Decline of morality in Russian society. Decline in morals in history Decline in morals
Among the main reasons for the decline in morals in post-reform Russia, the following are usually noted. A general weakening of control over the behavior of citizens, the transformation of which, as the history and experience of other countries shows, is characteristic of "turbulent", changing societies, and inevitably accompanies radical reforms. The moral qualities of the reformers, many of whom were recruited as “democrats” from party and Komsomol workers, turned the resource of administrative power into access to property and generalized their personal immorality into the ideologeme of “uselessness of morality” for a market economy that was convenient for them.
The specific character of the "three sources and three constituent parts"of modern Russian business, which were: a) former Soviet "guild workers", i.e. underground producers of goods and services, b) representatives of the criminal world, who in the Soviet years levied tribute on "guilds" and applied their experience in a market economy, c) party and Komsomol workers, who with amazing ease replaced socialist morality with pseudo-capitalist, but, in fact, to criminal. Distribution in the early 1990s such ideologemes as “everything that is not prohibited by law is possible”, “one must live according to the law, not according to conscience”, “the main thing is money, and it doesn’t matter in what ways it is earned”, etc., essentially denying any morality - the decision the long-standing Russian alternative “according to conscience or according to the law?” in favor of the latter and led to the fact that our society began to live not according to conscience, and not according to the law, but “according to concepts”.
The pseudo-liberal understanding of freedom, which spread at the beginning of the reforms and is based on the "doctrine of vulgar liberalism," as non-compliance with any rules and prohibitions, as unbridledness and irresponsibility, was willingly assimilated by some sections of our society.
Criminalization (not only in the generally accepted sense - the growth of crime, etc., but also in the extended sense of the word - the criminalization of "all public life"), including an abundance of films about "good bandits", the popularity of criminal vocabulary ("assaults", "showdowns", etc. .p.), toughening, “brutalization” of this life, the widespread use of power schemes for resolving disputes, the prestige of emphatically aggressive behavior, etc.
The attractiveness of the negative patterns of behavior created by the most successful people are reinforced by the "amnesty of the past" modern Russia who made their fortunes by violating laws and moral standards (it doesn’t matter that the name is a bandit in the past, now he is a “respectable businessman”, and his past does not matter).
Anomie is the destruction of the system of moral norms and their mismatch with each other, characteristic of all post-socialist societies and replacing hypernomy - over-normalization - of socialist regimes.
abolition social institutions moral control, in the role of which in Soviet society were party and Komsomol organizations, comrades' courts, people's control, etc., which, with all their well-known shortcomings, performed a very important social function - moral control.
The dominance of "economic determinism" in approaches to solving the main problems of our society.
The fact that although the unity of education and upbringing was considered one of the cornerstones of the national education system, since the early 1990s. the state has, in essence, left the sphere of education.
Having no opportunity in this context for a detailed presentation and discussion of these reasons, we emphasize that the moral state of society, which the supporters of "economic determinism" tend to ignore, referring, in their obviously pejorative expression, to the "so-called social sphere", has in the system of social processes , in essence, a multicomponent status, representing simultaneously three aspects: a) an indicator of the state of society, b) a consequence of the processes taking place in it, c) the basis of what this society expects in the future. The latter is especially clearly manifested in the low birth rate, which in recent years has been designated, including by the authorities, as one of the key problems of modern Russia.
Studies show that purely economic measures to stimulate the birth rate can give birth rate growth in the range of 15-20%, since the main influence on the reluctance to have children is exerted by non-economic factors. Among them, as polls show, one of the first places is occupied by the reluctance to give birth to them in a country whose moral trouble is emphasized by the respondents. A. Yu. Shevyakov cites data that "changes in fertility and mortality trends in Russia by 85 - 90% are due to excessive inequality and high relative poverty of the population", expressing the moral state of our society, and emphasizes that "the relationship between socio-economic factors and demographic indicators is mediated by the psychological reactions of people and the behavioral attitudes resulting from these reactions. And V. K. Levashov explains the “catastrophic depopulation” of modern Russia as “a moral gap between society and the state.” As R. S. Grinberg states, “demographic studies show that more than two-thirds of the reasons for the depopulation of Russia are associated with such socio-psychological phenomena that emerged in the post-Soviet period as social depression, apathy and aggression,” some of which (for example, mass aggressiveness) are direct manifestations of the destruction of morality, others - apathy, depression, etc. - a mass psychological reaction to its destruction. In particular, a permanent feeling of immorality, hostility and aggressiveness of the environment causes stress, apathy, depression, etc. in a person, which in turn gives rise to mental disorders, diseases of the nervous system, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and other diseases. According to the World Health Organization, from 45% to 70% of all diseases are associated with stress, and psychosomatic diseases such as neurosis, cardiovascular disorders, ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, immunodeficiency, endocrinopathy and tumor diseases are directly dependent on it. .
