No 6 (2025)
Articles
The Aesthetic Status of Disgust in Cinematic Experience: The Case of the Comedy Genre
Abstract
The subject of the study is the causes and ethical-aesthetic consequences of the borderline nature of disgust as a cinematic experience. The analysis of emotions, experiences, and disgust has a long history in aesthetics, ethics, phenomenology, and other fields of philosophy and science. The aim of the research is to determine the aesthetic status of disgust in the experience of art and cinema. With a substantial source-based and art historical foundation, existing works on disgust and various film genres establish hierarchical relationships between ethical and aesthetic concepts. In studies on disgust written in Russian and English, interest in it is driven by the value and anti-aesthetic role of related concepts such as the horrifying, the ugly, the grotesque, and the disgusting. It is argued that the analysis of both the essence and the metaphor of the experience of disgust in art and cinema reflects aesthetic sensitivity to the different facets of the object and reinforces the ethical evaluation of the viewer. The method of the study involves analyzing disgust in film and a comparative examination of the ethics and aesthetics of the disgusting in comedies from the 1960s to the 2020s. Relying on philosophical, experimental, and psychological aesthetics, the thesis regarding the incompatibility of disgust with aesthetics and ethics is revisited, as well as the idea that the disgusting is a genre-forming element primarily of horror films. The scientific novelty of the research is expressed in the thesis that aesthetic disgust, primarily in genre cinema, takes the form of analysis, and the causes of the intensity and the ethical-aesthetic effect of disgust are due to its specificity. This specificity lies in the lack of inherent content in this experience apart from the disgusting nature of the object itself or in comparison to other aesthetic feelings. It is concluded that if, in several areas of contemporary ethics, a temporary delay as moral inaction is equated with a transgression, then in the theory and practice of film analysis, reflection and aesthetic judgment about the visual and sound solutions of films as disgusting requires time. Sometimes comedies from the second half of the 20th century become exemplary and cult not in their initial reception, but more than half a century after their release.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):1-14
1-14
Secondary patterns of forms and relationships: problem statement and definition of methodological approaches
Abstract
The article is dedicated to the methodology for defining secondary patterns of systems – patterns of forms and relationships that are not fully deterministic and for which it is impossible to establish a logical connection with the metaphysics of the universe. The formation of a set of secondary patterns of systems occurs in several stages. In the first stage, patterns are identified in various subject areas. In the second stage, secondary patterns are formulated in the logic and terms of the general theory of systems. In the third stage, a classification model is constructed for the formed set of secondary patterns, allowing for the addition of “missed” secondary patterns that were not identified in the analysis of subject areas but follow from the logic of the classification model. In the final stage, secondary patterns are supplemented with descriptions of possible variants of their implementation in various subject areas. The basis of the proposed methodology for forming the set of secondary patterns includes two original authorial approaches: dividing the universe into subject areas corresponding to evolutionary levels; and generalizing patterns and their understanding based on the mechanism of multisystem integration of knowledge. The conducted research has allowed for the formulation of a set of conditions that the subject area must satisfy. These include the condition of systemic localization, which states the necessity of positioning the subject area within the system of knowledge about the world, the condition of formalization, which means the necessity of a formal definition for the axiomatics and the scientific paradigm constructed on its basis for the subject area, and the condition of objectivity, meaning that the subject area must be part of what exists, to which the subject of cognition directs their activities or knowledge. The evolutionary levels of the universe meet the specified conditions. Fifteen evolutionary levels can be distinguished: metaphysical, classical-mechanical, quantum-mechanical, statistical-physical, molecular, crystallographic, macromolecular, supramolecular, physiological, evolutionary-biological, biotic, informational-cognitive, social, intellectual-spiritual, and technical. The semantic uncertainty of the general theory of systems, which is a necessary condition for its functionality, dictates the need for both the universalization and specialization of patterns. This can be ensured by supplementing universal patterns with descriptions of possible variants of their implementation in various subject areas.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):15-29
15-29
