Which serves as a manifestation of social progress. Social progress: concept, criteria

Social progress- this is the direction of development of human society, which is characterized by its irreversible changes in all aspects of life, resulting in a transition from a lower to a higher state, to a more perfect state of society.

The desire of the majority of people for progress is determined by the nature of material production and the laws of social development determined by it.

Criteria for social progress. Determining the basis of social progress makes it possible to scientifically solve the question of the criterion of social progress. Since economic relations form the foundation of any form of social structure (society) and ultimately determine all aspects of social life, it means that a general criterion of progress must be sought primarily in the sphere of material production. The development and change in methods of production as a unity of productive forces and production relations made it possible to consider the entire history of society as a natural historical process and thereby reveal the patterns of social progress.

What is the progress in the development of productive forces? First of all, in the continuous modification and improvement of the technology of labor tools, which ensures a constant and steady increase in its productivity. Improving the means of labor and production processes entails improving the main element of the productive forces - the labor force. New means of labor bring to life new production skills and constantly revolutionize the existing social division of labor, leading to an increase in social wealth.

Along with the progress of technology, improvement of technology and organization of production, science is developing as the spiritual potential of production. This, in turn, increases human impact on nature. Finally, an increase in labor productivity means an increase in the amount of surplus product. At the same time, the nature of consumption, lifestyle, culture and way of life inevitably change.

This means that we are seeing undoubted progress not only in material production, but also in social relations.

We see the same dialectic in the sphere of spiritual life, which is a reflection of real social relations. Certain social relations give rise to certain forms of culture, art, and ideology, which cannot be arbitrarily replaced by others and assessed according to modern laws.

The progressive development of society is determined not only by the development of the method of production, but also by the development of man himself.

The method of production and the social system determined by it constitute the basis and criterion of social progress. This criterion is objective, because it is based on a real, natural process of development and change of socio-economic formations. It includes:

a) the level of development of the productive forces of society;

b) the type of production relations that have developed on the basis of the data of productive forces;

c) social structure that determines the political system of society;

d) stage and level of development of personal freedom.

None of these signs, taken separately, can be an unconditional criterion of social progress. Only their unity, embodied in a given formation, can be such a criterion. At the same time, it is necessary to keep in mind the fact that there is no complete correspondence in the development of different aspects of social life.

Irreversibility of social progress- regularity of the real historical process.

Another pattern of social progress is the acceleration of its pace.

Social progress is closely related to so-called global problems. Global problems are understood as a set of universal human problems of our time, affecting both the world as a whole and its individual regions or states. These include: 1) prevention of world thermonuclear war; 2) social development and economic growth in the world; 3) the elimination on Earth of blatant manifestations of social injustice - hunger and poverty, epidemics, illiteracy, racism, etc.; 4) rational and integrated use of nature (environmental problem).

The emergence of the above-mentioned problems as global ones, which have a worldwide character, is associated with the internationalization of production and all social life.

Condorcet (like other French educators) considered the development of reason to be a criterion of progress. Utopian socialists put forward a moral criterion of progress. Saint-Simon believed, for example, that society should adopt a form of organization that would lead to the implementation of the moral principle: all people should treat each other as brothers. A contemporary of the utopian socialists, the German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling (1775-1854) wrote that the solution to the question of historical progress is complicated by the fact that supporters and opponents of the belief in the perfectibility of mankind are completely confused in disputes about the criteria of progress. Some talk about the progress of mankind in the field of morality, others - about the progress of science and technology, which, as Schelling wrote, from a historical point of view is rather a regression, and proposed his solution to the problem: the criterion for establishing the historical progress of the human race can only be a gradual approach to legal structure.

Another point of view on social progress belongs to G. Hegel. He saw the criterion of progress in the consciousness of freedom. As the consciousness of freedom grows, society develops progressively.

As we see, the question of the criterion of progress occupied the great minds of modern times, but they did not find a solution. The disadvantage of all attempts to overcome this task was that in all cases only one line (or one side, or one sphere) of social development was considered as a criterion. Reason, morality, science, technology, legal order, and the consciousness of freedom - all these are very important indicators, but not universal, not covering human life and society as a whole.

In our time, philosophers also hold different views on the criterion of social progress. Let's look at some of them.