Decline in morals plays an important role among the motives for suicide, and is also directly related to the depressing statistics of drug addiction, alcoholism, accidents, etc., which are the main manifestations of the physical self-destruction of our society. A. Yu. Myagkov and SV. Erofeev note that “in the theories of social integration, the increase in suicides is traditionally considered an important sign of increased tension and self-destructiveness in society, which, in turn, are the result of deep deviations in social structures and the lack of value-normative unity”; state that "the continuing increase in suicides is the price that we still have to pay for uncivilized forms of transition to the market."
Similar patterns can be traced in history, in particular, "history provides many examples, starting with the death of the Roman Empire, when, on the whole, economically prosperous states perished as a result of a decline in the moral level of the population." And B. Kuzyk, on the material of the most important historical cycles of the evolution of the Russian state, shows that each of its political and economic rise and fall was always preceded, respectively, by the rise or fall of spiritual life and morality.
Contrary to the thesis proclaimed by domestic reformers about the "uselessness" of morality for a market economy, their close relationship is shown in the classic works of M. Weber and his followers. It is also obvious to representatives of modern Russian business. Thus, the president of the Rolf group of companies, S. A. Petrov, emphasizes that “the requirements of morality are not some kind of appendage to business imposed on it by some social forces, that is, from the outside, but a guarantee of its successful development.” The regularity that “the higher the level of spiritual and moral development of the bulk of the population, the more successfully the economic and political system of the country develops”, “the state of the economy directly depends on the spiritual, moral state of the individual”, receives multiple confirmations. And the data we obtained demonstrate that the moral state of Russian society, quantified by the method described above, reveals high correlations with various indicators of its innovative activity.
The level of morality has a significant impact on socio-political processes. In particular, it is difficult to disagree with the fact that “ethics is the heart of democracy,” since the latter presupposes the trust of citizens in its institutions, which is impossible without subordinating the activities of these institutions to basic ethical principles. Metropolitan Kirill put it categorically: "Morality is a condition for the survival of human civilization - no more and no less."
I won’t talk about civilization in general, let today’s Europe with its customs also answer for itself, and I will answer only for the Romans, as soon as they ask me and as soon as I specialize in them. The morals of the Romans began to fall at the turn of the II-I centuries. BC, more precisely - it was a slow process, which is traditionally counted from 146 BC, when Carthage and Corinth fell. The elimination of Rome's longtime rival (Carthage) and the conquest of one of the culturally richest cities in Greece (Corinth) led to an increase in the standard of living of the Romans against the background of receiving trophies and ensuring some foreign policy stability (Rome turned into a powerful power, world within that world). From that moment on, all the authors began to talk about the decline in morals, and over time it turned into a kind of fashionable trend - if you write history, then complain about the decline in morals, how good it was in the days of Cincinnatus and Curius Dentatus, who themselves are the earth plowed, ate from wooden utensils, etc. Naturally, all this moralistic whining was not accompanied by real actions, because no one really wanted to return to the plow, like Cincinnatus, it was much more convenient to talk about it, lying on Babylonian carpets or beds inlaid with precious inserts. The notorious decline in morals, therefore, firstly, was a literary cliche, and secondly, even taking place, it affected only a small part of the population: the aristocracy of the era of the empire (although among them there were many followers of the ethics of Stoicism, who, such as Marcus Aurelius or, in the everyday sense, Antoninus Pius, led a very modest life) and that part of the plebs (in the sense of the urban population), which was spoiled by the comforts of life in big cities, where there were spectacles and gratuitous treats. A clear picture of the idleness of this segment of the population can be found in Ammianus Marcellinus (descriptions of Rome) and in Eunapius (in Vitae sophistarum there is a description of the rampant population of Constantinople). The rest of the population still had to work to provide for themselves. We see artisans, provincials, peasants, etc., who worked and worked, continuing to live in a very modest and traditional way of life from a cultural and everyday point of view.
Summing up, I will say that the Roman decline in morals, having become a literary and journalistic cliché already among the Romans themselves, passed from them in subsequent centuries, acquiring somewhat exaggerated features: this is clearly demonstrated by T. Couture's painting "The Romans of the Decline Epoch", a vivid example of faith in this Roman decadence. Separately, it should be borne in mind that at all times it was fashionable to compare oneself with the Romans, especially since the European civilization amuses itself with the idea of continuity in relation to Ancient Rome. Accordingly, the decline in morals, so mused by the Romans, was also taken into service. However, the Roman civilization perished for a whole range of reasons, in a series of which the decline in morals was only a particularity, especially since in all the centuries of the existence of the Roman Empire, people of high moral character were honored. What about modern Europe with her morals, then to prophesy for her a decline similar to the decline of the civilization of Ancient Rome means, at least, to show her (Europe) too much honor.
