No 7 (2025)
Articles
Assembly and Profanation: On the Question of the Purpose of Play in the Museum
Abstract
The subject of this research is the potential of play as a means of producing knowledge in the modern museum. The concept of the museum in European culture has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries—from the Greek museions to contemporary museum practices that imply an increase in audience engagement. A museum is not just a repository of objects, nor merely a space for storing cultural values. It is a complex intellectual and emotional field where a constant interplay occurs between the past and the present, between the object and the observer, between form and meaning. Its definition is unstable and transforms depending on the historical context, societal demands, and philosophical concepts. This "gap" between function and content makes the museum an especially interesting subject for research. In this work, we have attempted to view museum activities through the lens of play, based on the ideas of Johan Huizinga, who posited that play is the foundation of culture and a prerequisite for the emergence of most social institutions. A comparative analysis of the concepts of N. Fedorov and G. Agamben was conducted as a general theoretical framework for describing museum activities, allowing us to examine the museum and the processes of sacralization and desacralization that may occur within it. The methodological perspective of Michel Foucault was also applied in the examination of the museum. The novelty of the research lies in the consideration of play not as an auxiliary tool for popularizing knowledge or as an entertainment function, but as a self-sufficient experience. Drawing on the works of Huizinga and R. Caillois, it is shown how the playful nature can be traced in various types of museum activities. The playful nature of the museum is contrasted with the musealization according to G. Agamben—a global process of sacralization that has spread to all spheres of human life and has led to the impossibility of individuals utilizing their own experiences. The only way to counter sacralization, namely to extract humanity from the sacred realm, is through profanation. According to Agamben, play is the instrument of this profanation. A forward-looking question for further research is how play can be returned to its true significance—reinstating the individual's ability to experience their own life and, specifically, the potential to make the museum a space for such experiences.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(7):1-12
1-12
From System to Process: The Concept of Relations in Bertrand Russell and the Ontology of Individuation of Gilbert Simondon
Abstract
The article explores the lesser-studied parallels between the philosophy of Bertrand Russell and the ontology of Gilbert Simondon, emphasizing their common shift from substantial-systemic thinking to processual thinking. The relevance of the research is due to the growing interest in contemporary philosophy and science towards processual ontologies, which serve as alternatives to classical substantialist models, as well as to the problems of individuation in complex systems. The novelty of the work lies in the attempt at a systematic comparison of Russell's concept of "relations" (developed in the context of the epistemological primacy of relations and neutral monism) and Simondon's theory of "individuation" (as a permanent process arising from the pre-individual field). The author demonstrates that, despite methodological differences, both thinkers criticize the notion of the predetermined individual-substance, bringing to the forefront the dynamics of relations or operations as the primary reality. The methodological basis of the article includes the following research methods: conceptual (categorical) analysis, textual analysis, comparative method, method of synthesis, and constructive modeling. The goal of applying these methods is not just to describe the views of Russell and Simondon, but to prove the thesis of their deep conceptual kinship within the framework of the "processual turn," as well as to show the specifics of their contribution to overcoming substantialism and to establish the heuristic value of their ideas for building a dynamic ontology and interdisciplinary research. The author argues that both approaches, by criticizing the static notion of the "individual" as a starting point, shift the focus to dynamic structures ("events" in late Russell, "operations" in Simondon) and the priority of becoming over being. At the same time, both thinkers offer powerful, albeit different, conceptual tools for understanding reality as a network of processes and becoming, which opens up prospects for interdisciplinary research in epistemology, philosophy of science, and complexity theory. This radical rethinking of ontological foundations from stable substances to fluid processes allows for overcoming the limitations of classical metaphysics, which is stuck in the dichotomies of subject/object and spirit/matter. As a result, the synthesis of Russell's and Simondon's ideas creates a heuristic platform: Russell's emphasis on the system of relations provides analytical precision for modeling complex networks, while Simondon's dynamic notion of continuous becoming introduces a key dimension of temporality and creative uncertainty.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(7):13-31
13-31
Two «Storms» of 1907. Maria Savina and Ekaterina Roshchina-Insarova as Katerina (Alexandrinsky Theatre, Theatre of the Literary and Artistic Circle)
Abstract