One of the existing points of view is that the highest and universal objective criterion of social progress is the development of productive forces, including the development of man himself. It is argued that the direction of the historical process is determined by the growth and improvement of the productive forces of society, including the means of labor, the degree of man’s mastery of the forces of nature, and the possibility of using them as the basis of human life. The origins of all human life activities lie in social production. According to this criterion, those social relations are recognized as progressive, which. correspond to the level of productive forces and open up the greatest scope for their development, for the growth of labor productivity, for human development. Man is here considered as the main thing in the productive forces, therefore their development is understood from this point of view as the development of the wealth of human nature.

This position has been criticized from another point of view. Just as it is impossible to find a universal criterion of progress only in social consciousness (in the development of reason, morality, consciousness of freedom), so it cannot be found only in the sphere of material production (technology, economic relations). History has provided examples of countries where a high level of material production was combined with the degradation of spiritual culture. In order to overcome the one-sidedness of criteria that reflect the state of only one sphere of social life, it is necessary to find a concept that would characterize the essence of human life and activity. In this capacity, philosophers propose the concept of freedom.

Freedom, as you already know, is characterized not only by knowledge (the absence of which makes a person subjectively unfree), but also by the presence of conditions for its implementation. A decision made on the basis of free choice is also necessary. Finally, funds are also required, as well as actions aimed at implementing the decision made. Let us also recall that the freedom of one person should not be achieved by infringing on the freedom of another person. This restriction of freedom is of a social and moral nature.

The meaning of human life lies in self-realization, self-realization of the individual. So, freedom acts as a necessary condition for self-realization. In fact, self-realization is possible if a person has knowledge about his abilities, the opportunities that society gives him, about the methods of activity in which he can realize himself. The wider the opportunities created by society, the freer a person is, the more options for activities in which his potential will be revealed. But in the process of multifaceted activity, the multilateral development of the person himself also occurs, and the spiritual wealth of the individual grows.

So, according to this point of view, the criterion of social progress is the measure of freedom that society is able to provide to the individual, the degree of individual freedom guaranteed by society. The free development of a person in a free society also means the revelation of his truly human qualities - intellectual, creative, moral. This statement brings us to consider another perspective on social progress.

As we have seen, we cannot limit ourselves to characterizing man as an active being. He is also a rational and social being. Only with this in mind can we talk about the human in man, about humanity. But the development of human qualities depends on people's living conditions. The more fully a person’s various needs for food, clothing, housing, transport services, and his needs in the spiritual field are satisfied, the more moral the relations between people become, the more accessible to a person the most diverse types of economic and political, spiritual and material activities become. The more favorable the conditions for the development of a person’s physical, intellectual, mental strength, his moral principles, the wider the scope for the development of individual qualities inherent in each individual person. In short, the more humane the living conditions, the more opportunities there are for the development of humanity in a person: reason, morality, creative powers.

Humanity, the recognition of man as the highest value, is expressed by the word “humanism”. From the above, we can draw a conclusion about a universal criterion of social progress: that which contributes to the rise of humanism is progressive.

Criteria for social progress.

In the extensive literature devoted to social progress, there is currently no single answer to the main question: what is the general sociological criterion of social progress?

A relatively small number of authors argue that the very posing of the question of a single criterion for social progress is meaningless, since human society is a complex organism, the development of which takes place along different lines, which makes it impossible to formulate a single criterion. Most authors consider it possible to formulate a single general sociological criterion of social progress. However, even with the very formulation of such a criterion, there are significant discrepancies...

Fundamental themes in the study of social science. Almost the entire modern world is undergoing profound changes. In social reality, the intensity of change is constantly increasing: during the life of one generation, some forms of life organization arise and collapse, while others are born. This applies not only to individual societies, but also to the world order as a whole.

To describe the dynamics of society in sociology, the following basic concepts are used: social change, social development and social progress. Society is never stationary. Something is happening and changing in it all the time. People, realizing their own needs, master new types of communication and activities, acquire new statuses, change their environment, join new roles in society, and change themselves both as a result of generational changes and throughout their lives.

Contradictory and uneven social changes

Social changes are contradictory and uneven. The concept of social progress is controversial. This is revealed mainly in the fact that the development of many social phenomena and processes leads both to advancement in some directions and to a return and retreat in others. Many changes in society are of such a contradictory nature. Some changes are barely noticeable, while others have a significant impact on the life of society. For example, it changed a lot after the invention of the plow, the steam engine, writing, and the computer. On the one hand, over the course of a generation in industrialized countries, enormous changes occur in the life of society. It changes beyond recognition. On the other hand, the world continues to have societies in which change is extremely slow (Australian or African primitive systems).