I imagined how, at a meeting of the European Parliament, the speaker, addressing the peoples through a live broadcast, promises everyone free bread, water and high-speed Internet, and the rest of the parliamentarians, in order to avoid tyranny or so simply, promptly break the benches into clubs, beat the unfortunate man to death and leave into the river.
Not those times, not those.)
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Quote from the book "History of Rome" Mommsen Theodore. Whether the decline in morals was the root cause, or whether any powerful state loses its vigilance, believing in its exclusivity, decide for yourself
In Rome, from ancient times, the life and behavior of every citizen was strictly and precisely determined by ancient forms and decorum. The Roman had to keep his affairs in order, maintain a strict degree in the house, fulfill his duties and be able to defend his rights. Generations after generations left the earthly field, and the Romans wanted to be only good citizens, only such as their fathers were - and this worked out in Roman society, especially in noble families, such a feeling of national pride and such patriotism, the like of which was no longer in any other human society, created such a spiritual system that seems to us to belong to some other world. This feeling of a living connection with one's ancestors, an inseparable spiritual kinship with them was especially vividly expressed in funeral rites, which for a very long time retained their ancient forms.
Over time, as Rome expanded its possessions in foreign countries, the Romans began to feel the need for a different, richer and more diverse mental life and were carried away by the brilliant Hellenic civilization, but along with its wondrous fruits, they assimilated all its evil sides and them. succumbed even more strongly. The influence of Hellenism on the Romans was especially powerful because the Romans faced a completely new task for them: to arrange relations with many peoples, to work out conditions for living together with many peoples who had submitted to them, and for the Greeks this task had already been largely resolved, they had that humanistic and even cosmopolitan civilization has already been created, which was suitable for the joint life and activity of different tribes and peoples.
In area foreign policy Hellenic influence led to "Hellenophilism", the strange idea that the Greeks had to be "liberated" from Macedonia. What appeared in Greece as a result of such a policy of Rome, we have already seen. More significant and deeper was the Greek influence in the field of religion and customs. Until recently, religious beliefs lived in Italy that amazed the Greeks with their sincerity, although the ancient, simple, God-fearing religion was already turning little by little into a complex and artificial theological system, with interpretations of myths, with the distribution of gods by ranks, with the development of the priesthood and the strengthening of the influence of the priests. ; now the ancient, age-old forest of popular beliefs began to disappear - and the soil was quickly overgrown with weeds, coarse and absurd superstitions. Many of the religious beliefs of neighboring tribes penetrated into Rome, and it was the most strange and fantastic. From the East, the cult of Cybele, the mother of the gods, spread in Rome, and in the most difficult years of the Hannibal war, huge sums were used to purchase from one of the Asian cities and deliver to Rome a black stone, which was revered as Cybele herself. Then the cult of Bacchus appeared in Rome and soon joined here with the most hideous orgies, so that for a long series of years the government waged a stubborn and even cruel struggle with it before it was possible to put an end to its spread. And in the capital, and throughout Italy, a lot of wandering priests, fortune-tellers, soothsayers wandered, whose influence was detrimental both in the field of beliefs and in the field of morality.
There were still Romans who adhered to the old way of life, such as Cato. Cato lived very modestly, he did not have any decorations in his house, his table was the simplest, the owners ate the same as the slaves, strict order was observed in everything, and the slave was punished for the slightest offense. Cato treated his wife rather reservedly, but he considered raising children, especially his son, his main duty and said that it was more important to be a good family man than an influential senator; with his son, he personally engaged in all gymnastic exercises, for him he also wrote his instructions with his own hand, which became one of the precious sources of our information about the then Roman life, about its bright and dark sides. But such people as Cato were already rare exceptions, morals fell with terrifying speed.
Courtesans appeared in Rome, and keeping them became almost a requirement of good taste. The number of marriages began to decrease, and the number of divorces to increase. On the basis of family monetary relations, crimes were committed that had never been heard of before. The former strict views on the position of women in the family were weakened, women began to strive to expand their rights, especially due to the accumulation of huge capital in the hands of some women, this phenomenon took on such proportions that the rights of women by inheritance were limited by law.
Luxury was terribly intensified in the arrangement of houses, in clothes, in a table, feasts, completely unknown before, according to Greek models, with reclining, music, with a large number of all kinds of dishes, instead of the fact that before there were only two changes of dishes, became a custom. Expensive cooks, bakery specialists, and confectioners appeared in Rome.
The habit of killing time without doing anything developed: various domestic holidays became a custom, new public festivals were established and arranged with the greatest luxury, usually accompanied by gladiatorial games. For the first time these games were arranged in 490, they soon became an indispensable accessory not only for any public holiday, but even for a big feast among private individuals. From Rome, these games also penetrated into Greece, here the public, which had a more elegant taste, met this rude fun disapprovingly, but soon wide circles got used to it and the Hellenes also became interested in gladiators.
