The Russian way: Horizons of the future in the context of civilizational confrontation

The authors conduct a sociological analysis of the development prospects of the Russian society, focusing on the characteristics of Russian strategies for creating the future in the context of opposition to the Western model of social-historical development. The article considers the theoretical foundations of the sociology of the future, introducing the concept of dynamic lines leading from the past to the future; various types of ideas about the future, including its rationalistic concept as an object of purposeful, constructive activity (a project-based type of social thinking) and Russian ideas about the future in connection with the so-called Russian idea; transformation of the logic of creating the future in the context of Russians’ changing attitudes toward the Western model of development and their history (rejection of the reproductive method of creating the future); Russian style of social development in recent decades and accepted method of creating the future as a traditionalist modernization. The authors believe that it is fundamentally impossible to manage the creation of the future but admit that it is possible to manage our movement towards the future. Based on the sociological research of recent decades, the authors identify the key semantic components of the attractive future for Russia, including the Russian understanding of democracy. When assessing the recent trends, the authors note the changing global civilizational landscape, which creates conditions for a new Russian idea combining notions of “good society” inherent in the Russian cultural-historical tradition with the current global agenda.