What causes the contradictory nature of social change?

The discrepancy in the social interests of different groups in society, as well as the fact that their representatives perceive the changes taking place differently, determines the inconsistency of social changes. For example, the need to ensure a decent existence for oneself creates an employee’s interest in selling his labor power as dearly as possible. Realizing the same need, the entrepreneur strives to acquire labor at a cheaper price. Therefore, some social groups may positively perceive changes in the organization of work, while others will not be satisfied with it.

Social development

Among the many changes, one can distinguish qualitative, irreversible and directional ones. Today they are commonly called social development. Let us define this concept more strictly. Social development is a change in society, leading to the emergence of new relationships, values and norms, and social institutions. It is associated with the increment, accumulation, and complication of the functions and structures of the social system. As a result of these processes, the system becomes more and more efficient. Its ability to satisfy the various needs of people is increasing. qualities of individuals is an important indicator and result of social development.

When defining this concept, it should be noted that it expresses a natural, directed and irreversible change in social processes or phenomena. As a result, they pass into a certain new qualitative state, that is, their structure or composition changes. Social as a concept is narrower than social change. Periods of crisis, chaos, war, totalitarianism, which negatively affect the life of society, cannot be called development.

Social revolution and social evolution

Two approaches to the consideration of social development are clearly visible in sociology. This is social revolution and social evolution. The latter usually refers to the stage-by-stage, smooth, gradual development of society. On the contrary, a social revolution is a radical transition to something new, a qualitative leap that changes all aspects of life.

Progress and regression

Changes in society do not always occur chaotically. They are characterized by a certain direction, denoted by such concepts as regression or progress. The concept of social progress serves to designate a direction in the development of society in which there is a progressive movement from lower and simpler forms of social life to increasingly higher and more complex, more perfect ones. In particular, these are changes that lead to growth and freedom, greater equality, and improved living conditions.

The course of history has not always been smooth and even. There were also kinks (zigzags) and turns. Crises, world wars, local conflicts, and the establishment of fascist regimes were accompanied by negative changes affecting the life of society. initially assessed as positive, in addition, could lead to negative consequences. For example, urbanization and industrialization have long been considered synonymous with progress. However, relatively recently, conversations have begun about the negative effects of environmental destruction and pollution, traffic jams on highways, and overpopulated cities. We speak of progress when the sum of positive consequences from certain social changes exceeds the sum of negative ones. If there is an inverse relationship, we are talking about social regression.

The latter is the opposite of the first and represents a movement from complex to simple, from higher to lower, from whole to parts, and so on. However, in general, the line of historical development has a progressive, positive direction. Social development and social progress are global processes. Progress characterizes the movement of society forward throughout historical development. Whereas the regression is only local. It marks individual societies and time periods.

Reform and revolution

There are such types of social progress as abrupt and gradual. The gradual one is called reformist, and the spasmodic one is called revolutionary. Accordingly, the two forms of social progress are reform and revolution. The first represents partial improvement in some area of life. These are gradual transformations that do not affect the foundations of the current social system. On the contrary, a revolution is a complex change in the majority of forces in all aspects of society, which affects the foundations of the current system. It has a spasmodic character. It is necessary to distinguish between two forms of social progress - reform and revolution.

Criteria for social progress

The value judgments themselves such as “progressive - reactionary”, “better - worse” are subjective. Social development and social progress cannot be unequivocally assessed in this sense. However, if such judgments also reflect the connections that objectively develop in society, then they are not only subjective in this sense, but also objective. Social development and social progress can be strictly assessed. Various criteria are used for this.

Different scientists have different criteria for social progress. The generally accepted ones in a generalized form are the following:

Level of knowledge, development of the human mind;

Improving morality;

Development including the person himself;

The nature and level of consumption and production;

Development of technology and science;

The degree of integration and differentiation of society;

Socio-political freedoms and individual rights;

The degree of her freedom from society and the elemental forces of nature;

Average life expectancy.

The higher these indicators, the higher the social progress and development of society.

Man is the goal and main criterion of social progress

The main indicator of the regressiveness or progressiveness of social changes is precisely the person, his physical, material, moral state, comprehensive and free development of the individual. That is, in the modern system of social and humanitarian knowledge there is a humanistic concept that determines social progress and development of society. Man is his goal and main criterion.