In the field of spiritual activity recent years Republic, we do not have to celebrate a lot of new things. Religious interests remained the same as they were in the era of the beginning enthusiasm for Hellenism. The state religion was preserved as a politically convenient institution, but it no longer worried anyone's soul. Stoicism, which had long dominated Roman society, lost its influence at that time: people were fed up with its cunning terminology and vacuity - now the Epicurean system was spreading in Rome, quite suitable for people inclined to seek oblivion of the anxieties of life in aimless apathy or in superficial irony. As always happens - and here superstition went hand in hand with disbelief - these are two sides of the same spiritual mood. Faith disappeared in Rome - and the cults of Persian and especially Egyptian deities, the most boring and strange of all the deities revered by the peoples who lived along the shores of the Mediterranean, began to spread more and more. During the years of greatest indifference to its ancient deities, the strangest manifestations of superstitious fear of Egyptian parodies of a deity happened in Rome. At this time, so-called neo-Pythagoreanism began to spread in Rome, a strange religious construction that combined the disparate elements of the most diverse philosophical systems and mixed the first glimpses of natural scientific information with mystical nonsense.
General education in its spirit and content came even closer to the Hellenic. Military art and agriculture were now excluded from the general educational subjects. The circle of schooling included the so-called "seven liberal arts": grammar, logic (or dialectics), rhetoric, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music, they were also joined by medicine and architecture. Greek literature continued to form the basis of general education and was studied more seriously and with more learned methods than before. It was considered almost obligatory to complete an education in Athens or Rhodes. Alexandria, the center of rigorous science, was visited less frequently. The chatter of the Athenian sages or Rhodes rhetoricians conveyed to the Roman youth mainly the harmful elements of Hellenism, and contemporaries themselves noticed that the Hellenic culture in Italy in recent decades has rather declined than developed. The nation, ruined, morally exhausted, having endured so many terrible crises, no longer assimilated the infinitely great works of the Hellenic spirit, but perceived the Hellenic culture externally, and often precisely its unhealthy fruits.
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UDC 94(37):17
CICERO ON THE DECLINE OF MORALS AND THE NEED FOR MORAL REFORM IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC OF THE 1st CENTURY B.C.
Bragova A.M.
The article is devoted to the analysis of Cicero's views on the decline of morals in the Roman society of his time, consideration of the relationship between moral decline and the fall of the Roman Republic, discussion of the possibility of carrying out a moral reform of Roman society in the writings of Cicero.
Key words: Cicero, moral decline, moral reform, 1st c. BC, Ancient Rome, Roman Republic, Roman society, mores majorum.
CICERO ON MORAL DECLINE AND NECESSITY OF THE ETHIC REFORM IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC OF THE I B.C.
The article analyzes Cicero's views on moral decline in the Roman society of the first century B.C., and the research of the interrelation between the moral decline and the decline of the Roman Republic and the discussion of a possibility of an ethical reform in the Roman society in Cicero's works.
Keywords: Cicero, decline moral, ethical reform, the first century B.C., Ancient Rome, Roman Republic, Roman society, mores majorum.
The article is devoted to one of the leading themes of an ethical and political nature in the writings of Cicero - the theory of the decline of morals, as well as the question of the need and possibility of moral reform in Roman society in the 1st century BC. BC. It should be noted that the theory of the decline of morals was widespread among Greek and Roman thinkers, both the predecessors of Cicero (Cato the Elder, Polybius, Posidonius), and
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru of his contemporaries (Sallust). The founder of the theory of moral decline is considered to be Cato the Elder, who fought against the decline of morals, urging Roman citizens to follow the morals of their ancestors.
Polybius in the 6th book of the "General History" (Polyb. Hist. 6.57) indicates that the state can decline either due to external actions or due to internal causes, i.e., the decline of morals caused by lust for power citizens, disdain for a modest position, arrogance and extravagance. Sallust writes about the mores of the civil community (de moribus civitatis), mentioning the institutions of the ancestors (instituta majorum), how they ruled the state (rem publicam habuerint) and left it (good) to his (descendants) (quantamque reliquerint) so that gradually it from the most beautiful to the worst (ut paulatim... ex pulcherruma... pessuma... facta sit) (Sall. Cat. 5.9).
Cicero shares these ideas: for example, in speeches he often repeats the phrase: "O tempora, o mores!" (Cic. in Cat. 1.2; pro Cael. 29; pro Deiot. 31; in Verr. 2.4, 55), in various works (correspondence, oratory treatises, political dialogues, speeches) repeatedly uses the term mores / mos majorum when referring on the mores and customs of the ancestors as a standard, a model (Cic. de orat. 1.39, 2.200, 3.74; ad Att. 1.1, 8.2; ad fam. 3.7, 10.12, 13.10; de leg. 2.23, 40, 54; de off. 1.35; de rep. 3.4; in Pis. 21, 34; in Vat. 34-35; pro Cluent. 103; pro Planc. 28; pro Scaur. 30, etc.). Cicero connects the stability of the Roman state with Roman customs: the Roman state could be eternal if everyone lived according to the covenants and customs of the "fathers" (poterat esse perpetua, si patriis viveretur institutis et moribus) (Cic. de rep. 3.41. Cf. Cic de off 1.55-56).