The concept of «kitsch» in M. Kundera's novel «The unbearable lightness of being» and its artistic solution in the film adaptation of the same name by F. Kaufman
Abstract
The subject of the research is the concept of «kitsch» in M. Kundera's novel «The unbearable lightness of being» and its artistic solution in the film adaptation of the same name by F. Kaufman. The novel «The unbearable lightness of being» is one of the most famous works of the Czech writer, raising questions of human existence, problems of personality adaptation to changing conditions of social and personal space, personal responsibility for loved ones and one's own words and actions. The relevance of the novel's problems is determined by the appeal to themes that remain significant for the modern reader. The object of the research is artistic techniques that allow cinematography to reveal the fundamental ideas of a literary work. Philosophical and ethical issues significant for literature remain relevant in cinematography. The art of cinema, which has a different set of artistic techniques, faces the problem of visually resolving complex substantive aspects of a literary work. The main research methods are analytical and comparative-historical. The analytical method allows us to analyze the basic conceptual provisions underlying the work and to comprehend the variants of their artistic solution in the film adaptation. The comparative-historical approach is manifested in the process of comparing and comprehending works of different types of art. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the study of the main artistic techniques used by F. Kaufman in the film adaptation of the novel, which allow us to reveal the main ideas of the novel, first of all, the concept of «kitsch», one of the important components that make up the ideological basis of the components. The work of M. Kundera has repeatedly attracted the attention of researchers, since the author is a laureate of numerous literary awards and one of the most famous Czech writers in world literature. Researchers analyze mainly the ethical, mythological and philosophical aspects of his works. Film adaptations of the writer's novels have practically not been studied. To film works saturated with philosophical ideas is a difficult task for cinematography. The study of such film adaptations is of interest to art criticism, since it allows us to comprehend the artistic techniques used by directors.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):30-46
30-46
Where Does Patriotism Come From and How to Foster It?
Abstract
The article is devoted to the philosophical understanding of patriotism as one of the key traditional values established in Decree No. 809 of the President of the Russian Federation dated November 9, 2022. This research addresses a range of interconnected issues, including: the essential characteristics of patriotism and the controversy between patriotism and cosmopolitanism; contradictory interpretations of the moral foundations of patriotism in Russian and Western scientific and philosophical discourses; mechanisms of patriotic sentiment formation; challenges in effective patriotic education amid increasing urbanization and globalization; and alternative approaches to strengthening patriotism through deurbanization, revival of national cultural codes, and creating environments for natural identity formation. The study focuses on developing practical recommendations for reinforcing patriotic sentiments in Russian society. As research methods at various stages, the study employs hermeneutic and semiotic analysis of texts from Russian and Soviet songs expressing love for the homeland; self-reflection (autoethnography) allowing the author to better understand the nature of patriotic feelings; and thought experiments enabling analysis of the moral consequences of policies based on principles of patriotism and cosmopolitanism. The novelty of the research lies in synthesizing philosophical, sociological, political science, and psychological-pedagogical approaches to the problem of patriotism. The author rejects abstract moralizing interpretations and demonstrates that patriotism serves as a "self-preservation instinct" of the nation in the context of globalization. Moreover, patriotism represents not so much a rational system of views as a conglomerate of impressions, emotions, and behavioral patterns, most of which form during childhood through imprinting. Patriotic education scarcely engages this mechanism, rendering it largely ineffective. The conclusion posits that a more effective approach to strengthening patriotism may involve creating environments where emotional attachment to native nature and culture forms naturally. A set of measures has been formulated that could form the basis of state policy for creating such environments. Specifically, the study substantiates the necessity for gradual deurbanization and development of rural territories alongside the creation and subsequent popularization of a new "Russian style" across various cultural spheres. The research also identifies risks along this path - primarily bureaucratization that could discredit the very idea, and the substitution of authentic traditions with simulacra
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):47-68
47-68
Between Role and Audience: Features of Actor's Existence in Vaudeville