HDI

In 1990, UN specialists developed the HDI (Human Development Index). With its help, both social and economic components of quality of life can be taken into account. This integral indicator is calculated annually for comparison between countries and to measure the level of education, literacy, life and longevity of the studied territory. When comparing living standards of different regions and countries, this is a standard tool. The HDI is defined as the arithmetic average of the following three indicators:

Literacy level (average years spent in education), as well as expected duration of education;

Life expectancy;

Standard of living.

Countries, depending on the value of this index, are classified according to their level of development as follows: 42 countries - very high level of development, 43 - high, 42 - medium, 42 - low. The top five countries with the highest HDI include (in ascending order) Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Australia and Norway.

Declaration of Social Progress and Development

This document was adopted in 1969 by UN resolution. The main objectives of the policy of social development and progress, which all governments and states are obliged to pursue, are to ensure fair remuneration for work without any discrimination, the establishment by states of a minimum level of payment that would be high enough to ensure an acceptable standard of living, the elimination of poverty and hunger . The Declaration guides countries to improve people's living standards and ensure equal and fair distribution of income. Russia's social development is also carried out in accordance with this declaration.

Social progress leads to the fact that rare, even initially exquisite, needs gradually turn into socially normal ones. This process is obvious even without scientific research; it is enough to compare the set and level of modern needs with what it was several decades ago.

Obstacles to social progress

There are only two obstacles to social progress - the state and religion. The monster state is propped up by the fiction of God. The origin of religion is connected with the fact that people endowed fictional gods with their own exaggerated abilities, powers and qualities.

History shows that no society stands still, but is constantly changing . Social change is the transition of social systems, communities, institutions and organizations from one state to another. The process of social development is carried out on the basis of changes. The concept of “social development” specifies the concept of “social change”. Social development– irreversible, directed change in social systems. Development involves a transition from simple to complex, from lower to higher, etc. In turn, the concept of “social development” is clarified by such qualitative characteristics as “social progress” and “social regression”

Social progress- this is a direction of development of human society that is characterized by an irreversible change in humanity, as a result of which a transition is made from lower to higher, from a less perfect state to a more perfect one. If the sum of the positive consequences of large-scale changes in society exceeds the sum of the negative ones, then we speak of progress. Otherwise, regression occurs.

Regression– a type of development characterized by a transition from higher to lower.

Thus, progress is both local and global. Regression is only local.

Usually, social progress does not mean these or those progressive changes in individual social communities, layers and groups or individuals, but the upward development of the entire society as an integrity, the movement towards the perfection of all humanity.

The mechanism of social progress in all systems consists of the emergence of new needs in various spheres of social life and the search for opportunities to satisfy them. New needs arise as a result of human production activity; they are associated with the search and invention of new means of labor, communication, organization of social life, with the expansion and deepening of the scope of scientific knowledge, and the complication of the structure of human creative and consumer activity.

Very often, the emergence and satisfaction of social needs is carried out on the basis of an open conflict of interests of various social communities and social groups, as well as the subordination of the interests of some social communities and groups to others. In this case, social violence turns out to be an inevitable accompaniment of social progress. Social progress, as a consistent ascent to more complex forms of social life, is carried out as a result of the resolution of contradictions that unfold in the previous stages and phases of social development.

The source, the root cause of social progress, which determines the desires and actions of millions of people, are their own interests and needs. What are the human needs that determine social development? All needs are divided into two groups: natural and historical. Natural human needs are all social needs, the satisfaction of which is necessary for the preservation and reproduction of human life as a natural biological being. Natural human needs are limited by the biological structure of man. The historical needs of man are all social and spiritual needs, the satisfaction of which is necessary for the reproduction and development of man as a social being. None of the groups of needs can be satisfied outside of society, outside of the development of social material and spiritual production. Unlike natural needs, human historical needs are generated by the course of social progress, are unlimited in development, due to which social and intellectual progress is unlimited.

However, social progress is not only an objective, but also a relative form of development. Where there are no opportunities for the development of new needs and their satisfaction, the line of social progress stops, periods of decline and stagnation arise. In the past, cases of social regression and the death of previously established cultures and civilization were often observed. Consequently, as practice shows, social progress in world history occurs in a zigzag manner.

The entire experience of the twentieth century refuted the one-factor approach to the development of modern society. The formation of a particular social structure is influenced by many factors: the progress of science and technology, the state of economic relations, the structure of the political system, the type of ideology, the level of spiritual culture, national character, the international environment or the existing world order and the role of the individual.

