ENLIGHTENMENT AS AN “UNFINISHED PROJECT” AND UNIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY IN THE CONDITIONS OF CRISIS AND WAR
Abstract
The article proposes the idea of «unfinished enlightenment», which involves the permanent creation of reflective structures for the justification of norms and values of society based on the meta-institution of deliberative democracy. Despite the interpretation of enlightenment as a certain historical stage of the spiritual development of society (ancient Greek or modern European), enlightenment is interpreted as a structural element of «feedback» of society, which ensures its self-knowledge, self-reflection and self-control.
The component here is the public discourse, which involves the communicative, axiological and political competence of citizens, the ability and courage to use their minds publicly and reach an agreement with other people on solving the main problems of society. The idea of Enlightenment is important for defining the polity of modern society, free individuality, modern institutions in general, civil society with its sphere of publicity, etc. The idea of “unfinished enlightenment” implies the permanent creation of reflective institutions of society. Enlightenment is interpreted as a certain instance of self-reflection of society, as its structural element, “constitutive factor”, as a critical attitude to reflection itself. Thus, Enlightenment is a meta-institution of society, its legitimizing instance, which is aimed at affirming, justifying, substantiating the norms, values, customs, traditions and institutions of society.
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