La Rochefoucauld is a French classical author, a contemporary of Descartes, who is best known for his maxims, epigrams expressing a harsh or paradoxical truth in the briefest manner possible. A cynical observer of Louis XIV's court, La Rochefoucauld mostly saw selfishness, hypocrisy, and weakness in general in human behavior. With his independent way of thinking he was also one of the intellectual forefathers of the Enlightenment. La Rochefoucauld's insights have influenced amongst others Lord Chesterfield, Thomas Hardy, Friedrich Nietzsche and Stendhal.

BY NATALIYA LOGINOVA

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The Truth of Life and Life for Truth’s Sake

As the year is coming to a close, RPhG is giving answers to its readers’ questions. They, in fact, more and more often have to do with the problems of social construction of a civil society – which is a central subject of human interest. RPhG hopes its answers to the principal question in anyone’s life – the one about the meaning of life – will come to the satisfaction of its readers.

BY ARNOLD KAZMIN

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English

Philosophy for Mankind’s Stable Future

This is a portion of the discourse written for the 22d World Congress of Philosophy by Professor Timi Etsimovich and Professor Barbara Dobrila, Slovenia. Its English version was delivered in full for Russian and foreign philosophers in Chita and Ulan-Ude – the participants in the Congress and at the same time the passengers of the so called ‘philosophical train’ on its way from Vladivostok to Moscow. The fragment is focused on the prerequisites for mankind’s stable development in not so distant future and it also outlines the contribution of philosophy to finding a path of survival of the human race in view of the forthcoming systemic impact of climatic changes on the biosphere.

TRANSLATED FROM ENGLISH BY VLADIMIR ROSTSCUPKIN

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“Society for Everyone.” – It is not so in reality

The need for global solutions within the framework of the United Nations accounts for the global nature of the emerging problems facing humanity. It is only natural that such solutions should meet the interests of all UN member states. However an objective mind can see a certain contradiction here: it is often the case when proposed measures or approaches do not always, or necessarily, or fully come to the satisfaction of all the participants in the Organization. Nevertheless, UN member states look for and come to a compromise over this or that matter or split the difference because common benefits outweigh individual losses. If we take a square look at the problem, it will all come down to two extreme points of view: it is either the UN governs everything or the UN governs nothing at all. In this interview Sergei Zelenev, Head of Social Integration, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat sheds light on this problem.

INTERVIEW BY SERGEI SHARAKSHANE

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Concession: Experience We Have. But How About Using it?

Concession? In the context of this article this word means a license to operate. In 1921 just after the devastating Civil War the Russian economy was in a shambles. The budget was empty, in fact there was no budget at all. The Russian Central Bank under a revolutionary sailor was also empty. However the Soviet government found a correct solution in using such a thing as concessions – an economic means that not only brought money into the country but also enabled Russia to revive its economic strength. The article describes the past experience with a focus on what should be done to use this tool in today’s conditions of market economy.

BY EVGENI POLUEKTOV

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Crisis is no Game

This is a very serious article centered on what the global financial crisis holds for Russia. The point is that the majority of the Press are saying that the crisis will mainly hit the US and other developed economies whereas Russia will not be as seriously affected. We offer here a pessimistic scenario instead to those who are simple-mined or naive if you like, i.e. to those who take for granted what they get from our mass media today.

BY DMITRI OKUNEV, Kostroma

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A Ticket to Immortality

December is when Nobel prizes are awarded. So this issue carries an extremely interesting article about the Nobel family. Pioneers in many fields of science, industry, culture, social life and charity, they closely tied up their life and fate with Russia. The Nobel dynasty makes up a real constellation of 17 great names of four successive generations. The reader will find quite a few facts about these extraordinary people who so undeservingly have been left out from broad public knowledge.

BY NATALIYA LOGINOVA

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