For Cicero and his contemporaries, ethical and political issues were perceived as an indivisible whole. The decline of morals was seen by them as the reason for the fall of the republic. In one of the passages of the speech “In Defense of Sestius”, Cicero writes that the upheavals in the republic are due to the fact that there are people in it who, due to fear of punishment for their misdeeds (propter metum poenae, peccatorum suorum conscii), from -for confusion
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru property matters (propter implicationem rei familiaris) or for other reasons tend to rebellion and strife (Cic. pro Sest. 99. Cf. Cic. pro Rab. 33). Thus, Cicero strongly associates changes in government with changes in the level of morality.
As V. Korab-Karpovich points out, there is a certain relationship between the spiritual qualities of people (the quality of people) and their state institutions (their institutions). Good institutions contribute to the preservation of political and moral values in the society (political and moral values in the society). Without such values, political institutions are democratic in name, not in content (lose their substance and become republican in the name alone). It is also important to understand here that the ancient Romans did not associate the fall of the Roman Republic with systemic problems of a political nature: they, as a rule, considered the cause of such a fall to be the miscalculations of individual politicians, the fall in their morality. The pursuit of such evils as avaritia, luxuria, became more important for them than serving the state. As the way of life of the nobles changes (nobilium vita victuque mutato), so do the customs of states (mores mutari civitatum), because they spread vices (ea infundunt) (Cic. de leg. 3.32). And here it is important to emphasize that, according to Cicero, not only rulers are prone to moral degradation (Cic. de rep. 2.51), but also the people as a whole (Cic. de rep. 1.67) . Both have an unbridled desire for wealth: morals are corrupted and corrupted because of the admiration for wealth (corrupti mores depravatique sunt admiratione divitiarum) (Cic. de off. 2.71).
Cicero writes that luxury spoils people and that it is unworthy to wallow in luxury (sit turpe diffluere luxuria) (Cic. de off. 1.106. Cf. Cic. de rep. 2.8). In addition to the thirst for wealth and luxury, Cicero highlights the desire of people for higher positions, honors, glory (imperiorum, honorum, gloriae cupiditatem), citing Caesar as an example, who changed all divine and human
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru laws for the sake of striving to excel (omnia jura divina et humana pervertit propter... principatum) (Cic. de off. 1.26. Cf. Cic. de off. 1.64).
H. Wirshubsky rightly notes that the reason for the decline in morals was too ambitious zeal for the possession of dignitas (too ambitious pursuit of dignitas): an excessive desire to possess (excessive dignitas) is a destructive factor (a destructive factor), since in the pursuit of dignitas it is not taken into account the moral essence of dignitas (in its pursuit the moral basis on which dignitas must rest was disregarded). It should be noted that the concept of dignitas (dignity, high position) is used by Cicero to characterize the best, that is, the bravest and most famous statesmen (optimi: Cic. pro Sest. 104; optimi cives: Cic. pro Sest. 125; fortissimi et clarissimi cives: Cic. pro Sest. 144) who defended the general welfare despite the danger that threatened them (qui salutem communem periculo suo defendissent) (Cic. pro Sest. 12), which allows us to conclude that this concept is used by Cicero in both political and ethical sense, and, as was said, both meanings are inextricably linked.
Cicero not only raises the question of corrupt morals and their negative influence on the political situation in the Roman Republic, but also makes an attempt to offer some solution on this issue. He sees the way out of this situation in improving morals, in carrying out some kind of moral reform. After all, there is nothing more pleasant and nothing brings together more than the similarity of good morals (nihil autem est amabilius nec copulatius, quam morum similitudo bonorum) (Cic. de off. 1.56). The term mores, especially in combination with the word majorum, is fundamental in Cicero's reasoning about the need for a moral renewal of society. By mores majorum, Cicero understands the customs of the ancestors, which must be followed.
As G. van den Blom points out, in the writings of Cicero, the ancestors and their customs were a model of good behavior (a kind of code of good conduct), sometimes comparable to the law (at times compared to law), which had
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru authority among the Romans (which held ... authority with the Romans) . Examples from the history of the Roman state, about its formation due to the high moral qualities of its statesmen, their wisdom, insight and other virtues, serve as proof of the importance of the moral renewal of Roman society.
Cicero writes that the Roman people did not achieve their power by accident, but by virtue of prudence and strict order (non fortuito populum Romanum, sed consilio et disciplina confirmatum esse) (Cic. de rep. 2.30).
