We often use expressions based on the word “value”. We discuss material values, complain about a lack of spiritual values, and criticize political ones. But do we think about what the concept of “value” itself means? The definition says that by this word they mean the significance (material, political, spiritual, etc.) of a certain group of objects. This word also means:
- qualitative characteristics of objects that determine its importance;
- monetary expression of the value of something;
- properties of a phenomenon, subject, object in terms of its harmfulness or utility.
In order not to get confused in the concepts of value, scientists proposed a classification that takes into account the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the concept.
According to the systematization of G. Allport (and there are other typologies), all values are divided into
- theoretical ones that attach the leading importance to the search for truth and rational thinking;
- economic, putting in the first place benefit and gain;
- social, giving preference to human manifestations: tolerance, love, devotion, etc .;
- aesthetic, evaluating everything else from the standpoint of beauty, harmony;
- political, preferring only power;
- religious, including blind faith.
However, not everyone agrees with this typology. Most scholars believe that cultural values are of paramount importance to all absolutely peoples.
What does this concept mean? How do sociologists and other representatives of the scientific world interpret it?
Cultural values are a property belonging to a certain group: social, ethnic, etc. All of them can be expressed by certain forms of art: oral art, artistic images, dancing, songwriting, and applied forms.
In our country, there is a whole structure of the concept of "cultural values", fixed in the legislation. In accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation, this concept includes:
- works of culture, art;
- folk crafts;
- standards of behavior;
- national or folk languages, local dialects, all dialects;
- toponyms (names of geographical objects);
- folklore;
- all methods, methods and results of scientific research;
- buildings, territories, technologies, etc .;
- objects of cultural, historical or scientific value.
The cultural values of Russia (as, indeed, of all countries) are protected by the state. It regulates the procedure for import or export of their objects, determines the rules for their acquisition, ownership, sale.
However, cultural values, according to some experts, are not just historical crafts, objects or techniques. Cultural are only those values that have a certain impact on the human psyche in order to convey information to posterity. This can be information about ideology, spirituality, beliefs - all those phenomena that are difficult to tell in another way.
Cultural values are a heterogeneous concept. They can be different even at the same time for different sectors of society. A vivid example of this: historical temples. For the majority in our country, they were almost the main cultural values. However, for the young Soviet government, they were not only of little value. The Bolsheviks considered them harmful, and therefore destroyed. Thus, unique works of architecture characterizing entire eras were lost. However, not only the temples were lost: a sad fate befell many folk crafts, as well as the languages and culture of small nations.
To ensure that historical monuments are not destroyed, and the types of crafts or art that are the property of peoples or nationalities are not lost, the legislation of the Russian Federation gives an exact definition of the concept of "cultural values of Russia."