Like any field of knowledge, global studies has its own history. But, since this history has only a few decades, it is more correct to speak not about history, but about the stages of formation.

To date, it is customary to distinguish three stages in the formation of globalistics /4/. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of global studies, because global studies are not just a science, i.e. a system of theoretical knowledge, and a certain knowledge reflecting the SPP occurring on the planet. Therefore, the stages of the formation of globalistics are at the same time the global stages of the evolution of mankind.

First step . Comes from the 60s. During this period, the scale of production reached unprecedented levels and began to threaten the ability of nature to compensate for their impact. At this stage, the so-called Club of Rome (1968) arose, which laid the foundation for the global problems of world development.

Second phase. This stage lasted from the mid-70s to the mid-80s. It is characterized by an intensified reconstruction of the economy, caused by the gloomy forecasts of reports to the Club of Rome, the outbreak of the oil crisis, and the aggravation of economic contradictions between developing and industrialized countries.

Third stage. This a stage that began in the mid-80s, as a result of a change in the political map of the world, i.e. the disappearance of the camp of socialism. This stage is characterized by the fact that the GPs themselves have receded into the background, and the NGNs of a global nature have taken the first place.

The Club of Rome was formed on April 6-7, 1968 in Rome. The initiator of the creation of the club was the Italian manager Aurelio Peccei, who, together with the Director General for Science of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris), Professor of Physical Chemistry Alexander King, invited to Rome about 30 European scientists - naturalists, sociologists and economists.

The assembled scientists discussed a paper prepared by the Dutch astronomer Erich Janz entitled "An Attempt to Establish Principles of World Planning from the Standpoint of General Systems Theory". The essence of the document (according to A. Peccei) can be reduced to the following:

“At present, we are beginning to realize human society and its environment as a single system, the uncontrolled growth of which causes its instability. The absolute level of this uncontrolled growth reached today determines the high inertia of the dynamic system, thereby reducing its flexibility and ability to change and adapt, which can herald the entry of mankind into a new phase of psychological evolution. By the end of the second day, it became clear that most of the scientists did not support the main goal of the club.

The core of the club "standing committee" consisted of six people. These are Aurelio Peccei, Erich Janz, Alexander King, Max Monnet (Dutch expert on international affairs), Jean Saint-Jour (expert on economics and finance of the French futurological school) and Guto Tiemann (head of the Battel Institute in Geneva).

Before the club were placed two main goals. The first goal is to promote awareness difficulties faced by mankind; the second - by influencing the public consciousness, to promote correction the current situation.

Thus, the Club of Rome was created - an international non-governmental organization that brings together scientists, public and political figures from around the world. The Club of Rome is legally registered in Switzerland. According to the Charter, the membership of the Club should not exceed 100 people.

The first draft of the report to the Club of Rome entitled “Seeking a constructive response to the increased complexity and uncertainty of world development” was proposed Hasan Ozbekhan, a Turk by origin, a philosopher, a specialist in cybernetics and planning, who headed one of the California think tanks. The idea of ​​his report was to “develop an initial, rough model or several models - which in general terms would reflect the dynamics of world development, in the hope that it will reveal the most important components of the system and the most dangerous (from the point of view of the future) interconnections between them” /13. P.133/. However, due to the complexity of the project and the lack of time to develop it, the leaders of the club abandoned this project.

The first work under the auspices of the Club of Rome was a mathematical model that simulates the world situation - "World - 1". Its creator, Jay Forrestor, professor of applied mathematics and cybernetics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, developed a very primitive model in 4 weeks, consisting of more than 40 non-linear equations describing the relationship of the following 5 parameters: population, capital investment, use of non-renewable resources, pollution environment and food production.

So, for the first time, it was implemented idea of ​​global modeling. The model predicted that humanity is moving towards imminent disaster. The model was primitive and crude, so it was decided to create a new, more advanced model. On the advice of Forrestor, Dennis Meadows headed the group to create a new model of world development. Using the economic and mathematical models of Jay Forrestor, Meadows created the "World - 3" model.

March 12, 1972 in Washington, the Smithsonian Institution was presented first report to the Club of Rome "Limits to Growth", developed by a specialist in the field of system dynamics, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Dennis Meadows.

The model gave the most gloomy forecasts for the future. After 75 years, the report argued, raw materials would be exhausted and food shortages would become catastrophic.

Since then, at the initiative of the Club of Rome, 18 research projects /8/ have been carried out, the results of which are presented in the form of reports to the Club of Rome. The main ones include:

1. Limits to Growth, 1972 (supervisor D. Meadows);

2. “Humanity at the Turning Point”, 1974 (M. Mesarovich and E. Pestel);

3. “Revision of the international order”, 1976 (J. Tinbergen);

4. “Beyond the Age of Waste”, 1978 (D. Gabor);

5. “Goals for Humanity”, 1977 (headed by E. Laszlo);

6. “Energy: countdown”, 1978 (supervisor T. Montbril)

7. “There are no limits to learning”, 1979 (headed by J. Botkin, M. Elmangera, M. Malica);

8. “Third World: Three Quarters of the World”, 1980 (M. Grenier)

9. “Dialogue on welfare and well-being”, 1980 (O.Giarin)

10. “Routes leading to the future”, 1980 (B. Gavrylyshyn);

11. “Microelectronics and Society”, 1982 (headed by G. Friedrichs, A. Schaff);

12. “The Barefoot Revolution”, 1985 (B. Schneider) and others.

13. “The First Global Revolution”, 1989 (A. King, B. Schneider)

Analyzing the activities of the Club of Rome, its founder and leader, Aurelio Peccei, formulated the “Main Aims of Humanity”, which he outlined in his book “Human Qualities” /13/.

Peccei offers six what he calls "starter" goals that are related to the "outer limits" of the planet; "inner limits" of the person himself; cultural heritage of peoples; formation of the world community; environmental protection and reorganization of the production system.

A brief description for each goal is as follows.

First goal: outer limits.

The presence of man on the planet, his activity is limited by the biophysical limits (“outer limits”) of the Earth. Consequently, a person in his activity must proceed from the possibilities of the nature surrounding him, without bringing them to extreme limits.

The second goal: internal limits.

This goal indicates that not only the planet, but also the possibilities of man himself have physical and psychological limits. Creating your own culture , civilization, i.e. a certain artificial environment, a person is forced, on the one hand, to strain and deplete the internal reserves of his body to the maximum, and on the other hand, due to insufficient load, his biophysical abilities are degraded.

The idea of ​​this goal (and it is central for A. Peccei) is the improvement of man, the disclosure of his new potential.

Third goal: cultural heritage.

The development of technological civilization leads to the unification of culture. Therefore, only a careful attitude to cultural heritage will help preserve the uniqueness of different cultures. And although organizations like UNESCO do some work, this is clearly not enough.

The fourth goal: the world community.

Integration into a single world community makes it possible to more effectively regulate international life, and therefore is a more effective way of coexistence. However, this state of affairs does not correspond to the interests of the great powers, as well as a number of self-centered states. Therefore, it is necessary to rethink the idea of ​​the nation state in order to find ways to transform the current world system into a world community.

Fifth Goal: Habitat

The problem is how to accommodate people on the planet, whose number in a few decades will be twice as large as the current one.

Sixth goal: the production system.

The manufacturing establishment plays a key role in the modern world. However, failures in economic mechanisms, regardless of what controls - the market or the plan - are becoming more tangible. What are the philosophical causes of economic problems, and what should be the economic system of the future in order to provide for the continuously increasing population of the planet.

Thus, the main tasks of the new discipline of globalistics can be reduced to the following:

1) the study of the complex principles and laws of the activity of the global civilization on planet Earth, the search for optimal ways of cooperation between peoples and states, adaptation to the rules and laws of natural development; 2) generalization of modern ideas about global political, economic, social and environmental processes; 3) The study of the natural order of the universal functioning of nature with its principles and laws, as well as the processes of globalization that underlie sociocentrism; 4) study of the principles and laws of self-preservation of the global civilization with the achievements of its maximum stay on Earth; 5) disclosure of the role of the human mind as the basis and priority for improving the natural and artificial orders of universal activity and self-preservation of the integrity of the systems "man and society", "society and nature".

It should be noted that domestic scientific and social thought was at the forefront of posing global problems and finding ways to solve them.

One of the first in the periodicals of the Soviet Union in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, the journal Voprosy Philosophy raised global issues. At the same time, the journal opened a special section “Global problems of our time: socio-philosophical and methodological aspects”, where this topic was actively analyzed from various angles by well-known scientists, such as I.T. Frolov, P.L. Kapitsa, D.M. Gvishiani, I.I. Gerasimov, V.A. Engelhardt, N.N. Moiseev, V.V. Zagladin, B.Ts. Urlanis, V.A. Los and many others.

The term "globalistics", although it was found in the specialized literature already in those years, was not yet widely used. Its content was seriously discussed only in the second half of the 1990s, when, after the collapse of the socialist system and cardinal changes in geopolitical reality, the main attention of scientists switched to the processes of globalization.

By this time, significant theoretical and factual material in the field of planetary processes and phenomena had been accumulated, and the terms "globalization", "globalistics", "global problems", "global world", "anti-globalism", etc. have become widespread not only in the scientific literature, but also in the media, political vocabulary and everyday language. Thus, the prerequisites and necessary conditions for the formation of a new scientific direction were formed - global studies which is still not universally accepted by everyone.

The problem is that globalistics itself and the main meaning of its key concepts at the level of general ideas, it would seem, does not cause any particular difficulties. At the same time, in the scientific community, their content remains the subject of sometimes serious discussions and needs to be clarified, because. different scientists often invest in them different meanings. For example, some people think globalistics scientific discipline (Cheshkov, Barlybaev), other - sphere of public practice (Vasilenko, Panarin), third- – interdisciplinary (supradisciplinary) field of scientific knowledge (Chumakov, Ilyin), and someone does still deny her the right to exist (Zadokhin, Mitrofanova). Despite the difference in approaches among scientists, everyone notes that globalization is a common feature of the processes taking place in the world.

3. Globalization as the main theme of globalistics.

Thus, globalization can be considered a central theme in globalistics. Globalization, of course, is a product of a technogenic type process in social development, and is itself associated with a huge number of various consequences. It is interpreted and how reason global problems, and how their direct consequence. There is a deep dialectical relationship here. Some researchers believe that globalization is an objective process, and global studies are designed to explore this process and its consequences; others view globalization as the result of the actions of certain states, socio-economic structures or political forces in the international arena. A wide range of opinions in the interpretation of both globalistics itself and its basic concepts is quite natural, because it concerns a new, actively emerging field of scientific knowledge. Consequently, in this case, there is not a scholastic game of concepts, but the process of becoming a single and well-defined language of interdisciplinary communication.

