The thesis is devoted to the socio-philosophical study of the phenomenon of wealth as a goal and basis of social development.
The aim of the research is a socio-philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of wealth as an invariant of the historical process, which generates peculiar fundamental characteristics at different stages of social development. The research object is wealth as a direct possession and a tool for developing a special type of redistribution and social interaction in industrial and post-industrial societies. The research subject is the analysis of wealth in its various manifestations as a goal and basis of social development in its historical dynamics.
The methodological grounds for the thesis are the concepts of system, interdisciplinary, historical, political and economic as well as sociocultural approaches. Socio-philosophical reconstruction of the phenomenon of wealth is based on the synthesis of the historical method and critical analysis. At the same time, the analysis of the phenomenon of wealth is grounded on revealing the socio-cultural determinants of value systems in the social development structure. The core characteristic of the socio-philosophical study of the wealth phenomenon consists in application of the political and economic approach alongside with the sociocultural approach, which provide for
consideration of wealth, the economic reality in the social projection of economic activity of a man and society as a whole.
The scientific novelty of the results obtained lies in the fact that on the basis of the socio-philosophical analysis, the definition of wealth is given as that of the concept which expresses the universal essence of a man’s social nature (capability) of being satisfied and well provided for, both in his material and spiritual existence. In this sense, wealth is viewed as a result of a man’s activity, with its source being land, natural resources, money, technology, etc. It is noted that the role of wealth is manifested in a man’s activity in the field of social production, through exchange, distribution, consumption of material and spiritual goods, which affects the formation and functioning of social relations in the historical dynamics of society development. The need for the synthesis of socio-philosophical and political-economic approaches to determining the essence and historical forms of wealth has been grounded within the framework of conceptualization of the methodology of social phenomena scientific research, namely: the meaning content of the wealth phenomenon as an invariant of the historical development of social relations is outlined; it is determined that the main aspect of the invariance of wealth in post-industrialism is dominance of the conviction, ruinous both for the spiritual life of a modern man and the environment, that life of a separate person and of social community
can only be prosperous and worthy on condition of the wealth attainment and inclusion in a continuous global process of consumption. At the level of conceptualization, the analysis of the works by representatives of French postmodernism has been conducted with regard to the wealth phenomenon analysis, identification of the mechanisms of the value systems determinacy by production relations and processes of a man’s libido (desire) reorientation towards the political and economic area. The meaning content of the category of wealth for the Ukrainian society has been outlined. It is determined that wealth has a pronounced dual character: on the one hand, the Platonic and Byzantine
dualism – the material and spiritual; on the other hand, love for land as a value, longing for achieving prosperity in the form of property. However, it is noted that material values in the Ukrainian culture frequently take secondary positions compared to spiritual ones, which significantly affects socio-economic life of the country. The concept of the socio-economic development of the Ukrainian society in the context of the global crisis of capitalism on condition of implementation of the economic nationalism and protectionism principles has been substantiated.
