Korkh O. Problem of individualism (historical-philosophical analysis).

Object: philosophical-theoretical reflexion, aimed at recognition of the phenomen of individualism. Aim: analysis of the evolution of the philosophical idea devoted to comprehension of the essense, social role and historical perspectives of individualism in the context western and home cultures. Methods: historical, logical, comparative, binary opinions, method of analogy. The dissertation is devoted to the historical-philosophical analysis problem of the individualism, hem essence, social role and historical perspectives in the context western and home cultures. In the course of investigation, there was determined that all diversity of philosophical-theoretical concepts of individualism is tied with the disclaiming or, vice versa recognition of an individual's right to the sovereignty and self-determination, identity and nonconformity. There is shown in the work that the overwhelming majority of traditionally individualistically-minded western philosophers interpreted the essence of individualism as the recognition and protection of an individual's sovereign right to the choice of generally accepted human values and to personal responsibility for its consequences rather than as well-known absolutizing of egoistic interests and the disclaiming of the above-mentioned values. The investigator concludes that overwhelming majority of least western researchers while being aware of the possibility of negative consequences of individualistic trends, consider in general that the positive - creative potential of individualism exceeds the threat in this possibility. In the course of this research, it is stated that the up-to-date western philosophical thinking is evolving towards acknowledgement of constantly growing novelty, transience, diversity of social processes, the individualism, far from vanishing, is gradually transforming to one of the main principles of personal self-determination and organization of social life.