Abstract

The article discusses Ilyenkov's conception of the ideal, which has its roots in Marx's concept of human as a sociohistorical being, yet goes beyond Marx by developing a concrete understanding of human social activity. Defined dialectically as a form of the subjective activity of social man that has objective meaning and significance, the ideal in Ilyenkov is not simply a form of "social representation" , but it rather exists as man's ideal activity toward realization of his own goals, and as such it guides creative activity in the world, opening up new horizons for human development