17.06.2025, Moscow.
Neither democracy nor civil society can exist in a consumer society, in a postmodern society, philosopher, political scientist, the leader of the Essence of Time movement Sergey Kurginyan said on May 30 on the Conversation with a Sage program on the Zvezda radio channel.
According to him, politicians and public figures habitually speak about such things as “democracy” or “civil society”, without taking into account the fact that many constants of this society have changed. Society has become different, so the first question that needs answering is whether civil society or democracy can function in a consumer setting or a postmodern society.
According to the political analyst, current discussions about civil society are meaningless and devoid of deep understanding.
“One can’t automatically say ‘civil society …’,” Kurginyan said. “This is a society consisting of citizens. If one says that the main element of the new society is the consumer, then the question arises whether democracy can exist in a consumer society, in a postmodern society? Does one want to create democracy without a civil society? It is insane! Has everyone forgotten the fundamentals of world philosophy – Hegel, Kant and all the rest? “ Kurginyan asked.
The political scientist recalled that without a civil society, democracy becomes an imitation of itself.
The analyst is convinced that democratic institutions cannot function in a vacuum. They require an active civil stratum capable of defending its rights and interests.
Kurginyan recalled that the history of civil society matter traces back to the works of 18th-19th century philosophers. The political scientist appeals to such thinkers as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Immanuel Kant, who considered the concept of civicism as the most important for the formation of a state governed by the rule of law.
“What is the foundation on which one wants to build this legal structure? What is this foundation? It cannot not exist on its own. People are not born from their mother’s womb with legal consciousness or something like that. What is meant by that? What is meant by legal consciousness? ” the leader of the Essence of Time movement posed questions.
According to the political scientist, modern society has lost touch with this classical tradition.
“It is being destroyed, torn to shreds, meanwhile, everyone continues speaking a certain language as if nothing is happening to its foundation,” the political scientist says, pointing to the fact that many of the old ideals no longer have a meaning in in the postmodern world.
Legal consciousness does not come by itself, Kurginyan emphasizes. People are not born with already formed ideas about their rights and responsibilities; these ideas take shape in the process of socialization and interaction with the outside world.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