Abstract
The subject of the study is the features of the actor's existence in the vaudeville performance in the context of the specific genre, as well as the relationships between the actor, the role, and the audience. The structure of the vaudeville stage image is analyzed, including the "gap" between the performer and the character, which is conditioned by the synthetic nature of vaudeville, its improvisational foundations, as well as its fundamental openness to the audience. The importance of the direct contact between the actor and the audience is emphasized, along with elements such as asides and soliloquies, which lend uniqueness and a "sparkling" theatricality to the performance. The focus is on the search for a balance between artistic convention and plausibility, as well as between the role and the actor's personality, which allows for the identification of the systemic principles of vaudeville aesthetics. Special attention is given to improvisation as a crucial means of stage existence, influencing the actor's internal technique and the nature of interaction with the audience. The study is based on a structural-semiotic approach, relying on the analysis of genre characteristics, as well as a historical-cultural method. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the identification of a stable model of actor existence in vaudeville as a special form of stage being, in which the interaction with the role and the audience is conditioned not by the desire for transformation, but by the construction of a "gap" between the actor's personality and the stage image. Thus, after analyzing the connections between the actor, their character, and the audience, the conclusion drawn is that improvisation in vaudeville is not a stylistic deviation, but one of the genre-forming elements that create the uniqueness of each stage event. It has been established that breaking the "fourth wall" in vaudeville is not an accidental technique, but an organic component of the interaction between the actor and the audience. Direct address to the audience, engaging them in the action, and the use of asides and soliloquies—all of this forms a unique type of theatricality, based in part on "flickering reality." Illusion and playful convention constantly alternate. Through the analysis of the relationships between the actor, the role, and the audience, the article demonstrates that vaudeville presents a stable theatrical model, in contrast to psychological theater, while maintaining the internal truth of stage action and high demands on acting skill.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):69-77
69-77
Beyond Reason: Individuation of Gilbert Simondon in the Era of Computational Sovereignty and Automated Cognition
Abstract
Digital technologies are radically changing the modern world, increasingly acting as autonomous agents. Algorithms governing social networks, neural networks creating content, or robots making decisions. Their actions are determined by their own internal logic, beyond human intentions. While many researchers in digital technology argue for the capability of machines to think based on their functional similarity to human reasoning when processing information, the outstanding philosopher and thinker in the field of technology and technological innovations, Gilbert Simondon, shifts the focus to the specificity of technical being and the collaborative nature of intellectual activity. The question "Can machines think?" transforms into a question of how we understand thinking within the complex interaction of the technosocial system "human-technology-society" with its own evolutionary dynamics. The methodological foundation of this article is based on methods of analysis, observation, and synthesis, consisting of the key ideas of philosophical individuation of technical systems (Simondon) and the ideas of genealogy, control, and machine cognition (Deleuze). The key task is to reveal the contingent process of the technosocial phase of individuation that produces operationally closed (autoetic) systems. Classical cybernetics, relying on the servomechanical model, interprets machines as passive executors of pre-set commands, denying the possibility of genuine "thinking." This article challenges this paradigm in relation to the modern machine learning process of neural networks. We assert that the servomechanism is incapable of adequately explaining the emergent, unpredictable, and creative aspects of complex models' behavior, especially deep neural networks, which go beyond simple responses to input stimuli. Drawing on Simondon's philosophy of technology, the article proposes an alternative ontological framework. The process of machine learning is interpreted as contingent technical individuation: the model arises ("individuates") from a "pre-individual" field (architecture, data, learning stochasticity) through the resolution of internal tensions (minimization of losses). The result is not a servomechanism but a unique operationally closed system. Its "thinking" is understood as an emergent property of this individuation – contingent (dependent on the learning path), immanent to the internal structure (weights), and manifesting in the ability to generalize, generate, and abduct.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(6):78-98
78-98