The term "globalistics", as mentioned above, first appeared in the early 1970s in the wake of active conversations and numerous publications about the dangers of global problems, which received serious attention only after the publication of the first reports of the Club of Rome. Initially, it meant the sphere of scientific knowledge associated only with research in the field of global problems. This happened a couple of decades before the “globalization” that now occupies a central position in global studies was talked about. This situation is quite understandable, since the consequences of certain causes are often in sight earlier than the causes that caused them. Even later terms that entered the lexicon of global studies at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries were “anti-globalism” and “alter-globalism”. It is necessary to bring this whole terminological series into a certain system just because the question of the status of globalistics, its categories, principles, and approaches is fundamental. Without this, it is difficult to count on success in correctly understanding current world trends and confronting global threats.

Turning to the essence of the main categories and their interdependence, we note the main thing: globalization is a centuries-old natural-historical process; global problems is the natural result of this process, anti- And alterglobalism– protest moods and movements associated with globalization; but globalistics- the sphere of theory and practice, the focus of which is globalization, the global problems generated by it and all possible consequences of global changes in various spheres of public life.

The fact that globalistics was originally born on the study of global problems, i.e. on the analysis of the consequences, when the term “globalization” simply did not yet exist, misleads some modern researchers about what preceded what and what follows from what.

In this regard, let us turn to the term "globalization". It is used, as a rule, to characterize integration and disintegration processes on a planetary scale in the field of economics, politics, culture, as well as anthropogenic changes in the environment, which are universal in form and affect the interests of the entire world community in content. At the same time, two extremes can be noted in the interpretation of both the phenomenon of globalization itself and the history of its appearance. One of them is that the planetary nature of social ties and relations is treated unduly broadly, trying to see them already in primitive society. From this point of view, even the early stages of human development are characterized as global.

The other extreme is that globalization is interpreted too narrowly, when modern processes of social development are analyzed through the prism of one sphere of social life, usually economic, as, for example, V.G. Fedotov. In this case, the multidimensional nature of modern globalization is not taken into account, and it is considered in isolation from the genesis and fundamental causes that gave rise to it, i.e. the history and dynamics of the formation of international structures and transnational relations are not taken into account. With this approach, globalization is often associated only with the events of the 20th century, or even with the last decades, it develops not progressively and incrementally, but “wave-like”, etc., etc. In addition, they often see it as an allegedly consciously initiated and controlled process, a policy purposefully carried out by someone, and they even talk about globalization as a subjective reality, someone's insidious plan, implemented in the interests of a certain circle of people, transnational corporations or individual states. There is a lot of talk in the periodical press, on television about who rules the world, about secret kind of clubs, orders, gray rulers, the clans of the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, hundreds of the richest families on the planet, etc. are often mentioned.

To clarify the consideration of this problem (globalization), let us briefly consider the objective foundations or causes of globalization and its scientific prerequisites, as the development of the idea itself, the understanding of the globalization process by scientists.

Objective foundations of global studies.

Global studies and globalization were discussed in Soviet and foreign literature in the late 1960s. now the last century. The attention of scientists was riveted not to the processes of globalization, but to their consequences, that is, to global problems. In science, even then, an integrative field of interdisciplinary research aimed at theoretical research and practical overcoming of fundamentally new dangers that are relevant to all mankind was becoming more and more clear. At the same time, it became clear that along with differentiation scientific knowledge that has accompanied science for centuries, there was an urgent need for integration theoretical and practical knowledge aimed at studying new phenomena that were distinguished by their scale, integrity and complex system of relationships both within the global problems themselves and in their connection with the economic, social, and political spheres.

Thus, globalistics initially began to take shape both as a fundamentally new scientific direction, where integration processes came to the fore, and as a sphere of social practice, covering international politics, economics, law, and even ideology. Her appearance was a kind of response to the challenge of the times. It was then that the industrialized, and then in other countries, the ecological situation deteriorated sharply, which became the result of an increased imbalance in human relations with the environment. It soon became clear that environmental problems are closely related to other contradictions on a planetary scale. Behind the unprecedented pollution of the environment that has opened up, the most visibly revealed are the threatening trends of uncontrolled growth in the population of the Earth, and the limited nature of natural resources, and the mortal danger of an unbridled arms race, which meant a serious danger to progressive social development and even the existence of life on the planet. The imbalance in the relationship between society and nature, which by that time had reached the maximum permissible values, as well as the fragmentation and fragmentation of mankind in the face of global problems, became obvious not only for specialists, but also at the level of mass consciousness. All this was the objective basis for the study of problems that have been called global.

Thus, globalistics, as a special area of ​​scientific research and a holistic world view, basically took shape by the end of the 1980s. .Globalistics received a second wind in the nineties, when the process of comprehending the trends of globalization began.

Theoretical premises of a new scientific direction.

As for the ideas about universal connections and the global world, they are more ancient to one degree or another. Some trends in the formation of a holistic world and the changes taking place in it were in the center of attention of scientists and philosophers much earlier than these trends became obvious to everyone. So, to the first attempts to comprehend the emerging patterns of population growth and the universal problems that arise in this case, T. Malthus has already noted. I. Kant talked about the eternal world, and J. Lamarck, I. Fichte talked about the role and purpose of man. Hegel substantiated the idea of ​​panlogism and universalism on the example of the development of the world spirit. It is impossible not to mention here the ideas of the classics of Marxism, set forth by them in the "Manifesto of the Communist Party" and a number of other works. Created on their initiative in 1864 " First International”, reflected the urgent need for global consolidation of various political and professional forces. This, in fact, became one of the first forerunners of many international organizations, which since then have begun to emerge in increasing numbers throughout the world. Now such organizations are an integral part of the modern life of the world community, and their number has multiplied many times over. Later, in theoretical terms, the works of O. Spengler, E. Leroy, P. Teilhard de Chardin, V.I. Vernadsky, A.L. Chizhevsky, K.E. Tsiolkovsky, A. Toynbee, K. Jaspers, B. Russell, J. Sommerville and others.

First of all, these thinkers were concerned about fundamentally new trends that violated the natural balance of natural and social systems, and tried to explain them based on the knowledge available at that time. We will touch on their ideas in subsequent lectures. So, V.I. Vernadsky, who developed the concept noosphere already in the 1930s. concluded that the face of the Earth was radically changed due to the unprecedented scale of human transformation and warned that if society does not develop on a reasonable basis, in accordance with the natural laws of nature, then the death of all life on Earth is inevitable. Similar views were held by K. Jaspers, who, back in 1948, first used the term " global” in the sense as it is now understood, and expressed serious concern that someday the globe will become cramped for a person and he will not have enough resources available on the planet. After the Second World War, in his opinion, “begins world history as a single history of a single whole... Now the problem and task has become world at large…. The world is closed. The globe became one… All significant problems have become world problems.

Came to the fore and sharply intensified in the second half of the twentieth century. the processes of globalization, as well as the increased interdependence of various countries and peoples in this regard, have also led to a new level of understanding of this topic. There were even more new international structures and organizations, among which there were many of those whose activities were aimed at comprehending global problems and their causes. Examples include the "Institute for Future Problems", established in Vienna in 1965, the International Foundation "Humanity in 2000", founded at the same time in the Netherlands, the "Society for the Study of the Future World", organized in 1966 in Washington and etc. Over time, there were more and more such organizations. However, genuine interest in global issues emerged after the first reports of the Club of Rome, established in 1968 [Mazur, Chumakov 2003, 893-896]. His research projects: Limits to Growth"(1972)," Humanity at a crossroads"(1974)," Redefining the international order"(1974)," Beyond the Age of Waste” (1976) and others very quickly gained worldwide fame and became the theoretical basis of modern global studies. They not only performed the necessary heuristic and methodological function in the formation of a fundamentally new field of interdisciplinary knowledge, but also played an important educational role.

The result of this development was not only a “demographic explosion” and the globalization of the economy, but also environmental degradation, which outlined a trend towards the degradation of man himself. His behavior, ideas and way of thinking were not able to change in a timely manner adequately to the changes that began to occur around him with increasing speed. The reason for the accelerated development of socio-economic processes, as shown by the first studies in the field of global studies, was the person himself and his purposeful transformative activity, which is repeatedly strengthened by more and more new achievements in the field of science and technology.

As a result, not only unexplored places, but also clean territories, water and air space remained on Earth, the natural state of which would not be directly or indirectly affected by human activity. All this gives grounds to call our planet now a "common home", "world village", processes And Problems, which turned out to be common to all people - global, and the field of scientific knowledge about all this is global studies.

In order to avoid illegitimate analogies and methodological confusion, it is important to emphasize that globalistics should not be understood as some kind of separate or special scientific discipline, which in many cases arise, as a rule, as a result of the differentiation of scientific knowledge or at the junction of related disciplines. It was born of the opposite - integration processes characteristic of modern science, and is a field of research and knowledge, where various scientific disciplines and philosophy, for the most part in close interaction with each other, each from the standpoint of its subject and method, analyze all kinds of aspects of globalization, offer certain solutions to global problems, considering them both in isolation from each other and as an integral system.

An important consequence follows from this. You can ask a question about subject, object, method, purpose, conceptual apparatus etc. global studies, as suggested by some researchers. However, it should be borne in mind that the answers to these questions in relation to globalistics lie in a different plane than with respect to a particular science. In particular, its subject cannot be unambiguously defined, although it can be said in a simplified way that its subject is the integrity of the world, humanity as a whole, or the entire biosphere with its main element - man. Also, the conceptual apparatus of globalistics will be unified only to a certain extent (at the philosophical and methodological level), otherwise it turns out to be “blurred” in the individual sciences involved in the relevant research. And if we talk about the methods or goals of global studies, then in addition to defining some basic approaches, we will have to enumerate not only individual sciences and their contribution to the study of relevant problems, but also identify how philosophy, cultural studies, politics, ideology are involved in global studies. , which makes the solution of such a problem obviously practically impossible.

Another important difference between globalistics and specific scientific disciplines is that comprehending global trends and fundamentally overcoming the problems they generate requires not only theoretical research, but also effective practical actions corresponding to them. Globalistics thus objectively performs an ideological and integrative role in the field of science and practice, forcing many scientists, politicians and public figures to take a fresh look at the modern world and realize their involvement in the common destiny of mankind. It makes one think about the fact that globalization and the problems it generates leave no other choice for humanity, how to overcome fragmentation and disagreements, to move towards its unity, preserving, if possible, the identity of cultures, centuries-old traditions and fundamental values ​​of individual nations and peoples. But such unity and coordination of actions can only provide an adequate understanding of the processes and events taking place in the modern world, knowledge about which is developed and formulated in globalistics, where immediate goals and distant prospects are considered in close relationship.

Literature for the first lecture

1. D. M. Gvishiani. Science and global problems of our time // Questions of Philosophy, 1981, No. 3.

2. Globalization as a social process: opportunities and prospects // RJ (consolidated abstract) Social and humanitarian sciences. 1994. - No. 3. S.39-54.

3. Global Issues within the UN (edited by P. Taylor and A. J. R. Groom). M., 1990.

4. Global Problems of Mankind (review of the j-la "Futurist") M., 1990.

5. V. N. Ignatiev. The problem of man and “world problems” // Questions of Philosophy, 1981, No. 3.

6. P. L. Kapitsa. Scientific and social approach to solving global problems // Questions of Philosophy, 1977, No. 1.

7. A. King, B Schneider. The first global revolution. Report of the Club of Rome. M., 1991.

8. V. M. Leibin.“Models of the World” and the Image of Man (A Critical Analysis of the Ideas of the Club of Rome). M., 1982.

