reduction in their severity is possible only through the combined efforts of practical scientists and theorists of the entire world community, who are aware of the imminent danger of their aggravation.
LITERATURE
1. Lorenz K. Eight mortal sins of mankind // Questions of Philosophy. 1992, No. 3.
2. Ortega y Gasset X. Aesthetics. Philosophy of culture. M., 1991.
3. The world of philosophy. 4.2. M., 1992.
Leshkevich Tatyana Gennadievna
