Home – Home – Jornals – "Philosophy of Education" 2014 number 4

The purpose of the article is the social-philosophical analysis of the approaches to the problem of formation of civil society. The existence of civil society is a basis of democratic composition of the state, and its formation is finding of guarantors of irreversibility of democratic changes. Recently there takes place a process of understanding of institutionalization of the basic structural elements of civil society; the ways of development of the Russian state and its connection with civil society are actively analyzed. Despite a large number of researches on this problem, the concept and realization of the ideas of civil society are debatable, both in domestic and foreign philosophical science. The problem of formation of civil society is especially important in the conditions of formation of democracy. To solve the practical problems of formation of civil society it is necessary to determine the institutional nature of formation of civil society, the role of its structures and functions in society. The aspiration to construct «from above» the organic concept of civil society in Russia shows its inefficiency. In the domestic scientific literature there is an active discussion on the problem of formation of civil society in Russia, and often the civil society is understood as absolutely different social phenomena. It is possible to distinguish several approaches to the problem of civil society: the historical, social and philosophical, politological, sociological, legal and economic ones. The social philosophy gives a chance of creation of the systemic concept of civil society that in itself is a theoretical, practical and political need of the forming Russian democracy. A more complete disclosure of the idea of civil society presupposes identification of its essence on the basis of conceptual provisions of the modern social and philosophical theory of civil society. Proceeding from these ideas, civil society is thought as an isolated sphere of society arising at the stage of industrial development, creating real cultural and personal prerequisites for interaction of the system and vital worlds as the complementary sides of social life. Thus, the state and civil society form two closely interacting spheres, where the state, controlling individual interests, is itself under control of the institutes of civil society. Therefore, it is necessary to use the social-philosophical approach in the analysis of such difficult social phenomenon as the problem of formation of civil society in Russia. It will allow making analysis of the civil society as a system phenomenon, generalizing typical approaches to studying of civil society, revealing its essence, structure and functions.