9. MM. Maksimov, O.N. Bykov, G.I. Mirsky and others. Global problems of the present. M., 1981.

10. V. Nosovich. Philosophy and global problems of our time. Tallinn. 1988. .

11. E. Pestel. Beyond growth. M., 1988.

12. A. Peccei. Human qualities. M., 1985.

13. Political Science: Encyclopedic Dictionary. Rep. ed. and comp.: Yu.I. Averyanov. M., 1993.

14. I.A. Rodionov. Global problems of mankind: a textbook for pupils and students. 2nd ed., rev. and additional M., 1995.

15. I'M IN. Sivertz van Reizema. Philosophy of planetarism. M., 1995.

16. Y. Fedorov. Club of Rome: the search for bourgeois reform // International Economics and International Relations, 1977, No. 12.

17. I. G. Frolov. Philosophy of global problems // Questions of Philosophy, 1980, No. 2.

18. G. S. Khozin. Global problems of the present. M., 1982.

19. A.N. Chumakov. Philosophy of global problems. M., 1994.

The emergence of the very problem of global problems is due to the fact that there is a widespread globalization of social and cultural processes, and therefore the negative consequences of these processes are also globalized. Globalization (globe-Earth) means that they are planetary in nature.

In philosophy, these problems are studied from the point of view of their origin, as well as the possibilities and prospects for the survival of mankind. As we said above, the origin of global problems is largely determined by the question of the meaning of life, both for an individual and for all of humanity. The promotion of the topic of consumption and production of consumer goods, as well as the growth of material needs among the inhabitants of the Earth, has become the cause of many existing global problems of a material and environmental order. At the same time, the lack of due attention to the issues of moral, spiritual development of a person, the preservation of the spiritual continuity of generations has posed a number of global issues related to the “ecology of the spirit” before humanity, without consideration of which other problems cannot be resolved. Perhaps, turning to the experience of the ancient Stoics and hedonists will allow us to restore a different system of values, where the main thing is not endless material production and accumulation, but the development of the spirit, spiritual qualities, the ability to appreciate them in other people, above all, the rejection of excessive consumption. However, so far this is seen only in a possible perspective.

In general, the existing global problems boil down to the following (note that their mutual relative importance is constantly changing):

The problem of the moral state of society (as one of the options for posing the question - the theme of the noosphere, the sphere of the mind, which is being formed in the process of human development)

Environmental problems (their essence lies in the deepening contradiction between the production activities of mankind and the stability of its natural habitat)

Demographic problems associated with overpopulation of the Earth

The problem of war

The problem of terrorism

The problem of energy sources

Their solution depends not so much on the adoption of momentary laws and regulations, but on a change in the way of life of a person as a whole. For example, if the main cause of the ecological crisis is the unrestrained growth of production and consumption, then self-restraint in this area is necessary: ​​limiting the growth of consumption through the adoption of the ideology of “new asceticism”; creation of new basic guidelines - a new system of values: humanism, transcendence, etc.

Until recently, it was believed that neither the forces of nature, nor the people themselves are able to stop the existence of mankind, or at least significantly affect its existence. Today, the Hamlet question has become before mankind: to be or not to be? The situation faced by society is the result of the development of society itself, mainly scientific and technological progress.

Global problems are those that meet the following conditions:

- scale, significance not for individual countries and regions, but for humanity as a whole;

- acuteness, requiring an immediate solution; » complexity, connectedness with each other.

The solution of global problems can be grouped into problems:

1) related to relations between states;

2) associated with the relationship "man-nature";

3) associated with the relationship "man-society".

The first group of problems includes the problems of maintaining peace, equalizing the levels of economic and social development of all countries; to the second - the problems of resources, energy, food, etc.; to the third - the problems of education, health care, culture, etc.

Awareness of global problems led to the formation of the so-called globalistics - a set of concepts about the causes and ways of solving global problems.

In the first place among global problems is the problem of human survival. The general human cost of armaments exceeds all types of food production costs in the world. The build-up of armaments, taking into account nuclear weapons, becomes meaningless. No country today can only ensure its own security. Security can only be universal.

The second place among global problems is occupied by the environmental problem. Nature ceases to withstand anthropogenic impacts.

The energy problem is important. It is necessary to develop new methods of obtaining energy by reducing the use of fossil fuels. We need to strive for waste-free production.

The question is raised about the need to reduce the rate of population growth, stabilize its numbers; The population of about 8-9 billion people is called optimal for the Earth. Many representatives of global studies, believing that scientific and technological progress is the main cause of global problems, believe that it will also solve these problems. Technology based on science will resolve the contradictions that have arisen and bring society to an optimal state.

In globalistics, many recommendations are offered. But how to implement them? It is clear that the resolution of global problems requires a new political thinking, a new organization of international relations and an organization of the world community. But all this encounters significant difficulties.

Futurology is closely connected with globalistics, setting the task of predicting the future of human society. Futurology and science fiction paint a variety of pictures of the future - from pessimistic (atomic catastrophe, human degeneration, etc.) to optimistic (communism, extraterrestrial civilizations, etc.).

The focus of futurology is the prospects for a technological revolution (or scientific and technological progress). The development of information technology dramatically increases labor productivity, reduces the need for unskilled workers, and "gold collars" (designers, technologists, programmers, etc.) come to the fore. Information technology changes the management structure, leads to a change in social life in all areas, from economic to spiritual.

The advanced countries have entered the stage called "information society" or "service society". The “information society” is replacing both capitalism and socialism, that class contradictions are abolished in this society, and “cognitariat” (A. Toffler) plays a leading role in the new society.

People tend to dream of a better life. These dreams run through the entire history of society. Utopian socialists said that a golden age (Saint-Simon) lay ahead of us, that "ages of happiness will last seven times longer than centuries of misfortune" (Fourier). Marx and Engels gave a general description of communism, which will replace capitalism. Practice is the criterion of truth. The practice of socialist construction in a number of countries revealed, in fact, the utopian essence of the proposed concept of communism. The socio-historical process turned out to be more complex than it seemed in Marxism.

Today, in fact, there is no sufficiently substantiated concept of the future comparable to the model of communism. People often talk about moving towards a humane, democratic society with a comprehensively developed personality, etc. All this is rather abstract. Apparently, it is not necessary to create any specific-detailed images of the future? It could be seen that specific models of the future are likely to be erroneous. It suffices to confine ourselves to the general thesis about the progressive nature of the development of society.

The beginning of research work on the problems called "Global problems" was laid by Roman club. To answer the questions raised by the club, a number of eminent scientists created a series of "Reports to the Club of Rome" under the general title "The Difficulties of Humanity". Forecasts of the prospects for the development of the world were predicted by computer models, and the results were published and discussed around the world.

In the spring of 1968 Aurelio Peccei, an Italian economist, public figure and businessman, a member of the management of the Fiat company and vice-president of the Olivetti company, sent out an invitation to 30 prominent European scientists and representatives of the business world to participate in the discussion of urgent problems. On April 6-7 of the same year in Rome, in the old National Academy dei Lincei, a meeting of invitees was held, at which discussions unfolded on the most pressing problems of our time. Those participants of the meeting who supported the idea of ​​creating an international organization united in the Club of Rome. The organization assumed the status of a non-governmental organization, not associated with political parties, classes, ideologies. The Club of Rome builds its work in the form of organizing meetings, symposiums, seminars, meetings with famous scientists, political leaders, and influential businessmen. Membership in the Roman Club is limited (100 people). "As a general rule, members of governments cannot be members of the Club of Rome at the same time." None of the members of the Club of Rome represents any state organization and does not display any one - ideological, political or national - view.

Here are the main goals that the figures of the "Club of Rome" have set for themselves:

To give society a methodology by which it would be possible to scientifically analyze the "difficulties of mankind" associated with the physical limitations of the Earth's resources, the rapid growth of production and consumption - these "principal limits of growth";

To convey to humanity the concern of the Club's representatives regarding the critical situation that has developed in the world in a number of aspects;

"prompt" the society what measures it should take in order to "do business wisely" and achieve "global balance".

At the initiative of the Club of Rome, a number of research projects have been carried out, the results of which are published in the form of reports. The most famous of them, which caused heated scientific discussions, is “Limits to Growth”, 1972. (supervisor D. Meadows), “Strategy of Survival”, 1974. (headed by M. Mesarovich and E. Pestel), “Revisiting the International Order”, 1976 (headed by J. Tinbergen), “Goals for Humanity”, 1977. (headed by E. Laszlo), “There are no limits to learning”, 1979. (headed by J. Botkin, M. Elmanjra, M. Malitsa), “Routes leading to the future”, 1980. (B. Gavrylyshyn), “Microelectronics and Society”, 1982 (headed by G. Friedrichs, A. Schaff), “The Barefoot Revolution”, 1985. (B. Schneider) and others.

The purpose of these reports is to achieve an understanding of the difficulties identified by the Club of Rome as “global problems” that arise in the way of human development, to influence public opinion about these problems.

The members of the club came to a rather unanimous opinion that the most promising way to achieve our goals lies through the presentation and analysis of world problems through the systematic use of global models. Never before have mathematical models been used to describe human society with all its surroundings as a single integral system, the behavior of which can even be modeled and studied.

The club was conceived as an action-oriented society rather than discussion for the sake of discussion. In accordance with the planned action program, the Club was given two main goals, which it had to gradually implement. The first goal is to promote and contribute to the fact that people realize as clearly and deeply as possible the difficulties of mankind. It is obvious that this goal includes the study of those limited and very doubtful prospects and options that will remain for humanity if it does not urgently correct the current trends in world development. And the second goal is to use all available knowledge to stimulate the establishment of new relationships, policies and institutions that would help correct the current situation.

As for the content of the Meadows report, he confirmed and developed Forrester's preliminary conclusions. In the early 1970s, at the suggestion of the Club, Jay Forrester applied his computer modeling technique to world problems. The results of the study were published in the book World Dynamics (1971). In a few words, this can be expressed as follows: while maintaining the current growth trends in the conditions of a finite planet, the next generations of mankind will reach the limits of demographic and economic expansion, which will lead the system to generally to an uncontrollable crisis and collapse. It is still possible, the report says, to avoid disaster by taking steps to contain and manage growth and reorient its goals. However, the further, the more painful these changes will be and the less chances for ultimate success will remain.

Here are the main findings of this report:

1. If current trends in population growth, industrialization, pollution, food production and resource depletion continue, the world will come to the limits of growth over the next century. The result is likely to be an unexpected and uncontrolled decline in population and a sharp drop in output.

2. Growth trends can be reversed and long-term sustainable economic and environmental stability can be achieved. The state of global equilibrium can be set at a level that allows you to meet the basic material needs of each person and gives each person equal opportunities to realize their personal potential.