In the 20th century, the turning point for the "new Ostrovsky" and, consequently, the new stage tradition is considered to be V. E. Meyerhold's production of "The Storm" at the Alexandrinsky Theatre (1916). However, as is known, any discovery is always preceded by periods of search and accumulation. At the beginning of the 20th century, the actor's theater was in its own way seeking new qualities in Ostrovsky's plays. In a certain sense, the searches of the actor's and directing theaters ran parallel. Thus, in 1907, "The Storm" by Ostrovsky was revived simultaneously on two capital stages — at the Alexandrinsky and Suvorin Theaters. Both productions were staged in the "actor's tradition." The main heroine was played by M. G. Savina on the oldest stage, and by E. N. Roshchina-Insarova, the future Meyerhold's Katerina, at the Suvorin Theater. Here, there is a comparison of not only two different Katerinas but also two different actresses and two theaters — the last quarter of the 19th century, epitomized by Savina, and the new theater of the 20th century, of which Roshchina-Insarova would become the heroine. A reconstruction of the roles based on reviews has been conducted, implying a historical-critical approach and contextual analysis. By the end of the research, it becomes clear that Savina did not act in the "tradition" of Ostrovsky. The "canonical," that is, primarily domestic image of Katerina was contrasted by the actress with an extremely individualized interpretation. Essentially, she played her own "Turgenev girl": the psychological nuance, internal movement in the diversity and reflection of feelings — a special Savinian psychology that made the actress the heroine of history. The new Roshchina-Insarova sharply broke with tradition. The modernist quality that was noted by critics in Katerina-Roshchina-Insarova was musicality and pictoriality as a stylistic dominant of the image. However, by 1907, it was clear that individual artistic content was in demand, but what was needed was not just a role, but a "whole" performance — a directorial concept. Roshchina-Insarova managed to become the modernist heroine of such a concept — in Meyerhold's "The Storm." Through the course of the research, it becomes apparent that the modernist individuality of Roshchina-Insarova (which remains a problematic aspect of theatrical history to this day) can shed light on the directorial work of 1916: here, there is a conjunction of Meyerhold's concept and the individual artistic content of Roshchina-Insarova.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(7):32-42
32-42
Specificity of Social Dramaturgy in the Gamification of Digital Society Conditions
Abstract
The article analyzes the concept of social dramaturgy, which is becoming particularly relevant in the conditions of modern digital society. The main attention is paid to the game as a central element that allows to model social interactions and create new forms of motivation for active behavior of people in various fields of activity. The game is considered as a tool for playing social roles, forming collective intentionality and transforming cultural norms. It is emphasized that game scenarios distributed in digital media and on online platforms create new mechanisms of influence on consciousness, blurring the boundaries between the real and the imaginary, individual and collective. These changes have a significant impact on social structures and processes, opening up new perspectives for exploring the potential of drama methods and the role of media technologies in controlling the complex dynamics of the public sphere. The principles and methods of social dramaturgy are considered in the article from the point of view of an interdisciplinary approach that defines a methodological approach in analyzing the process of gamification of a digital society and designing interactions. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the analysis of post-drama theater as a game model of society, in which the boundaries between reality and simulation are blurred. Any social scenario becomes open to multiple interpretations, law and the text of culture. Thus, the text is a study of the functions of the game as a tool of social drama, its influence on the formation of dynamic connections, identities and collective intentionalities in modern media environments. The authors emphasize the need to rethink traditional approaches to understanding cultural practices of interaction in a digital media environment, as well as the role of gamification in blurring the boundaries between reality and simulation.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(7):43-56
43-56
Amateur stayer running through the prism of transcendentalism and pragmatism
Abstract
Philosophical understanding of the importance of amateur stayer practices for the comprehensive development of a person and the promotion of this kind of physical activity is an urgent task, given the generally small number of people who regularly practice this type of physical activity. The center of the formation and spread of amateur running movement in the world is the United States, which allows us to make an assumption about the stimulation of running activity by the peculiarities of their national culture. The subject of consideration is the cultural content and humanistic potential of the running practices of amateur stayers, explicated through the worldview and categorical apparatus of the main directions of classical American philosophy – transcendentalism and pragmatism, the choice of which is due to their ideological features, most suitable for the study of the being of a "running man" ‒ democracy, holism, meliorism and focus on the experience of everyday life in everything its diversity. The methodology of the subject area of the study used the historical method, the method of categorization, the descriptive method, the method of analysis. The first part of the article is devoted to the study of the influence of the ideological heritage of the transcendentalists R. W. Emerson and G. D. Thoreau on the conceptualization of the humanizing aspects of running movement, which is seen in their activities to "transcend" the oppositions "body‒consciousness" and "culture‒nature", which meant a positive assessment of our physicality and the natural environment, the unification of which occurs during classes physical culture in a natural environment. This ensures not only physical development, but also familiarization with the "virtue and holiness" of nature as a "plantation of God." The aesthetic effect of the natural environment on the runner is clarified through the categories of "beautiful" and "sublime". "Beautiful" correlates with the activities of joggers (joggers) who practice running in "ennobled" nature (parks, embankments, etc.) practically without discomfort, tension and risk, for the sake of well-being and "external" goals (beauty, cheerfulness, following current trends, etc.). Elevated states are mainly inherent in semi-professional runners, practicing long and difficult races in terms of the characteristics of the landscapes to be overcome, the experience of which combines perceptions of the beauty of wild nature, real risk to life and seemingly unbearable suffering in terms of strength and duration, which is done for the sake of improving both personal growth, giving meaning to life and heroic dimension, discovering and expanding existential boundaries.
Philosophy and Culture. 2025;(7):57-72
57-72