V. Korab-Karpovsky rightly singles out in the writings of Cicero the following ethical and political values that can lead the state to prosperity: 1) legitimate power based on justice and on the idea of serving the people (legitimacy based on justice and service) (Cic. de off. 1.85); 2) limited and not individual political power (limited and divided political power) (Cic. de rep. 2.23); 3) freedom and responsibility of citizens (freedom and responsibility) (Cic. de rep. 1.33, de leg. 3.27); 4) justice and humanity of rulers and people (justice and cooperation) (Cic. de off. 2.18); 5) competent leadership of the state and, as a result, the loyalty of the people (leadership and royalty) (Cic. de rep. 5.5, de leg. 3.5); 6) rationality and knowledge (Cic. de off. 1.11, de rep. 1.29); 7) human fellowship (Cic. de off. 1.55); 8) openness to other peoples and cultures (Cic. de off. 3.47); 9) moderation and peace (Cic. de rep. 2.26, de off. 1.35).
As we can see, these ethical and political values are a synthesis of stoic virtues and political concepts laid down by the ancient Greeks (Plato, Aristotle, etc.) and interpreted by Cicero in relation to Roman political realities. Regarding the moral renewal of society, Cicero also notes that it should affect all levels state power: monarchical (consuls, magistrates), aristocratic (senate) and democratic (tribunes and people's committees),
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru especially the first two. It is the state apparatus that should be a model in terms of morality, because other citizens are equal to state leaders (Cic. de rep. 1.51). Statesmen should serve the security and welfare of the citizens, not self-aggrandizement (Cic. de off. 2.20-38. Cf. Cic. de rep. 5.8; ad Att. 8.1-2, pro Mur. 23).
Thus, patronage becomes an expression of ideal power associated with justice, beneficence, prudence, greatness of spirit, moderation, that is, the components of virtus. People who possess these virtues, precisely because of their virtus, are able to protect the state and govern it, are able to influence the masses of the people, in other words, to have authority (auctoritas) among many people.
However, as Cicero writes, in his time the state was completely lost due to the moral degradation of state leaders (Cic. de off. 2.29. Cf. Cic. de leg. 3.32). He doubts the possibility of restoring the former state order, returning harmony between the estates: in his opinion, the state does not need weapons under the name of prudence, talent, authority (non consili, non ingeni, non auctoritatis armis egere rem publicam) (Cic. Brut. 2.7 Cf. Cic. ad fam. 7.28.2).
With regard to the effectiveness of moral reform in the time of Cicero, there are two points of view in historiography: the first is related to the fact that moral reform was impossible at that time, since the polis system of moral values had become obsolete; the second is reduced to the possibility of a return to the old moral values. We are more inclined to the second opinion, since the idea of moral reform proposed by Cicero was widespread and met the needs and interests of certain sections of Roman society. Such an idea could lead to regeneration, the revival of moral norms in society. Moreover, this regeneration fit well into
ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru the framework of the existing state system did not require its change, did not affect its main institutions. The moral renewal of the state and society could have taken place if immoral people had not been involved in politics, if there had not been people like Sulla, Pompey, Caesar with their unbridled desire to excel, and if their example had not been followed by others thirsting for political power.
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ISSN 2308-8079. Studio Humanitatis. 2016. No. 2. www.st-hum.ru
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Bragova Arina Mikhailovna - Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of History, Regional Studies and Journalism, Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University. ON THE. Dobrolyubova (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia)
Data about the
Bragova Arina Mikhailovna - Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor of History, Regional Studies and Journalism Department, Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University named after N.A Dobrolyubov (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia).
Passion for one's passions and refusal to obey the Almighty are two qualities of the nafs that prevent the achievement of various kinds of blessings.
That is why the rising nafs is so prone to anger. And the best opposition to such a nafs is the use of a good disposition that can tame the power of anger, extinguishing its fire with its meekness and gentleness.
That is, the nafs that allows you to commit sins must be broken, you must fight with it. And for this it is necessary to humiliate him by punishment, pointing out to the nafs his contempt, baseness and abomination of his actions.
The righteous Zun-Nun al-Misri said:
“Spiritual death, the decline in the morals of people arose for six reasons:
first - weakness of intention when performing deeds for akhirah (eternal life);
second- the bodies of people became hostages of their passions;
third - they were overcome by long dreams and aspirations, despite the approach of death;
fourth– people preferred the contentment of people to the contentment of the Creator;
fifth– they followed their passions, forgetting the Sunnah (path) of their Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
and sixth- people, justifying their sins, remembered minor mistakes and miscalculations of the former righteous, forgetting about their many virtues ”(As, for example, they began to justify the disagreement that took place between Ali and Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with them, distorting the facts and neglecting their excellent virtues and laudable qualities).