There are two types of social progress: gradual (reformist) and spasmodic (revolutionary).

Reform- partial improvement in any area of life, a series of gradual transformations that do not affect the foundations of the existing social system.

Revolution- a complex abrupt change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing system and representing a transition of society from one qualitative state to another.

The difference between reform and revolution is usually seen in the fact that reform is a change implemented on the basis of existing values in society. Revolution is a radical rejection of existing values in the name of reorientation to others.

One of the tools for the movement of society along the path of social progress based on a combination of reforms and revolution in modern Western sociology is recognized modernization. Translated from English, “modernization” means modernization. The essence of modernization is associated with the spread of social relations and the values of capitalism throughout the globe. Modernization- this is a revolutionary transition from pre-industrial to industrial or capitalist society, carried out through comprehensive reforms, it implies a fundamental change in social institutions and people's lifestyles, covering all spheres of society.

Sociologists distinguish two types of modernization: organic and inorganic. Organic modernization is the moment of the country’s own development and is prepared by the entire course of previous development. It occurs as a natural process of progressive development of social life during the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Such modernization begins with a change in public consciousness.

Inorganic modernization occurs as a response to an external challenge from more developed countries. It is a method of “catching up” development undertaken by the ruling circles of a particular country in order to overcome historical backwardness and avoid foreign dependence. Inorganic modernization begins with economics and politics. It is accomplished by borrowing foreign experience, acquiring advanced equipment and technology, inviting specialists, studying abroad, restructuring forms of government and norms of cultural life on the model of advanced countries.

In the history of social thought, three models of social change have been proposed: movement along a descending line, from peak to decline; movement in a closed circle - cycles; movement from higher to lower - progress. These three options have always been present in all theories of social change.

The simplest type of social change is linear, when the amount of change occurring is constant at any given time. The linear theory of social progress is based on the progress of the productive forces. The events of the last quarter of the twentieth century have shown that we will have to give up the idea that changes in productive forces and production relations are taken as the key and, in essence, the only source of development. The rise of productive forces does not guarantee progress. Life shows that an unlimited increase in the material means of life, taken as a blessing, turns out to have disastrous consequences for a person. For a long period, the understanding of social progress was associated with industrial development, with high rates of economic growth and the creation of a large machine industry. The conditions and forms of education for economic, political and social life are subordinated to the development of technical and economic parameters and the achievement of industrial technology. But in the last third of the twentieth century, the euphoria of industrial-technical optimism began to wane. Industrial development not only created a threat to social and cultural values, but also undermined its own foundation. In the West, people started talking about a crisis of industrialism, the signs of which were the destruction of the environment and the depletion of natural resources. The discrepancy between the level of scientific, technical and economic development and the level of satisfaction of human needs is becoming increasingly obvious. The very concept of social progress has changed. Its main criterion is to bring the social structure into conformity not so much with the requirements of technological development, but, first of all, with the natural nature of man.

Cyclic changes are characterized by a sequential progression of stages. According to this theory, social development does not proceed in a straight line, but rather in a circle. If in a directed process each subsequent phase differs from any other that preceded it in time, then in a cyclic process the state of the changing system at a later time will be the same as it was earlier, i.e. will be repeated exactly, but at a higher level.

In everyday social life, a lot is organized cyclically: for example, agricultural life - and in general the entire life of agrarian societies - is seasonal, cyclical in nature, since it is determined by natural cycles. Spring is sowing time, summer, autumn is harvest time, winter is pause, lack of work. The next year everything repeats itself. A clear example of the cyclical nature of social change is the change of generations of people. Each generation is born, goes through a period of social maturation, then a period of active activity, followed by a period of old age and the natural completion of the life cycle. Each generation is formed in specific social conditions, therefore it is not similar to previous generations and brings into life, into politics, economics, and culture something of its own, something new that has not yet been seen in social life.

Sociologists of different directions record the fact that many social institutions, communities, classes and even entire societies change according to a cyclical pattern - emergence, growth, flourishing, crisis and decline, the emergence of a new phenomenon. Long-term cyclical changes are associated with the rise and fall of historically specific civilizations. This is what Spengler and Toynbee mean when they talk about civilizational cycles.