At the beginning of 2008, the international secretariat of the Club of Rome was relocated from Hamburg, Germany to Winterthur, Switzerland (Canton of Zurich). The Club of Rome is currently continuing to study the current state of the world, in which fundamental changes have taken place, especially in geopolitics. It is also worth remembering that the ecological situation on the planet continues to deteriorate. In close cooperation with a variety of scientific and educational organizations, the Club of Rome in May 2008 developed a new three-year program, A New Path for World Development, which outlines the main areas of activity until 2012.

problems

Most of today's problems have taken on a global character, they have become ubiquitous, are interrelated and disturbing to all people, and the possibilities for their solution are associated with planetary actions. global the following problems can be mentioned:

♦ impending ecological catastrophe associated with environmental pollution, depletion of mineral resources, the appearance of ozone holes, the greenhouse effect, deforestation, acid precipitation;

♦ demographic crisis, which can lead to overpopulation of the planet;

♦ economic crisis, consisting in the ever-increasing gap between rich and poor countries;

♦ military danger.

Global problems attracted the attention of scientists in the 60s and 70s. XX century, when the Club of Rome was created - an informal organization of scientists who first applied the method of mathematical modeling to the study of socio-ecological processes. Reports to the Club of Rome, representing various scenarios of world development, laid the foundation for futurology and global studies. A prominent Italian businessman and outstanding humanist Aurelio Peccei became the President of the Club of Rome, who decided to build predictive models based on the use of the best computers of that time. In 1968, he gathered eminent researchers, called this meeting the Club of Rome, and asked sponsors to fund research. The research program was developed in the book "World Dynamics" by the American economist J. Forrester, who is considered the founder of global forecasting based on system analysis. It is his merit that is an attempt to use mathematical methods and computers to create a variant of the model of economic development of society, taking into account two most important factors - population and environmental pollution. The first report to the Club of Rome was called "The Limits to Growth". A dynamic model of the world was built, where population, capital investment, land space, use of natural resources and pollution were included as initial data. The forecast was a kind of shock: if the existing ones at the end of the 60s continue. trends and rates of economic development and population growth, then humanity will inevitably come to a global environmental catastrophe at the end of the 21st century. A careful, repeatedly verified computer calculation showed that if we continue the observed trends in all indicators in the future, then during the first half of the 21st century. mineral resources, starting with oil, gas, coal, will dry up, environmental pollution will become irreversible, and industrial and agricultural production will begin to decline. The contours of the near end of the world and the death of mankind appeared. This is how globalistics appeared as a new direction, covering the global problems of our time.

The next model of M. Mesarovic and E. Pestel "Humanity at the Turning Point" was more specific. The authors tried to look at the world as a system of distinct but interacting regions. Rejecting the inevitability of a single global environmental catastrophe, they saw the future of mankind in various and long-term crises, such as energy, raw materials, food, demographic and, of course, environmental. The models became more and more concrete. Methodological principles, techniques and methods of global forecasting have become more complex. The authors divided the world into ten large regions - five developed and five developing - and concluded that in the foreseeable future of the very next decades, a catastrophe will first occur in developing regions, and then in developed countries. The third report to the Club of Rome "Revisiting the International Order" (1976) listed all the major global problems (food scarcity, degradation of the environment, minerals and energy, ocean pollution, population growth and urbanization, poverty in developing countries, the arms race) and made recommendations to stabilize the position. The fourth report was made under the direction of Erwin Laszlo and was called "The Goals of Humanity" (1977). The recommendations were that it is necessary to reduce the growth of population and production to zero. The way out was seen in zero industrial and demographic growth, which was considered unrealistic, since not a single country was prepared for such actions.

Scientists of the Club of Rome formulated the concept of "limits to growth" - the standard of living of developed countries turned out to be unattainable for developing countries due to environmental restrictions. Ways out were seen in the following measures: the creation of a world government, whose decisions would be binding, and most importantly, a change in mentality, the rejection of the ideology of consumerism, the formation of new values ​​and standards. (Read:Peccei A. Human qualities.–M., 1985.)

What facts were cited in the reports to the Club of Rome and what conclusions were drawn? Why did they make such an impression?

Let's take a closer look at each of the global problems.

Ecological problem. Western civilization has realized the path of scientific and technological development, along which the vast majority of modern peoples and countries have rushed. But a technical civilization based on industrial production leads to the predatory use and depletion of all the natural resources of the planet. So far, a large share of the costs falls on the developed rich countries, but given the desire of all states to improve the living standards of their population, these costs will increase more and more. Their exorbitant growth is limited by the resources of the planet. Thus, experts calculated that in the United States energy consumption is 6 times higher than the world level and 30 times the level of developing countries. If developing countries were able to achieve growth in consumption of mineral resources to the level of the United States, then the known reserves of oil would be depleted in 7 years, natural gas in 5 years, coal in 18 years. At the current pace of technological development, the production of energy on Earth in 240 years will exceed the amount of solar energy falling on our planet, in 800 years - all the energy released by the Sun, and in 1300 years - the total radiation of our entire galaxy. This, of course, cannot happen, since nature forbids it. Consequently, the existing rates of economic growth must be reduced, humanity must develop along a different, alternative path. Over the last century, industrial production has increased more than 50 times, and 4 / 5 of this growth has occurred since 1950. Large-scale urbanization is taking place, at present half of the population lives in cities.

More than a third of the forests that covered the Earth have already been destroyed. The “baldness” of the planet is one of the main causes of ecological imbalance. Trees provide not only the necessary energy for cooking and heating, but also absorb carbon dioxide, 200 billion tons of which we emit into the atmosphere every year. Stopping deforestation is not easy. Deforestation is directly related to the energy needs of a growing world population (more than 2 billion people still use firewood for heating and cooking). If current trends continue, those living in poverty will deplete the world's timber resources, and the more affluent populations of modernized countries will use up primary oil reserves by the middle of this century. An urgent need is to shift the focus to renewable or surplus energy sources. Environmental degradation exacerbates the situation of the poor part of the world's population, mass migrations begin. Women and children suffer the most from poverty.

Among the manifestations of an impending ecological catastrophe, researchers also name the shortage of fresh water, the risk of ozone layer damage, pollution of the World Ocean, soil degradation and desertification, acidification of natural environments, and their chemical pollution with artificial non-recyclable substances. There are three main sources of air pollution: industry, domestic boilers and transport. The greenhouse effect leads to an increase in the temperature in the atmosphere and to a rise in the level of the World Ocean, and more than 2 billion people live no further than 60 km from the coast. Over the past half century, 11% of the fertile surface of the Earth has been destroyed, which is more than the combined area of ​​India and China. The richness of the biosphere is being catastrophically reduced: by 2010, irreversible losses may reach 1/3 of all biological species.

Until now, all efforts to protect the environment are made within the generally accepted paradigm of mismanagement and the possibility of technological solutions to emerging problems. It is often assumed that the deformation of the environment is some kind of gradual process, while landslide destruction processes can be observed. In recent decades, huge amounts of money have been spent on the greening of production, but global changes continue, and their pace is accelerating. Only American cars (not including industry) burn exactly as much oxygen as it is produced in the United States.

Enormous sums are required to improve the state of the environment. For example, in the United States, which supplies much more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, to reduce its emissions by 50% by replacing coal-fired plants with nuclear ones, it will take 50 billion dollars.

There is no other source than the biosphere and its resources to sustain life. Now man has assumed only the functions of synthesis, being engaged in production, and has left the functions of decomposition to nature, hoping for its possibilities. But a significant part of the produced substances cannot be decomposed, moreover, the buffer capabilities of the biosphere are being exhausted. Throughout its history, man has faced natural disasters, but in the 20th century. there were dangerous man-made disasters. Having got rid of the threat of being eaten by a wolf, a person can fall under the wheels of a car. According to experts, more people die in man-made disasters and accidents than in all natural disasters combined.

The future of the biosphere has become the subject of close attention of representatives of many branches of scientific knowledge, which in itself can be quite solid for highlighting a group of philosophical and methodological problems of environmental forecasting.

demographic problem. With the emergence of a global demographic problem, they remembered the name of Malthus, who 200 years ago said that the capabilities of the Earth are growing in arithmetic progression, and the population of humanity - in geometric progression, therefore wars are necessary and saving. The growth rate of the world population is such that it can double every 35 years. If we assume that such rates will continue in the future, then by the year 2400 humanity will fill the entire surface of the land shoulder to shoulder.

The number of people on Earth was about 800 million people by the middle of the 18th century. Then a period of increasing acceleration of population growth began. Around 1820 the population reached 1 billion, in 1927 this number doubled. The third billion was recorded in 1959, the fourth - after 15 years. In 1987, the population reached 5 billion, and the XXI century. met by more than 6 billion people. Now more than 6.5 billion people live on the planet. The most demographically difficult countries are China, which already has 1.3 billion people, and India, which will have about 1.5 billion people by 2050. Daily population growth now exceeds 240 thousand people, annual growth – 100 million

Population growth cannot be infinite. Stabilization of the world population is one of the most important conditions for the transition to sustainable environmental and economic development. The current human population is likely to double and stabilize at 12–15 billion by the end of the 21st century. Although the rate of population growth in the world is slowly declining, the absolute growth rates are increasing rapidly. Every day there are a quarter of a million more people in the world. An essential feature of the modern demographic picture of the world is that 90% of population growth occurs in developing countries, whose share in the total world population exceeds 80 %. The bulk of the world's population lives and will be concentrated to an even greater extent in three regions: in the south and southeast of Asia (the population of India and China makes up 2/5 of the world's population), in Latin America and in Africa. There is a direct link between the population explosion and poverty, it is evident on global, continental and regional scales. Africa is the continent that is in the most severe crisis, has the highest growth rates, and unlike other continents, they are not declining there. With an average annual population growth rate of 3%, food production there increases by only 2% per year.

Demographic growth was due to the fact that in the post-war period, elementary hygiene and health measures were carried out in the former colonial and dependent countries, such as vaccination of the population, the fight against epidemics, diseases and hunger. As a result, the death rate of the population has sharply decreased while maintaining a high birth rate. Of particular danger is the gap between accelerated population growth and insufficient industrial growth. Poverty does not reduce but increases the incentive to have more children, as children are an important part of the family workforce. They do much of the housework and are the only hope of parents deprived of social security for support in old age.

In fact, the number one danger to our planet is poverty, in which the vast majority of the population lives. The population explosion is largely a consequence of poverty. The opinion that the rapidly growing population of developing countries is the main reason for the growing global resource and environmental shortages is wrong. On average, a resident of industrialized countries consumes 15-20 times more food, fuel, minerals and other resources than a resident of developing countries, and depletes natural resources and pollutes the natural environment by about the same amount. Two-thirds of the world's population is forced to be content with a standard of living that is about 5-10% of the level in the most developed countries. A Swede, a Swiss, an American consume 40 times more of the Earth's resources than a Somali, eat 75 times more meat products than an Indian. One English journalist calculated that the English cat eats twice as much meat protein as the average African, and the cost of eating this cat is more than the average income of 1 billion people in poor countries. A more equitable distribution of earth's resources could be expressed in the fact that the well-to-do part of the planet's population would refuse excessive consumption.