There are many methods and means of dealing with nafsom, which are said in reliable booksgreat sheikhs. So that those who strive for contentmentAllah always remembered them, here are somefrom these statements.
1. One of the knowers of Allah said:
“We comprehended Sufism not from some words and expressions, but through hunger, the rejection of worldly pleasures, the abandonment of bad habits, the fulfillment of the commands of Allah and the distance from His prohibitions.”
2. Another great sage was asked:
“In what fetters is it necessary to enclose your nafs?” He replied: "Shackle him with hunger and thirst, humiliate him, extinguishing passions, the desire for glory and greatness, break him by renouncing the attributes of rich people."
3. Narrated from Abu Yazid (may his soul be holy):
“I saw in a dream the Lord, Glorious and Great, and asked Him: “O my Lord, show me the way to know You?” Allah Almighty said:
“Leave your nafs and come to Me.”
4. One of the sheikhs said:
“Our way (tarikat) is based on three rules: eat only when you are hungry; sleep only when overwhelmed by sleep, and talk when absolutely necessary.
5. Another spiritual guide told his disciple:
"Trouble comes for three reasons: an unkind disposition, relentless adherence to customs, and bad friendship."
The student asked, "What does bad temper mean?" The preceptor replied: "This is the consumption of haram (forbidden)." Then the student asked: “What does it mean to stick to the customs?” The preceptor replied: “These are the views of the haram, the enjoyment of the forbidden and the addiction to gibat (gossip).
The student asked again: “What does bad friendship mean?” To which the mentor replied: “This is the pursuit of passion every time it flares up in the soul.”
6. One famous theologian said:
“Our duty is not to take revenge on the one who treated us badly, but, on the contrary, to ask for forgiveness and apologize to him, while showing modesty and simplicity. After all, in order to cleanse the heart from contempt for someone, it is necessary to do a good deed to this person.
So, whoever values his nafs, religion is contemptible for him. And, on the contrary, whoever values his religion, nafs is disgusting to him.
Ordinary people try to improve their deeds, and the elect try to purify their spiritual qualities (ahwal). Enduring hunger and staying awake at night in the worship of Allah is an easy matter. But to heal morals, cleansing them of bad habits, is a very, very difficult matter.
The decomposed and warped West is also dragging us down with all its might, into the abyss of animal life and lower astral habits and interests. If we do not understand the destructiveness of this, then we will also turn into unpretentious intelligent animals ...
Every adult, free person chooses his own path. A child comes into this world clean, with wide-open eyes. He is not yet able to choose his own path, he is not yet familiar with our world. We show him this way: mom, dad, society. What is the way we show our children?
The molestation and corruption of minor children, discrimination against the institution of the family is the principle policy of our state. Silencing this policy, while exposing the existing insane picture without (s)limits, is dooming the people to blind, desperate extinction. And our people need to know this course of the state, because. this knowledge will give guidance, will be able to mobilize people to fight for their property - children. And as long as propaganda of depravity flows in a continuous stream, no one will be able to prove the opposite. Because the state pursues either a policy of corruption or a policy of preventing corruption. There cannot be a third.
Virginity, morality, purity of children are core values which are treasured by every state thinking about the future. And only an insane state will destroy these values and allow them to do this with their children. Or a state ruled by the enemies of its own people.
Why do people allow themselves to be treated like this? A nation that has always been invincible to enemies? And the trail of glory of the victories of our ancestors still saves the lives of sailors. Somali pirates, seeing the flag of the USSR, often refuse to seize the ship, realizing that the ship is guarded by the Russians. And it doesn't matter how many Russians there are. They know one thing Russians don't give up they will fight to their last breath. So what happened to our people? Why do we live under the influence of a sleeping pill, why do we allow ourselves to be blinded, covering up this blindness with a deadly stereotype: “We have no right to prevent others from doing what they want”?
We are deceived by the stereotype of mirage freedom.
And the reaction of people to the important information that they are trying to convey to those who have already understood where “legs grow from” never ceases to amaze. Basically, initially the information is not perceived, it is rejected with the conviction: “This cannot be!” People do not believe, or rather, I would even say do not want to believe their own eyes. Because any accepted such information makes you think. And almost everyone understands that this is true. And people who allow themselves not only to listen, but hear, begin to respond to this information with actions. And this is work, and this hearing can drastically change lives. And it won't be easy. So units allow themselves hear.
After all, we quite often hear the phrase: “It’s best not to know this, but just live. It's easier that way." I myself have heard this many times. Yes, I agree it's easier. But then, when warnings about some events turn into a statement of facts, few people think that everything could have been prevented by showing minimal courage and making a decision. hear. But even more shocking, unwillingness to see already obvious and egregious.
No one is surprised by the already rapidly increasing number of teenagers drinking alcohol on every corner, smoking on an already uncontrolled scale and swearing without embarrassment. It surprises no one that the age of these same teenagers, leading the early, often ugly sex life. Society is getting used to it. It becomes the norm in our lives. This is taken for granted.
