On the question of the philosophical understanding of humanity

Abstract

In the article the possibilities of philosophy to arrive at a full-fledged understanding of humanity are considered. The author theoretically reconstructs the phenomenon of humanity in the aspect of the development directed from natural forms of human life to the creative forms of creation opening the person before the variety of the whole world and the whole world before the boundless opportunities of the person. Accenting social attributes of the person, the author compares various elements of humanity, theoretically synthesizes conditions of the natural course of human life with processes of social creation, allocating to the forefront man-sized transformations of social reality against the background of related phenomena and dehumanization being realized via various mechanisms of social conflicts, collisions and accidents. The author comes to the conclusion that during creation the sphere of freedom extends, possibilities of the person increase, humanity towers; but at the same time the human world becomes more fragile, more vulnerable. In this regard the phenomena of extremism, catastrophism penetrating and accompanying all course of human life are aggravated. The special efforts of civilization conceal that darkness of inhumanity, which as if the shadow, accompanies all human life as necessary. Society opens up before the person the perspective of development of the most various forms of humanity, which outside of a society are inaccessible to the person taken separately. At the same time, even the very possibility of humanity is not transferred to man as a gift sent down. It ispossible to be human only in the constant cultural, historical and creative efforts of man over himself.