Are there means to solve the demographic problem? Over the past decades, China has been pursuing a strict birth control program: during the years of reform, 200 million children were not born in China. It should not be forgotten that China can implement such a program only as a country with a command and control system. The highest population growth rates are now in India, and Chinese measures are absolutely inapplicable there. Curiously, sociologists talk about the existence of only one factor that inevitably leads to birth control: it is the education of women. It is in those countries where there is an excessively high population growth that the social status of women is very low. Raising this social status, including through education, would require a change in the civilizational foundations of a number of cultures. The process of irresistible growth of the Earth's population is uneven, in our country, against the background of ongoing social cataclysms, the death rate by 1 million people a year exceeds the birth rate. In developed countries, growth is minimal.

Economic inequality. Meeting the "millennium", philosophers, economists and sociologists began to recall the forecasts made in the middle of the 20th century. and compare them with reality. After the Second World War, after the collapse of the colonial system, there was an idea that the difference in economic development between the former mother countries and the former colonies would gradually decrease. Indeed, poor countries have become richer than before, but economically developed countries have "flyed" so far ahead over the past half century that it is now impossible to catch up with them. Of the 6.5 billion of the world's population, one is the "golden billion" with a high level and quality of life, sharply differing in its way of life from the rest of the 5.5 billion.

There is a small group of highly developed countries with a stable political system, the latest information and computer technology, with a high level of well-being, and the bulk of countries living within the framework of industrial, and even pre-industrial technology, with mass unemployment, population growth, instability of domestic life. The economies of developed countries are mutually integrated. Not just a world market emerged, but a transnational economy. 50 major financial groups and 40,000 transnational companies control about a third of all private producers.

The population increases by 100 million a year. Of this total number of births, more than 90 million are in poor developing countries and less than 10 million in prosperous countries. By 2020, 83% of the population will live in developing countries, and only 17% in others. Africa's population could triple in 45 years from 1980 to 2025, rising from 500 million to 1.5 billion. Already, more than 300 million Africans suffer from chronic malnutrition and 60 million live on the brink of starvation. No one knows exactly how many Africans are dying of AIDS. India provides the world with a third of all illiterates, and the US and Canada spend 90 times more per capita on education than many African countries. There is a phenomenal growth of the Chinese economy, whose share in GDP is 10.2%, while Russia's share in world GDP has decreased from 7.3 to 2.7 %. The growth rate of GDP per capita in China was a record (more than 10 times). The gap between the level of GDP per capita in countries with their minimum and maximum values ​​is 108 times.

The gap in economic development is closely related to demographic growth, but is explained not only by it. The question arises of the extent to which the majority of the world's population is able to successfully implement the Western technical path of development and whether Western values ​​can be considered as universal. Obviously, without real help from Western countries, it will not be possible to bridge the gap. The existence and further aggravation of this gap is dangerous for the “golden billion” itself, which has long been understood by leading sociologists and recently, after the events of September 11, 2001 in the United States, has been recognized by everyone. As early as 1999, analyzing statistics on economic inequality based on the 1998 United Nations Human Development Report, 3. Brzezinski cited figures that speak for themselves: “The three richest people in the world have a combined personal wealth that exceeds GDP of 48 least developed countries combined. Americans spend $8 billion a year on cosmetics. The United Nations estimates that $6 billion a year would be enough to provide all the world's children with a primary education. Europeans eat $11 billion worth of ice cream a year, while the $9 billion provided by the UN would be enough to provide clean water and reliable sanitation to everyone in need. Americans and Europeans spend $17 billion on pet food; if humanitarian aid was increased to $13 billion, then it would be possible to provide basic medical care and feed everyone around the world. The 225 richest people on the planet have a combined fortune of more than $1 trillion. dollars, and 60% of the 5 billion people in developing countries lack sanitation, 30% clean water and 20% health care.” After the events of September 11, 2001, the following comparison was made: breakfast at the WTC (World Trade Center) in New York cost about $20, which is the average annual income of an Afghan peasant.

Military danger. Mankind is in the 20th century. in an unprecedented situation of real danger of self-destruction. The result of a big thermonuclear war can only be the death of civilization, the death and suffering of billions of people, the social and biological degradation of the survivors and their descendants. "Nuclear winter" was called by physicists and environmentalists the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons. The military threat is still the most dangerous of the global problems. Although the feeling of fear and the feeling of doom has recently decreased, there are no grounds for complacency. Nuclear tests are being carried out, the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons is expanding, and their miniaturization is underway. Fundamentally new types of weapons will be tested. Every year, governments around the world spend about $1,000 billion on weapons and other military purposes, and only a tiny fraction of that amount on health, education, and social needs. The use of weapons of mass destruction can be triggered by growing economic inequality. The overpopulation of the planet and the poverty of the overwhelming majority of its inhabitants can lead to an aggravation of political conflicts and provoke the use of weapons of mass destruction, which, in turn, will lead, as already mentioned, to a global environmental catastrophe.

The difficulties that humanity is currently facing cannot be easily and simply overcome by technological means. The situation remains the same, no matter what we touch, be it population growth, urbanization, deforestation, food shortages, environmental pollution. Humanity should not only look for new ways and means that would bring nature into harmony with us, but also look for ways to change our incentives and values. The problem of the limits of human growth and human development, according to A. Peccei, is essentially a problem mainly of a cultural nature, since there is a huge gap between the material capabilities of a person and his culture. There are many alternatives, new ways of life, production and consumption.

Some researchers believe that the coming information civilization should also become ecological. The main conditions for salvation and transition to a new alternative civilization involve the restoration of the fuel and energy and mineral and raw materials balance, the global demographic balance, the restoration of the ecological balance on the planet, general and complete disarmament and humanity as a system of values. An alternative civilization is a low-energy, highly sustainable, ecologically clean, completely demilitarized and truly human civilization.

The Internet contains the most interesting data about the "global village":

“If we reduce the whole of humanity to a village of a hundred inhabitants, taking into account all proportional ratios, this is what the population of this village will look like:

♦ 57 Asians;

♦ 21 Europeans;

♦ 14 Americans (northern and southern);

♦ 8 Africans;

♦ 52 will be women;

♦ 48 men;

♦ 70 non-whites;

♦ 30 white;

♦ 89 heterosexual;

♦ 11 homosexual;

♦ 6 people will own 59% of the world's wealth and all will be from the USA;

♦ 80 will not have adequate housing conditions;

♦ 70 will be illiterate;

♦ 50 will be malnourished;

♦ 1 will die;

♦ 2 will be born;

♦ 1 (only one) will have a computer;

♦ 1 (only one) will have a college degree.

If you woke up healthy this morning, then you are happier than 1 million people who will not live to see next week.

If you have never experienced war, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or hunger, you are happier than 500 million people in this world.

If you can go to church without fear and the threat of imprisonment or death, you are happier than 3 billion people in this world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, you are clothed, you have a roof over your head and a bed, you are richer than 75% of the people in this world.

If you have a bank account, money in your wallet and a little change in a piggy bank, you belong to the 8% of the wealthy people in this world.

Questions for self-examination

(first level of understanding of the material)

1. What kind of research was carried out by the Club of Rome?

2. How are global problems related?

3. What are the possible ways out of the crisis?

abstract

on the topic " Global problems of mankind"

Now, at the turn of the millennium, humanity is faced with the most acute global problems that threaten the very existence of civilization and even life itself on our planet. The term “global” itself originates from the Latin word “globe”, that is, the Earth, the globe, and since the end of the 60s of the XX century it has become widespread to refer to the most important and urgent planetary problems of the modern era affecting humanity as a whole. . This is a set of such acute vital problems, on the solution of which the further social progress of mankind depends, and which, in turn, can be resolved only thanks to this progress.

To combine different approaches to global problems, to comprehend the results obtained, a need arose for a new science. Gradually, a special field of knowledge was formed - the theory of global problems, or globalistics. It is designed to develop practical recommendations for solving global problems. Effective recommendations must take into account many social, economic and political factors. Of particular importance for globalistics are the sciences related to the study of life (living beings), as well as the earth's surface: a complex of biological disciplines, geology, geochemistry, geophysics, soil science, etc. It is no coincidence that it was these sciences that first drew attention to many facts of negative changes, caused by human activity.

What problems are global? What are the causes of global problems and how to solve them? Let's try to answer these questions.

1.1 Global issues - definition

In the 70s of the XX century, a rather influential direction of social thought emerged, which can be called the philosophy of global problems. This philosophical direction, despite the extremely broad consideration of world problems, still puts a person, his present and future in the center of attention.

Global, or worldwide (universal) problems, being the result of the contradictions of social development, did not arise suddenly and only today. Some of them, such as the problems of war and peace and health, have existed before and have been relevant at all times. Other global problems, for example, environmental ones, appear later due to the intensive impact of society on the natural environment. Initially, these problems could only be private (single), issues for a particular country, people (“then they became regional and global, i. e. “problems of vital importance to all mankind.

Of course, not every problem can be called global, and not every problem of social development could become global.

The global problems of our time are a set of socio-natural problems, on the solution of which the social progress of mankind and the preservation of civilization depend. These problems are characterized by dynamism, they arise as an objective factor in the development of society, and for their solution they require the combined efforts of all mankind. Global problems are interconnected, cover all aspects of people's lives and concern all countries of the world.

Everything that exists exists in some quantity and therefore can be measured. This circumstance must first of all be taken into account in isolating global problems. One of the most important criteria for determining global problems is a quantitative - geospatial factor. In this case, we are talking about a spatial scale, i.e. areas where these problems are significant and relevant. In accordance with this criterion, any problem can be called global if it concerns the entire planet, any of its regions as a whole, as opposed to regional or local, typical of any one state or group of states.

1.2 Characteristics of global problems

In identifying global issues vital for humanity from the totality of the problems of today's world, a qualitative criterion becomes essential. The qualitative side of the definition of global problems is expressed in the following main characteristics:

firstly, these problems affect the vital interests of all mankind and each person individually;

secondly, they act as an objective factor in the further world development, the existence of modern civilization;

thirdly, to solve (overcome) global problems, the efforts of all peoples or, at least, the majority of the population of the planet are required;

fourthly, the unsolvability and unresolved global problems can lead in the future to irreparable consequences of life for all mankind and each individual.

Thus, the qualitative and quantitative factors (criteria) in their unity and interconnection make it possible to isolate those problems of social development that are global or vital for all mankind and each individual.

All global problems of social development are characterized by mobility, because none of these problems is in a static state, each of them is constantly changing, acquiring different intensity and, consequently, significance in a particular historical era. As some of the global problems are solved, the latter may lose their relevance on a global scale, moving to another, for example, local level, or disappear altogether (an example of smallpox, which in the past was a truly global problem, has practically disappeared today).

All global problems are in a complex relationship and interdependence. This means that the solution of one problem involves taking into account the influence of a complex of other problems on it.