About the development of cyclical ideas in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes it is said: “What was, that will be; and what has been done will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”

In the records of Herodotus (5th century BC) a scheme is given for applying the cycle to political regimes: monarchy - tyranny - oligarchy - democracy - ochlocracy. In the works of Polybius (200-118 BC), a similar idea is made that all states go through inevitable cycles of growth - zenith - decline.

Social processes can proceed in a spiral, where successive states, although fundamentally similar, are not identical. An upward spiral means repetition of a process at a relatively higher level, a downward spiral means repetition at a relatively lower level.

Progress(movement forward, success) is a type or direction of development characterized by a transition from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect. We can talk about progress in relation to the system as a whole, to its individual elements, to the structure and other parameters of the developing object.

The idea that changes in the world occur in a certain direction arose in ancient times. However, for most ancient authors, the development of history is a simple sequence of events, a cyclical cycle repeating the same stages (Plato, Aristotle), a process moving in a certain direction, towards some as yet unknown goal.

The philosophy of the bourgeoisie, which reflected the real acceleration of social development, is filled with the confidence that it is progress, for example, that determines the breakdown of feudal relations.

Progress is not some independent entity or unknown goal of historical development. The concept of progress makes sense only in relation to a specific historical process or phenomenon.

The criteria for social progress are:

Development of the productive forces of society, including the person himself;

Progress of science and technology;

An increase in the degree of human freedom that society can provide to an individual;

The level of education;

Health status;

Environmental situation, etc.

The opposite in meaning and content to the concept of “progress” is the concept "regression"(in Latin – regressus – return, moving backward), i.e. a type of development characterized by a transition from higher to lower, characterized by processes of degradation, a decrease in the level of management organization, loss of the ability to perform certain functions (conquest by barbarian tribes of the Roman Empire).

Stagnation- 1) periods in the development of society when there is no obvious improvement, forward dynamics, but there is also no reverse movement; 2) a delay in the forward development of society and even a temporary stop. Stagnation is a serious symptom of the “disease” of society, the emergence of mechanisms to inhibit the new, advanced. At this time, society rejects the new and resists renewal (USSR in the 70s - 90s)

Separately, neither progress, nor regression, nor stagnation exist. Alternately replacing each other, intertwining, they complement the picture of social development.

The concept of scientific and technological revolution is associated with the concept of progress - Scientific and technological revolution– a radical, qualitative transformation of the productive forces based on the transformation of science into a leading factor in the development of social production, a direct productive force.

Results and social consequences of scientific and technological revolution:

Rising consumer standards in society;

Improving working conditions;

Increasing requirements for the level of education, qualifications, culture, organization, and responsibility of employees;

Improving the interaction of science with technology and production;

Widespread use of computers, etc.

6. Processes of globalization and the formation of a single humanity. Global problems of our time.

Globalization of society is the process of uniting people and transforming society on a planetary scale. Moreover, the word “globalization” implies a transition to “worldliness”, globality. That is, towards a more interconnected world system in which interdependent channels of communication transcend traditional boundaries.

The concept of “globalization” also presupposes humanity’s awareness of its unity within one planet, the existence of common global problems and basic norms of behavior common to the whole world.

Globalization of society is a complex and diverse process of development of the world community, not only in economics and geopolitics, but also in psychology and culture, for example, such as national identity and spiritual values.

The most important characteristic of the process of globalization of society is international integration– the unification of humanity on a global scale into a single social organism (integration is the combination of various elements into a single whole). Therefore, the globalization of society presupposes not only a transition to a universal market and international division of labor, but also to general legal norms, to uniform standards in the field of justice and public administration.

The features of integration processes, covering various spheres of people’s lives, manifest themselves most deeply and acutely in the so-called global problems of our time.

Global problems of our time- difficulties that affect the vital interests of all humanity and require, for their solution, urgent coordinated international actions on the scale of the world community, on which the existence of humanity depends.

Features of global problems:

1) have a planetary, global character, affecting the interests of all peoples of the world and states;

2) threaten degradation and death of all humanity;

3) need urgent and effective solutions;

4) require collective efforts of all states, joint actions of peoples.

Humanity, developing along the path of progress, gradually accumulated material and spiritual resources to satisfy its needs, but it never managed to completely get rid of hunger, poverty and illiteracy. The severity of these problems was felt by each nation in its own way, and the ways to solve them had never before gone beyond the borders of individual states.

Global problems were the result, on the one hand, of the enormous scale of human activity, radically changing nature, society, and people’s way of life; on the other hand, a person’s inability to rationally manage this powerful force.