Sometimes someone can be indignant at the blatant depravity of the youth, throwing a few condemning words, and the matter does not go beyond this indignation. And just seeing how corruption touches them own children, some parents often begin to sound the alarm. And many parents simply do not notice this. I would even say - don't want to notice. I became a witness to the conversation two six year olds in the daycare. I will describe this case:
The boy is sitting on a bench and a girl comes up to him, sits next to him, and, like a real adult coquette woman, hugs him by the shoulders, saying languidly seductive voice:
- I want sex with you.
The boy moves away from her, tries to escape from her embrace and says in a far from childish voice:
“I don't want sex with you.
The girl repeated this phrase three times, coming from different directions, she just circled around him. And the boy also repeated his phrase three times. At the same time, he did not look like a wary child who did not understand what they wanted from him. Apparently, he had some associations of his own with this word.
Why has our society come to the point where such talk six year olds began to be taken lightly? Some parents even find such conversations quite amusing. They rejoice at the fact that their children are already grown up. Tell me, how can zombie parents raise free children? Who can they educate? The same zombies as they are! They lay to children the information with which they themselves are zombified daily.
Our children are massively influenced by cartoons that put non-childish images in their heads, and films with sex scenes that influence and form sexually active children at a young age. Here is the result of one psychological study.
Most girls are six years old already see themselves as sexual objects. An experiment was conducted using paper dolls. This made it possible to find out the attitude of girls aged 6-9 to the issue of sexuality. So, two dolls were dressed in a sexy way, and the rest were in loose clothes. The participants in the experiment had to choose a doll that looked like themselves, a doll that they would like to be like, and a doll that they associated with a popular girl in school. Of the 60 participants, 68% chose a sex doll, answering the question of how they themselves want to look. 72% admitted: this doll is more popular. In the child's mind, sexuality was closely linked to popularity, according to the study leader.
Debauchery zombies the subconscious of our children at an ever earlier age.
Walking with my child on the playground, I have heard many mothers say that they will adapt their children to new conditions in very original ways. They themselves plan to give alcohol to drink, they themselves plan to give the children their first cigarette, and they themselves will tell their children, as early as possible, how to use contraceptives. They are guided by the statement: “Let it be like everyone else, I don’t want my son (my daughter) to stand out in some way. I will help my child to be as everybody to make it easier for him." This is them main mistake.
It is clear from many studies that children whose parents themselves offered a "taste" of modern life are many times more vulnerable to promoted molestation. The state creates only appearance of care about the future of the nation, about the morality of children. There is an allegedly open "propaganda" of morality and hidden sinister propaganda of debauchery. This is an invisible genocide of our people for the main, most of the population.
And one more fact, confirming the policy of corruption of children by the state, or rather, by those who hide behind it. In autumn, a small town in the Kyiv region was visited by a mobile children's amusement park, as usual, housed in a city park. Passing by, I was shocked by the next picture. Most of the attractions featured aggressive pictures of guys and girls, half-naked girls. Moreover, these girls were frankly visible certain intimate parts of the body. There was a song playing English language, while the number of words "sex" in this song, to some extent, even me was zombified. It just didn't get out of my head for a while.
Now think about it. Who looked at these pictures and listened to the music? Little kids up to 5 years old! No one paid attention to the pictures, no one looked closely at them, except for these little children. They stared wide-eyed at the images and bounced around in their wheelchairs. But we know how music and illustrated material influence the formation of the horizons of children and their knowledge of the world, and How dangerous is it for them?. Where did the city authorities look when giving permission to place such an amusement park? After all, children are the most vulnerable to information, it easily enters their subconscious, forming their worldview. And then in 10 years, parents will have difficulty recognizing their children when their children begin to apply all the skills in practice in their lives.
We also know how full of erotic content the Internet is, and how accessible the Internet is to children. The period of formation of sexuality is childhood and adolescence. Given the easy accessibility of such information and the unformed psyche of children, consider how much we can ruin sexuality and cripple children for the rest of their lives.
Is our society is rapidly degrading. Each generation is more degraded than the previous one, and this acceleration is accelerating at unimaginable rates. We must think not only about ourselves, about our souls, but also about other people, about our Motherland, about our people. And our debt- to save the nation from destruction, from extinction, to protect our heritage, our children. This is the duty to the Motherland, to our ancestors who shed their blood for our land, for us, for our lives. Thanks to their feat, we live. And this is also our duty to future generations, who will either hate us, dying out like the last goyim, or will be proud of us.
By allowing our children to be destroyed, we destroying life itself we are destroying ourselves, our Motherland. If there are no our children, there will be neither us nor the memory of us as a people. And the descendants of those whom we allow ourselves to destroy now will despise our warped descendants, ridiculing and spitting on them as the descendants of the "great Russ".