Our time is one of revolutionary changes enormous in scale and pace, both in the social sphere and in that of science and technology, as a consequence of which the main problems of human existence are being posed in a fundamentally new manner. The problem of war and peace holds highest priority among these problems of vital importance. Now it is not only the prospects for progressive human development that depend upon the manner in which the problem of war and (...) peace will be resolved; it is not only the fate of civilization that is at stake, but the very existence of life on our planet. Whether the earth will become a sad and silent monument to the inability of the intelligent beings populating it to pass history's examination in maturity or will become a flourishing abode worthy of the great human species is being decided today, now, in the ceaseless struggle for peace. "The stabilization of peace," L. I. Brezhnev points out, "is one of the most important guarantees of the greatest of human rights - the right to live. And we regard life not merely as existence but as existence worthy of man.". (shrink)

The policy adopted by the Twenty-fifth Congress of the CPSU on raising the quality of work and the effectiveness of social production means that work must be more highly organized and disciplined and that initiative and creative searching must be fostered. "The country sets as its goal enlargement of the real opportunities for citizens to apply their creative powers, abilities, and gifts and for comprehensive development of the individual.".

In this groundbreaking new volume, James Wertsch proposes a new formulation of sociocultural research that connects the various perspectives of the social sciences in an integrated, nonreductive fashion.

T. 1-2. Statʹi po filosofīi.--t. 3. Statʹi obshchenauchnago kharaktera.

The interaction of the organism with the environment requires not only reactive, but also active behavior (i.e., search activity) which helps subject to meet the challenge of the uncertainty of the environment. A positive feedback between active behavior and immune system makes the selection process effective.

Ch. 1. Metodologicheskie problemy sot︠s︡ialʹno-gumanitarnogo poznanii︠a︡ -- ch. 2. Metodologicheskie problemy istorii filosofii i ėstetiki.