Global problems:

1) Ecological problem.

Economic activity in a number of countries today is so powerfully developed that it affects the environmental situation not only within a particular country, but also far beyond its borders. Most scientists consider human activity to be the main cause of global climate change.

Constant development of industry, transport, agriculture, etc. requires a sharp increase in energy costs and entails an ever-increasing burden on nature. Currently, as a result of intense human activity, even climate change is occurring.

Compared to the beginning of the last century, the content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 30%, and 10% of this increase has occurred in the last 30 years. An increase in its concentration leads to the so-called greenhouse effect, which results in warming of the climate of the entire planet.

As a result of human activity, warming has occurred within 0.5 degrees. However, if the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles compared to its level in the pre-industrial era, i.e. increase by another 70%, then very drastic changes will occur in the life of the Earth. First of all, the average temperature will increase by 2-4 degrees, and at the poles by 6-8 degrees, which, in turn, will cause irreversible processes:

Ice melting;

Rising sea levels by one meter;

Flooding of many coastal areas;

Changes in moisture exchange on the Earth's surface;

Reduced precipitation;

Change in wind direction.

Global climate change is putting a number of species of living creatures inhabiting the Earth on the brink of extinction. Scientists expect that in the near future, southern Europe will become drier, while the northern part of the continent will become wetter and warmer. As a result, periods of abnormal heat, droughts, as well as heavy rainfall and floods will increase, and the risk of infectious diseases will increase, including in Russia, which will lead to significant destruction and the need for large-scale relocation of people. Scientists have calculated that if the air temperature on Earth rises by 2C, then water resources in South Africa and the Mediterranean will decrease by 20-30%. Up to 10 million people living in coastal areas will be at risk of flooding each year.

15-40% of terrestrial animal species will become extinct. Irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet will begin, which could lead to a rise in sea levels of up to 7 m.

2) The problem of war and peace.

Nuclear charges are stored in the arsenals of different countries, the total power of which is several million times greater than the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. These weapons can destroy all life on Earth many dozens of times. But today even “conventional” means of warfare are quite capable of causing global damage to both humanity and nature.

3) Overcoming backwardness.

We are talking about comprehensive backwardness: in the standard of living, the development of education, science and technology, etc. There are many countries where there is appalling poverty among the lower strata of the population.

Reasons for the backwardness of developing countries:

1. These are agricultural countries. They account for over 90% of the world's rural population, but they cannot even feed themselves because their population growth exceeds the increase in food production.

2. Another reason is the need to master new technologies, develop industry and services, which requires participation in world trade. However, it distorts the economies of these countries.

3. The use of traditional energy sources (physical strength of animals, burning wood, and various types of organic matter), which, due to their low efficiency, do not significantly increase labor productivity in industry, transport, services, and agriculture.

4. Complete dependence on the world market and its conditions. Despite the fact that some of these countries have huge oil reserves, they are not able to completely control the state of affairs in the world oil market and regulate the situation in their favor.

5. The debt of developing countries to developed countries is growing rapidly, which also serves as an obstacle to overcoming their backwardness.

6. Today, the development of productive forces and the socio-cultural environment of society is impossible without increasing the level of education of the entire people, without mastering modern achievements of science and technology. However, the necessary attention to them requires large expenditures and, of course, presupposes the availability of teaching, scientific and technical personnel. Developing countries, in conditions of poverty, cannot adequately address these problems.

Political instability, caused primarily by the low level of economic development, constantly creates the risk of military conflicts in these regions.

Poverty and a low level of culture inevitably lead to uncontrolled population growth.

4) Demographic problem

Population growth in developed countries is insignificant, but in developing countries it is extremely high. The vast majority of the population of developing countries does not have normal living conditions.

The economies of developing countries lag far behind the level of production of developed countries, and it is not yet possible to close the gap. The situation in agriculture is very difficult.

The housing problem is also acute: the majority of the population of developing countries live in virtually unsanitary conditions, 250 million people live in slums, 1.5 billion people are deprived of basic medical care. About 2 billion people do not have access to safe water. Over 500 million people suffer from malnutrition, and 30-40 million die from hunger every year.

5) Fight against terrorism.

Bombings of embassies, hostage-taking, murders of political figures, ordinary people, including children - all this and much more interferes with the stable development of world processes, puts the world on the brink of local wars that can develop into large-scale wars.