Further, it is impossible not to see that new problems constantly arise in some part of the world, which relatively quickly become global, universal. Only in recent times has mankind witnessed how ozone depletion, the greenhouse effect, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other problems that few people even knew about a few years ago are turning into global ones. The task of philosophical thought, science is to notice new global problems and develop an appropriate policy for their solution, not lagging behind, but ahead of the trends in the development of today's world, because, as Thomas Mann said, ideas today are actions tomorrow. For example, it is impossible not to notice the acuteness for most countries or even regions of our planet of solving such problems as the accumulation of garbage and its destruction, the disposal of spent radioactive products, the aging of the population, uncontrolled births, etc.

The unprecedented character of the present world history lies in the fact that until now humanity has been the master of creation on earth in the sense that neither the forces of nature nor any of the people could destroy or even interrupt human progress. Mankind has long known crises caused by the elemental forces of nature, such as earthquakes and floods, droughts, epidemics, etc. However, these crises were generated by causes external to man, and he himself was only their victim. The crises that modern humanity has had to face are already the result of the activity of man himself.

1.3 Classification of global problems

The development of a classification of global problems was the result of long-term research and generalization of the experience of several decades of studying them.

In modern scientific literature, attempts are being made to comprehensively consider the whole variety of global problems. Since all these problems are of a socio-natural nature, since they simultaneously fix contradictions both between man and society, and contradictions between man and the natural environment, they are usually divided into three main groups. Researchers have proposed many classification options. Let us consider here a variant of the classification developed by domestic scientists I.T. Frolov and V.V. Zagladin. According to this option, all global problems are divided into three large groups.

The first group consists of those problems that are associated with relations between the main social communities of mankind, i.e. between groups of states with similar political, economic and other interests: “East-West”, rich and poor countries, etc. These problems should be called intersocial. These include the problem of preventing war, international terrorism and ensuring peace, as well as establishing a just international economic order.

Features of the current situation affect the nature of intersocial problems.

First, instead of the threat of a world war as a consequence of the clash of two opposing socio-political systems, many local conflicts have come. Despite their locality, each of them has its own measure of globality, since it is fraught with drawing many parties into the orbit of the conflict, including those not related to its origin. It also cannot be assumed that the threat of a general military catastrophe is completely ruled out under present-day conditions.

Secondly, in the absence of confrontation between opposing socio-political systems, the problem of establishing a fair economic order became even more obvious. It is connected with uneven world development. There are groups of countries on the planet that differ sharply in terms of the level of socio-economic development and, accordingly, in terms of the level of well-being of the population. On the one hand, this is a relatively small group of developed countries, on the other hand, a large number of states in which economic development is characterized by backwardness, and the quality of life of the population is low. The economy of the backward countries is based on the extraction and export of raw materials. For this reason, environmental problems are especially acute here, like a huge number of others. The backward and moderately developed countries make up the vast majority of the world's population - about five billion out of six. The general trend of modern development, unfortunately, is such that the gap between the "golden billion" and the rest of humanity is not shrinking, but growing.

The second group combines those problems that are generated by the interaction of society and nature. They are associated with the limited capacity of the environment to endure anthropogenic loads. These are such problems as the provision of energy, fuel, raw materials, fresh water, etc. The environmental problem also belongs to this group, i.e. the problem of protecting nature from irreversible changes of a negative nature, as well as the task of the reasonable development of the World Ocean and outer space.

In general, the second group of global problems associated with the interaction of society and nature can, in turn, be divided into several subgroups.

These are, firstly, environmental problems; secondly, the problems associated with the development of nature by society, i.e. problems of raw materials and energy resources; thirdly, the problems associated with relatively new global objects - outer space and the oceans.

Environmental problems (the first subgroup) are understood here as measures against environmental pollution. They include the protection of water and air basins, the protection of soils, the conservation of flora and fauna, and the preservation of the gene pool.

The problem of resources (raw materials and energy) should be distinguished from environmental problems proper. second subgroup. The latter acts as a relatively independent, although it is closely related to environmental problems. In Russia and other CIS countries, environmental problems are in some cases exceptionally acute. This is due to many reasons. Among them are the consequences of the costly economy of the Soviet period, the lack of public control during the period of nuclear testing, the raw material nature of the economy, which exists largely due to the extraction of oil, gas and other natural resources, technological backwardness that does not allow the use of environmentally friendly technologies, etc. An insufficient understanding of the importance of ecology and inattention to it also plays a significant role.

Many authoritative international public Organizations, well-known scientists are trying to single out these problems for the current stage of human history. Thus, M. Mesarovich, a prominent figure in the Club of Rome, an international public organization engaged in the analysis of global problems, in one of his reports (Hannover, 1989) named the following 5 most significant problems for the world community to solve the problems of the modern world:

– decrease in the growth of the Earth's population;

– reducing the use of non-renewable resources;

– reduction of the level of pollution and destruction of the environment;

– reduction of inequality;

- elimination of hunger and poverty.

At the same time, his report noted that it is important not only to state and describe these problems, but to give answers, how to solve them, what means should be used for this. According to M. Mesarovich, the main thing is not whether to reduce population growth, but how to do it; the question is not whether to use fossil fuels in the future, but what and how to replace it.

The problems of the modern world are undoubtedly global, as they are problems that affect every living person, the entire community of people, albeit to varying degrees.

2. Threat of ecological catastrophe

There are global problems generated by the crisis state of the relationship between nature and society as a result of scientific and technological development. Among them, the most significant is the ecological crisis, which is expressed in the daily pollution of the environment, along with the progressive depletion of the planet's reserves - its terrestrial and water resources. To solve an environmental problem, it is necessary to properly rationally and economically use natural resources. One of the rational ways of organizing nature management is a change in production technology, which embodies directly the material relationship between man and nature. But its implementation also requires a change in the value orientations of a person - the formation of his ecological thinking, a new ecological ethics.

Problems of ecology, concepts of their overcoming.
The term "ecology" was first used in the 19th century by E. Haeckel, a professor at the University of Jena. Literally, it means "the doctrine of the house, dwelling." Haeckel suggested that ecology is designed to study the interaction of a living organism with the environment. In other words, ecology in its proper sense is a field of knowledge about the biosphere and a set of measures aimed at preserving the Earth's biosphere under the conditions of an actively transforming human impact. Man is considered as an integral part of the biosphere, as one of its main components. Today, ecology is understood, first of all, as human ecology. Therefore, the problem of resources, which acts as a relatively independent one, is distinguished from the actual environmental problems.

The essence of environmental problems in the modern world lies in the deepening contradiction between the productive activity of mankind and the stability of the natural habitat.

All human economic activity has a destructive effect on nature. The roots of this influence go back to the distant past, when the foundations of the current industrial model of society were laid. At that time, the dominant concept was the conquest of nature by man: man is the master of the entire planet. At the end of the 19th century, the modern, most intense stage of human impact on nature begins, at the same time a threat to its biological existence arises. Ultimately, all other global problems of the modern world - energy, food, demographic and others - become inseparable from the main one - environmental.

The contradictions between society and nature have now reached their climax. However, despite this, the most severe exploitation of nature by people continues, using the latest achievements of science and technology for this.

Globalistics draws attention to the question of the limiting anthropogenic loads that nature can withstand. The ecological crisis manifests itself as a violation of the natural balance as a result of excessive loads on natural systems, many times exceeding the permissible norms of environmental pollution. Nature was not able to adsorb (purify and include in natural systems) the waste of human activity. With violation of the measure, the degradation of the natural environment becomes irreversible. Therefore, people must help nature cope with overloads, if they do not want to destroy the natural basis of their existence.

Cases of the death of unique objects of nature, the destruction of certain species of fauna and flora have become the subject of biology. It was found that such losses cause great harm to the biosphere, since species diversity is the most important condition for the normal functioning of all natural systems. Over the past 400 years, 94 species of birds and 63 species of mammals have disappeared from the face of the Earth.

2.1 Natural resources

The discovery of the exhaustibility of natural resources has become of great importance for global studies. As economic activity develops, an increasing number of natural resources move from renewable to non-renewable. It turned out that for the reserves of individual elements, minerals, rocks, there is a depletion limit. Such a depletion limit can be either a complete depletion of reserves, or a limitation associated with environmental safety, i.e. when further development threatens the ecological balance, or, finally, the impossibility for society to pay too high a price for this resource.

2.2 Earth's atmosphere and the ozone layer

In connection with the intensive use of the thermal energy of fossil fuels, the burning of industrial and household waste, the destruction of natural structures, there has been a tendency to reduce the stability of the biosphere. A depleted ozone layer allows the ultraviolet rays of sunlight to more freely reach the Earth's surface, which, in particular, has already served as one of the reasons for the growth of skin cancers and suppression of the human immune system. Overexposure to ultraviolet extremely negatively affects crop yields, flora and fauna. If the ozone layer is depleted, humanity will have no means to restore it.

The biological organization of a person allows him to adapt to a fairly wide range of conditions. However, its possibilities are far from limitless. There are such threshold values ​​of external conditions, beyond which the biological organization cannot withstand, and humanity is threatened with death. In the conditions of modern technogenic civilization, the possibilities of adapting the human body to the conditions of life in the environment are close to exhaustion.

The destruction of fauna and flora causes great harm to the biosphere, since species diversity is the most important condition for the normal functioning of all natural systems. It is associated with the destruction of forests, intensive agricultural activity, the growth of large cities and an increase in the urban population, and the significant development of the network of railways and roads.

The composition of the Earth's atmosphere is also subject to adverse effects: the combustion of fossil fuels, the destruction of forests and subsequent tillage have increased the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere by 15% over the past century. As a result, global warming is taking place. Meanwhile, an increase in the average world air temperature near the earth's surface by 2–3 degrees C ((now it has reached 0.5 degrees C () will lead to the melting of ice in Antarctica and Greenland. As a result, there will be a significant increase in the level of the World Ocean, which threatens to flood significant parts of the land.

2.3 Consequences of environmental problems

The general degradation of the environment, leading to a change for the worse in the conditions of human life, gives environmental problems a universal meaning.

The international organization WWF (World Wildlife Fund) warns of an environmental catastrophe, the consequences of which will be worse than those of the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009.
According to the Living Planet report (“Living Planet”) of the international organization World Wildlife Fund, people use 30% more resources than the planet is able to reproduce.

The irrational use of resources, writes the Guardian, leads to the disappearance of forests, soil dehydration, water and air pollution, as well as a sharp decline in the number of fish and other species. As a result, humanity's "ecological debt" to nature is annually estimated at $4-4.5 trillion. dollars, which is twice the estimated amount that financial institutions will lose due to the financial crisis. This figure is taken from a UN document that calculated the economic value of the services that humanity receives from ecosystems that are destroyed every year.

The problem is compounded by the fact that the population and, as a result, the level of consumption, continues to grow faster than technologies are available to expand the possibilities of using natural resources.

