On the question of constructing social reality

Abstract

The article examines the role that the so-called project consciousness has in history. The author distinguishes a project consciousness from a reflective and a value conscious­ness. The latter perform orientational rather than constructive functions. The analysis of history shows that there is a cardinal difference between the ability of people to change the technosphere of their existence and their ability to create and control the institutional conditions of their own life, changing the foundations and forms of human society. Hu­man consciousness has played and continues to play an important role in the “eventful history” created by concrete people in specific circumstances of space and time. The same cannot be said about its ability to purposefully create and change the deep structures of history, to construct impersonal social relations acting as matrices of social interaction behind historical events. This possibility appears only in the XX century, marked by a sharp increase in the potential of project consciousness. It manifests itself first of all in the expansion of the possibilities of conscious control, penetrating into the spheres of so­cial life, where previously the spontaneous model of development dominated. In addition, project consciousness acquires an unprecedented ability to make large-scale changes in social life not under the pressure of historical necessity, but in accordance with the value priorities of people, their ideas about proper social order. The article examines the causes of this transformation, which has both positive and negative consequences. The author draws attention to the errors and illusions of project consciousness that can lead to episodic violence of ideas over human life. But this does not mean that the human will turns into the full-fledged demiurge of history, capable of realizing any desires and fan­tasies. History retains its law-governed character being operated by the law according to which ideas shame themselves sooner or later when they become detached from the ob­jective needs and interests of people.