Philosophical-Anthropological Approach to Historic-Cultural Research

Philosophical-Anthropological Approach to Historic-Cultural Research

ABSTRACT: This approach holds that the problem of humanity determines the history of culture. On the basis of theory developed by Max Scheler, I try to work out the main characteristics of cultural process, the typology of culture, and the periodization of culture. The humanities in Russia are in the midst of a methodological crisis now, and I hope that this approach will help us obtain a fuller understanding of culture.

There's not a secret that Russian Humanities are in a methodological crisis now. Our scientists look for new Methods and Approaches using the Conceptions of Western Science. Among them American Anthropology is the most popular in the last years throughout the World. Philosophers are interested in "Ecological Anthropology" which learns the adaptation of people to environment especially (see: Sahlin M. Evolution: specific and general// Theory in Anthropology. Manners R., Paplan D. (eds). Chicago.1968; Hatch E. The growth of economics, subsistence and ecological studies in American Anthropology// Journal of Anthropological Reseach. Vol.29.1973). Many American scientists prefer the neoevolution Method with the analyses of Race, Nation and others ethnic or social groups (see, for example: Lazlo E. Evolution: The Grans Syntethesis. Boston.1987). Among new approaches we can see some connected with Psychology. (See: Bock Ph.K. Rethinking Psychological Anthropology. N.Y. 1988; Berry J., Poortinga Y., Legall M., Dasen P. Cross-Cultural Psychology: Research and Applications. Cambridge, 1992; Cole M. Cultural Psychology. Cambridge, 1996; Coult A.D. Psychodelic Anthropology. Philadelphia, 1997 and others). The authors write about identification of Person, "socialization" and "culturalization" of children, about "ethological" method, which helps us to understand the interaction between Person and Society. Psychological Anthropology takes the first place in working out the theme "Culture and Personality" now, but it resolves this theme in the direction of Man adaptation to the modern Society.

There is, however, the Conception, in which the development of Culture seems to be depended on the solution of the Problem of Person-"new Philosophical Anthropology". My special interest is connected, first of all, with this Conception as a Theory of Culture. New Philosophic Anthropology is well developed in Western Science, but practically unknown in Russia. Our philosophers only begin to study the Conception of it's founder-Max Scheler (see: Max Scheler. Izbranniye proizvedeniya. M., 1994;). Max Scheler created the global Theory of the historical Process as a penetration of Man into his own substance, as a permanent search for "selfness", "independent being into itself".