By 2030, humanity will need two planets to meet its needs for natural and food resources. “The current downturn in the global economy is a prime example of what the consequences of living beyond one's means can be,” says WWF CEO. “But the effects of the financial recession are fading against the backdrop of a looming environmental credit crisis.” Soon, this unbridled consumption of natural resources will lead to an "environmental credit crisis", the consequences of which will be even more catastrophic than from the current financial credit crisis, WWF warns. “We only have one planet. Its resources for sustaining an enormous variety of species, including humans, are great, but not unlimited. When human demand for these resources exceeds the ecological limit, we will destroy the health of the Earth's biological systems. Ultimately, this threatens the life of a person, ”the report says.

The warning contained in the report, according to the authors, is "conservative" and does not suggest, for example, abrupt changes in climate. The report also indicates the changes that have occurred to our planet over the past 30 years.

2.4 Environmental problems and directions for their solution

In the approach to solving environmental problems, three main directions can be distinguished. They form the main strategies for environmental protection: a restrictive optimization strategy, a closed-loop strategy.

The restrictive strategy as the main means of preventing environmental disasters suggests limiting the development of production and, accordingly, consumption. From this point of view, any increase in production is fraught with an increase in the burden on the natural environment. Consequently, the trend towards continuous economic growth in itself inevitably increases environmental tensions.

Supporters of the restrictive strategy insist on "zero growth", demand the immediate closure of environmentally harmful industries, call for voluntary restriction of consumption, and so on.

The optimization strategy involves finding the optimal level of interaction between society and nature. Such a level, of course, should not exceed the critical pollution threshold. It should be such that the exchange of substances between society and nature is possible, without adversely affecting the state of the environment.

Finally, the strategy of closed cycles involves the creation of industries built on a cyclical principle, due to which isolation of production from environmental impact is achieved. Closed cycles are possible with the use of biotechnology, which allows the processing of inorganic production waste into organic substances. The latter can again be used to create products useful to humans. These three strategies are not alternative: depending on the specific circumstances, one or the other strategy may be applied. The last two (optimization and closed loops) are highly dependent on the technological sophistication of the manufacturing process. The first (restrictive) one is not always possible where the level of production and consumption and, accordingly, the quality of life are low.

The second subgroup of problems related to the "society-nature" group is resource problems. We are talking about such resources as air and water, without which human life is impossible, as well as energy and raw materials.

The third group of global problems are those associated with the "individual-society" system. They directly concern the individual and depend on the ability of society to provide real opportunities for the development of the individual. These include health and education issues, as well as population control issues.

The third large group of problems is directly related to man, to his individual being. These are the problems of "human qualities" - the development of moral, intellectual and other inclinations of a person, ensuring a healthy lifestyle, normal mental development. Particular attention to these problems has become a characteristic feature of global studies since the second half of the 1970s.

Finally, it is important to note the existence of an acute and controversial topic - the activities of the world government.

If we compare our civilization with a clockwork, then most people only know about its gears, how they move, how they interact with each other, while completely unaware of the reason for their movement. About the spring. The supra-government group includes financial tycoons, prominent political figures, and other well-known personalities. In fact, 300 families control more than half of the world's capital and are the mainspring.

3. "Club of Rome" and its contribution to solving global problems

3.1 Goals and objectives of the Club of Rome

Global problems are closely related to each other and have common sources of origin and development, so it is important to classify and systematize them in a certain way, to understand the causes of their occurrence and the conditions under which they can be solved by society.

The noted facts of the theory of global problems - the exhaustibility of natural resources, the danger of self-destruction of mankind - formed the basis of a method for studying global problems, called global modeling. A special role in the development and application of global modeling belongs to the Club of Rome - an organization of Western scientists, businessmen, politicians and public figures concerned with the development of measures to prevent global threats. The Club of Rome was created in 1968. Since then, with the moral and material support of this organization, a whole series of studies on global issues has been carried out. Many of them have become widely known and have found a response in the circles of the world community, in the leadership of Western countries.

The Club of Rome organizes large-scale research on a wide range of topics, but mainly in the socio-economic field.

The theoretical activity of the Club of Rome is ambiguous: it includes a wide range of specific scientific developments that served as an impetus for the emergence of such a new area of ​​scientific research as global modeling and general philosophical reasoning about human existence in the modern world, the values ​​of life and the prospects for the development of mankind. Works in the field of global modeling, building the first computer models of the world, criticizing the negative trends of Western civilization, debunking the technocratic myth about economic growth as the most effective means of solving all problems, searching for ways to humanize man and the world, condemning the arms race, calling on the world community to join forces, stop interethnic strife, preserve the environment, improve the well-being of people and improve the environment, increase the well-being of people and improve the quality of life - all this is the positive aspects of the activities of the Club of Rome, which attracted the attention of progressive scientists, politicians, statesmen.

The theoretical studies of the representatives of the Club of Rome, as well as the research methodology, are used in various sciences.

The global modeling method consists in the theoretical simulation of the dynamics of global processes using mathematical models and computer technology. It is obvious that the capabilities of modern computer technology make it possible to take into account a huge number of parameters of world development and, on this basis, to identify the long-term consequences of modern trends. It was on the desire to predict the nature of the long-term consequences of those processes that are well known today that the first report to the Club of Rome, published in 1972, was built. It was called "The Limits to Growth". The team of authors, headed by D. Meadows, set the task of identifying the limits of the growth of world civilization, due to the finite size of the planet and the limited ability of it to endure anthropogenic loads. Five parameters were taken as a basis: environmental pollution, the use of non-renewable resources, the volume of investment, population growth, food security. The dynamics of changes in these parameters, taking into account their mutual influence, was extended to the future. The study led to the conclusion that if existing trends continue, already in the first quarter of the 3rd millennium, humanity can come to a general catastrophe. The authors of the report concluded that it is necessary to limit the development of production, as well as significantly slow down the growth of the world's population. The report attracted great attention because it showed what threats await humanity if the current trends continue.

3.2 Aurelio Peccei and his theory of the origins of global problems

Of particular interest is the concept of solving global environmental problems, put forward by the Club of Rome - a representative world organization that brings together famous scientists, cultural figures, entrepreneurs, statesmen from different countries. For a number of years it was headed by a major Italian businessman and economist, Aurelio Peccei (1908–1984). In his well-known book "Human Qualities" A. Peccei states that the ecological situation in the world that had developed by the beginning of the 70s was a crisis. He emphasizes that a man whose material power has reached its apogee has turned the planet into his empire, which is already turning into an ecological disaster. Man develops more and more an insatiable appetite for consumption, completely unaware of the consequences of his growing aspirations and needs. The diverse artificial world created by man is increasingly crowding nature.

A. Peccei notes that a person is connected with other people by thousands of threads, his present predetermines the future, there is no and cannot be ecological independence. We emphasize this idea especially, because no matter how one or another country protects its natural environment, no matter how sophisticated measures it takes in this regard, it is impossible to exclude the destruction of this environment by neighboring countries. The Chernobyl accident is a convincing proof of this.

A. Peccei concludes that the finite size of the planet necessarily implies the limits of human expansion in relation to nature. Such a conclusion ran counter to the orientation prevailing in world culture towards the unbridled growth of production indicators and turned into a symbol of a new style of human thinking in its relation to nature. As a result, a new type of axiological attitude of man to nature took shape - a responsible, commensurate relationship between the needs of society and the possibilities of nature.

The concept of reorientation of the value paradigm of modern man from his rise above the environment into the principle of harmonious connection with the environment under optimal conditions for man and for the natural environment was carefully substantiated by A. Peccei based on an analysis of the external and internal limits of the growth of human expansion into nature. The external limits of this expansion are physical - non-renewable natural resources, geological reserves of mineral raw materials air, water, environmental - waste, poison, garbage, biological - violation of the natural balance between individual types of living organisms. The internal limits of expansion are various kinds of restrictions (stress, tension, shock therapy). inherent in the mental and mental abilities of a person. However, from the point of view of A. Peccei, the problem of limits to human growth and human development is essentially a problem, mainly a cultural one. Mankind is going through a period of unprecedented material expansion, - writes A. Peccei, - and already acquiring the ability to exert a decisive influence on the conditions of its own habitat, at the same time it does not yet know the limits in which this active activity of it can pose a danger for its own biophysical abilities and is capable of causing irreparable damage to the entire planet as a whole. This represents a gross miscalculation in his cultural evolution. From this, A. Peccei concludes that material growth in society cannot continue indefinitely, and therefore a balanced or, more precisely, limited growth is necessary through a gradual transition from a consumer society to a conservation society. A. Peccei believed that a limited (but by no means zero, as some of his commentators thought) growth in the industrial development of countries, especially those that were significantly ahead of the rest in this movement, was necessary and possible. The main thing, at the same time, is to reduce the gap between the highest income of rich countries and the lowest for the poorest. To do this, all efforts should be directed to change a person and thereby change civilization.

From the point of view of A. Peccei, a new humanism is needed, based and aimed at a significant improvement in the human qualities of all the inhabitants of the planet. In other words, A. Peccei proposes to make the focus of attention on a person, his way of existence and way of life, because the fate of the new world order will depend on his qualities and abilities. The progressive development of man, A. Peccei believes, and the parallel improvement of his human qualities will bring with it a radical revision of a person's perception of himself and a person in general, his role and responsibility. And this is the only way not only to satisfy the growing needs of mankind, but also to give a person a certain opportunity to reasonably plan your future.

3.3 Solving global problems

By developing a dynamic model of the world, the Club of Rome determined a special way of elastically solving global problems in the conditions of the existence of economically diverse parts of humanity. In other words, according to the theorists of the Club of Rome, the exponential growth of the economy and production in the world can be achieved through the interaction of various countries, using, among other things, the mechanism of balances and delays. In this case, it is proposed that developed countries become a role model for the actions of the rest of humanity, believing that the rest will follow their example. Such an effective example, and not just words-calls, according to Rimskaya) of the club, will to a greater extent contribute to an elastic way of solving global problems by the world community. In the arsenal of the ways proposed by the Club of Rome for solving global environmental problems, there are also options of a political nature. Naturally, the ideological concepts of cosmopolitanism lie at the basis of the ways they propose to solve environmental problems. Thus, the Club of Rome believes that a single world state or a single world government would be able to take on the responsibility of solving and controlling all of today's global problems.

The theorists of the Club of Rome focus on solving global problems on strengthening international cooperation of all countries. Naturally, following the path of development and strengthening of international cooperation is the most realistic way of practical implementation and solution of the tasks facing modern humanity. However, such international cooperation must preclude the imperial policy of the more developed countries towards the less developed ones. It is no secret that even today international trade redistributes world resources in such a way that the primacy of countries becomes especially noticeable. Often, under the guise of aid, unprofitable industries are transferred to less developed countries, energy resources are pumped out of them, and weapons are offered in return at a very high price. There is also such a form of exploitation of lagging countries as the disposal of hazardous waste from the chemical and nuclear industries on their territory in exchange for financial assistance.

Based on the developments of the Club of Rome to solve modern global environmental problems, it is necessary to conduct a constant targeted search for new options for the harmonious development of man and the biosphere. build your civilization. We need to understand what this civilization should be like - a reality that meets the growing needs of man and the limited possibilities of nature.

