1.2. Principles.
Solution of the Problem
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We believe that the given statements could
be synthesized as follows:
- "different systems of notions"
represents what is generally called "culture"
and "politics"; - in terms of culture, every nation
can have right of self- determination, and spiritual prosperity
of the nation will be the top goal of the "cultural
self-determination". Here we are speaking about the
freedom of the human spirit. A spiritually free person lives
in a realm of the spirit, and not in a realm of objectization;
in the world of being, not in the world of things. If we
proceed from the idea that every person is spiritually free,
and consequently can become a creator, then by way of simple
deduction we should admit human freedom in terms of cultural
creative activity.
Who would argue this? This idea is midway
between that of the democrats and that of the national patriots.
The "state" and "organization
of the state" with reference to this narrow task should
be taken not in the general meanings, but in the specific
meanings, as "national and cultural policy of the state",
as a CONDITION for cultural activity. (By the way, in this
understanding of "self- determination" the lack
of sense in the first statement is very well seen. It suddenly
becomes obvious that the "state" has nothing to
do with it, we can speak here only about the realm of the
spirit, the integrity and totality of a nation's spirit;
and this is true even with such a substantial limitation
that this totality entails an opportunity for openness not
only with regard to the material aspect (this is evident),
but also with regard to the spiritual totality of other
nations. The latter should be also understood in such a
sense that it is true not only with regard to the nations
of one "culture", one "civilization",
but also with regard to the nations of different cultures
and civilizations").
Up until now the advocates of disintegration
proceeded from an "evident" concept that national
culture is best developed within the frameworks of a national
state. But this is not "evident" at all. The advocates
of state self-determination "on a cultural basis"
have to prove the thesis that flourishing of culture is
possible only within the framework of an independent state,
and they have given no explanations for this yet. (From
the experience of the nations which realized their right
to self-determination after the collapse of the USSR, all
the tasks of cultural development are shifted to the background,
to nowhere, being replaced by continuous disputes of political
and economic nature).
Our examination shows only one thing - "state
self- determination" and "cultural development"
(cultural self- determination) are two different things.
And if so, then it is quite possible and theoretically conceivable
that in practice culture can flourish in an integral state,
and, vice versa, it can stagnate in a national state:
- in terms of politics other concepts are
coming into force. The word "can" should be understood
not as just a desire, not as an absolute freedom of action;
in this sense it exists to this or that extent, in these
or those conditions, but as an action with reasonable grounds.
These can be grounds of economic or political nature. "Culture"
also may be such grounds, but only in the case if "national
and cultural policies of the state" does not provide
external space for cultural development.
- in any case, existence (and even "flourishing")
of a single state with different types of cultures is quite
conceivable. From the point of view of reason, there are
no discrepancies there. Another matter is that such an abstract
statement is given here as only a possible one. It becomes
a necessary one upon certain conditions, and two of these
conditions should be considered as major:
- reasonable national and cultural policies
of the state; and - a sufficiently developed process of
mutual understanding, and the "creative communication"
of nations.
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