Solving the issue of harmonizing the relationship of society with nature, people must realize that a person, like all life on Earth, is inseparable from its biosphere. The biosphere is the necessary natural gaps of human existence, his life and health. Therefore, not only the production and reproduction of the immediate life of people, but also the production and reproduction of the natural environment itself, the conscious control of natural processes and natural complexes, becomes an urgent need. Any violations of the basic processes in the ecosystem should be excluded as much as possible. To this end, it is already now proposed to create closed production cycles at industrial and agricultural enterprises so that the waste of human agglomerations can be used as a secondary raw material for the production of material means of life. Such production complexes will make it possible to control and regulate the process of recreating the conditions for the existence and development of wildlife, to ensure the most rational forms of exchange of substances between society and the surrounding nature in all spheres of life.

Evidence that there is a broad awareness of urgent environmental problems is the unfolding environmental movement (green parties), which has become essentially a powerful stream of social protest against all inconsistencies in the conduct of state environmental policy. It is characteristic that the green movement is now building its activities in accordance with three most important principles:

- from the concept of inexhaustibility, one should move to the concept of the finiteness of natural resources;

- the pace of development of nature in society should be comparable;

- people should focus not on artificial, but on the natural conditions of their existence.

4. The influence of human relations on the solution of global problems

The global problems of the "man-society" system are most difficult to solve in the modern world. One of these intractable problems is loneliness, which is often called a social disaster, since it becomes an all-pervading phenomenon in society. in the aspect of personal and social spiritual well-being ”It is naive to think that only people who are prone to philosophizing are subject to loneliness. Neither wealth, nor position, nor the outwardly prosperous existence of a person can avert from her sooner or later the coming loneliness. The disease of loneliness is all-pervading and many-sided. Many people experience this excruciating condition not in physical isolation, but just in a group, in the family circle, and even in the company of close friends. The state of loneliness is quite often perceived by a person negatively and gives rise to suffering.

Scientists see the causes of loneliness in the lack of social connections of the individual, as well as in the subjective state of a person, which does not always coincide with objective social isolation. However, it should be emphasized that both the lack of connections (communication) of a person and the state of his personal self-consciousness are due to the alienation of people in society, the loss of faith and hope.

5. Concepts of the further destiny of mankind

The prototype of global consciousness in a number of aspects is seen in the concept of the noosphere. It was put forward by the French naturalist and philosopher P. Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955). Regardless of him, a similar idea was deeply developed by the outstanding Russian scientist V.I. Vernadsky (1863–1945).

Teilhard de Chardin considered man as a result of evolution, a cosmic whole, planned in advance from above. He divided the evolution of the Universe into the stages of "pre-life", "life", "thought" and "super-life". At the “thought” stage, a person appears, condensing psychic energy in himself, creating the “noosphere”, personalizing the world. "Superlife" marks the state of unity of the souls of people after the completion of history in the cosmic Christ. Mankind is moving in the course of history along the path of universalization of relations between countries and peoples to the state of a "big monad". The scientist believed in the power of the union of Christianity and humanism, designed to unite all the people of the planet, put forward the idea of ​​the unity of science and mysticism as a panacea for all the troubles of our time.

The essence of the noospheric concept is associated with a special understanding of the place of man in the universe. It is included as the most important link in the evolution of nature and creates a special sphere - the noosphere, or the sphere of the mind, which is the final stage in the development of the biosphere (the sphere of life, the habitat of living beings) With the creation of the noosphere, humanity takes responsibility for the entire structure of nature, for the course and direction its further evolution. According to V.I. Vernadsky, it is connected with the fact that a significant part of the natural substance in the conditions of modern civilization is involved in the sphere of social interactions, in the cycle of culture and spirit. The power of man becomes a factor that determines the inadmissibility of a predatory attitude towards nature. Man must learn to regard what happens to nature as what happens to himself.

Within the framework of the philosophy of global problems, the concept put forward by one of the greatest sociologists of the 20th century, P.A. Sorokin.

P.A. Sorokin believes that demoralization and its disastrous consequences in society can only be stopped by increasing production and accumulating unselfish love for man and humanity. In his opinion, the main historical mission of mankind is unlimited creation: accumulation and improvement. Truth, Beauty and Goodness in the very nature of man, in the human mind and behavior, in social life and outside it, in relation to man to the world and to each other. This mission (goal), emphasizes P.A. Sorokin, is set and achieved by the people themselves, and it is a true measure of human progress. And only such creation by people of themselves will help to increase production and neutralize egoism in society. P.A. Sorokin argues that unselfish creative love is a tremendous force. It is this kind of love that can put an end to the aggressiveness of people towards each other, since love gives rise to love Unselfish and wise love, which is cultivated in relations between people in society, manifests itself as a life-giving force, for it becomes the strongest antidote against the tendencies of crime, hatred, fear Such love - an effective means for the enlightenment and moral ennoblement of mankind.

It is difficult to disagree with these arguments and I really want to believe with P.A. Sorokin that if an increase in non-egoistic creative and wise love prevails in society, i.e. if humanity takes this task seriously - then the extremely dangerous crisis of our age can be overcome and - harmony, happiness and peace - will be welcomed by future generations.

Humanity must confront global threats with a united front, coordinating its efforts. But this does not mean that the differences between countries and peoples, between classes and social groups will be erased, the interests of nations and national economies will be leveled. The modern world is inconceivable without differences of interests - individuals, separate groups, states, etc. However, the history of the development of mankind convinces us that the desire to destroy the difference of interests leads only to total lack of freedom.

The development of civilization has made the various parts of humanity dependent on each other. This dependence is an imperative of the relations of modern society - both at the interstate, intergroup, and interindividual levels. However, an individual state should not, even in the light of universal interdependence, renounce its national interests. He is offered only to learn to reckon with the interests of other states.

Global consciousness in one of its main aspects is the consciousness of caring for one's own country, its well-being and prosperity, since the interdependence of countries, characteristic of the modern world, cannot be interpreted in the sense that the world community is obliged to bring a separate country out of the crisis and guide it on the path to prosperity. Responsibility for the planet cannot but begin with responsibility for one's own country, since the crisis of the statehood of a single country complicates the world situation in the political aspect; environmental and resource crises threaten the ecological balance and complicate the problem of resources on a global scale; the economic crisis leads to social consequences in other countries.

At present, the position of activism, which society used to be guided by, has exhausted its possibilities. The striving for the domination of man over nature and the striving connected with it for the dominance of man over man cannot now serve anything positive. However, an attempt to return to the past forms of human existence and its relationship to nature cannot serve anything positive. Within the framework of global consciousness, it is necessary to revise all the main types of relations: the relationship of man to nature, relations between social communities (classes, social groups, nations, etc.), the relationship of man to man, attitude to the past, history, ancestors. The need to revise the old relationship arises in the face of a global threat. Global consciousness puts at the center of its consideration the question of man, his ability to cope with the situation, his prospects for survival.

1. Labyrinths of loneliness. M., 1980.

2. Peccei Aurelio. Human qualities. M., 1980.

3. Sorokin P.A. My philosophy is integralism. // Sotsis, 1992, No. 10.

4.Yakovets Yu.V. Globalization and interaction of civilizations. - M., 2001.

Goals of the Club of Rome

In the spring of 1968 Aurelio Peccei, an Italian economist, public figure and businessman, a member of the management of the Fiat company and vice-president of the Olivetti company, sent out an invitation to 30 prominent European scientists and representatives of the business world to participate in the discussion of urgent problems. On April 6-7 of the same year in Rome, in the old National Academy dei Lincei, a meeting of invitees was held, at which discussions unfolded on the most pressing problems of our time. Those participants of the meeting who supported the idea of ​​creating an international organization united in the Club of Rome. The organization assumed the status of a non-governmental organization, not associated with political parties, classes, ideologies. The Club of Rome builds its work in the form of organizing meetings, symposiums, seminars, meetings with famous scientists, political leaders, and influential businessmen. Here are the main goals that the figures of the "Club of Rome" have set for themselves:

* to give society a methodology by which it would be possible to scientifically analyze the "difficulties of mankind" associated with the physical limitations of the Earth's resources, the rapid growth of production and consumption - these "principal limits of growth";

* convey to mankind the concern of the Club's representatives regarding the critical situation that has developed in the world in a number of aspects;

* "prompt" to the society what measures it should take in order to "do business wisely" and achieve "global balance".

At the initiative of the Club of Rome, a number of research projects have been carried out, the results of which are published in the form of reports. The most famous of them, which caused heated scientific discussions, is “Limits to Growth”, 1972. (supervisor D. Meadows), “Strategy of Survival”, 1974. (headed by M. Mesarovich and E. Pestel), “Revisiting the International Order”, 1976 (headed by J. Tinbergen), “Goals for Humanity”, 1977. (headed by E. Laszlo), “There are no limits to learning”, 1979. (headed by J. Botkin, M. Elmanjra, M. Malitsa), “Routes leading to the future”, 1980. (B. Gavrylyshyn), “Microelectronics and Society”, 1982 (headed by G. Friedrichs, A. Schaff), “The Barefoot Revolution”, 1985. (B. Schneider) and others.

The purpose of these reports is to achieve an understanding of the difficulties identified by the Club of Rome as “global problems” that arise in the way of human development, to influence public opinion about these problems.

Essence and typology of global problems

Phenomena commonly referred to as "global problems" arose in the middle of the 20th century and were recognized by the scientific community 20 years later. Global problems - these are problems concerning (to one degree or another) all countries and peoples, the solution of which is possible only through the combined efforts of the entire world community. The very existence of terrestrial civilization, or at least its further development, is connected with the solution of these problems. Global problems are complex in nature, tightly intertwined with each other. With a certain degree of conventionality, two main blocks can be distinguished ( see figure 1.):

Figure 1. Typology of global problems of our time.

1) problems associated with the contradiction between society and the environment (the system "society - nature");

2) social problems associated with contradictions within society (the "man - society" system).

The listed problems matured asynchronously. The English economist T. Malthus at the beginning of the 19th century. made a conclusion about the danger of excessive population growth. After 1945, the threat of the development of weapons of mass destruction became obvious. The gap in the world between the advanced "rich North" and the backward "poor South" was recognized as a problem only in the last third of the 20th century. The problem of international organized crime became acute only at the end of the 20th century.

Nevertheless, it is correct to consider the middle of the 20th century as the moment of birth of global problems. It is during this period that two processes are unfolding that seem to be the main root causes of modern global problems. The first process is the globalization of socio-economic and political life, based on the formation of a relatively unified world economy. The second is the deployment of the scientific and technological revolution (NTR), which has multiplied many times all the possibilities of man, including self-destruction. It is in the course of these processes that problems that previously remained local become global. For example, the danger of overpopulation affected all countries when waves of migrants from developing countries poured into developed countries, and the governments of these countries began to demand a “new international order” - gratuitous aid as payment for the “sins” of the colonial past.

The Club of Rome played a primary role in understanding global problems and finding ways to solve them.