A person has many different types of activities, and they can be divided into groups using the following grounds:
The number of needs a person has;
Functional purpose of the activity;
Dominance in the activity of its internal or external components;
According to their functional purpose, types of activities can be divided into communication, learning, play And work.
Communication is a type of activity whose purpose is to exchange information between people, to coordinate their actions and to influence each other.
A game- this is a type of activity that performs two main functions: the psychological development of a person and ensuring his rest.
Teaching can be defined as a type of activity aimed at acquiring knowledge, skills, abilities and developing human abilities.
Work- this is the type of activity through which a person ensures his existence and satisfaction of basic needs.
Based on the dominance of internal or external components, activities can be divided into external And internal. In external activity, motor components associated with the work of skeletal muscles predominate; in the internal - mental components, that is, actions and operations performed in the mind, or processes occurring inside the body.
Practical activities associated with human solving practical problems. It is performed in a real life situation through practical actions.
Theoretical activity- this is an activity, the result of which is the solution of a theoretical problem, for example, defining a concept, performing a logical operation, making a conclusion, proposing and justifying a theory that explains a certain group of phenomena.
Material are called activities that involve actions with real material objects.
Perfect- this is an activity in the mind performed with so-called ideal objects: images, thoughts, feelings.
Subject- this is human activity with objects of human culture, in which they are mastered or used for their intended purpose. For example, if a person uses a fountain pen to write with it, then his activity will be objective; however, if a person uses a pen as a stick or support, then his activity will not be called objective.
Interpersonal, or communicative,- this is an activity aimed at other people and involving communication and interaction with them.
Human activity is a developing, dynamically changing formation. The main directions of development of human activity in ontogenesis can be imagined as follows 1:
1. The emergence of new types of activities in humans.
2. Changing the hierarchy of existing activities.
3. Changing the content and structure of the same activity.
4. Change in motivation for activity.
5. Interiorization of activity, i.e. the transformation of its external components into internal ones.
6. Automation of activities.
Let us remember the difference between spiritual activity and material activity: the first is associated with a change in people’s consciousness, the second with the transformation of objects of nature and society. The cognitive activity discussed above is an important manifestation of spiritual activity. Its result is knowledge. However, spiritual activity is not limited to cognitive activity.
Considering spiritual activity as a whole, we can conditionally distinguish two types: spiritual-theoretical and spiritual-practical.
The first type is the production of spiritual values (spiritual goods). The product of spiritual production are thoughts, ideas, theories, norms, ideals, images, which can take the form of scientific and artistic works (for example, thoughts about the evolution of the organic world, set out in Charles Darwin’s book “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, ideas and images L. Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, images captured in the paintings of I. Repin or the music of P. Tchaikovsky).
The second type is the preservation, reproduction, distribution, dissemination, as well as the development (consumption) of created spiritual values, i.e. activity, the result of which is a change in people’s consciousness.
Spiritual production
In order to understand the features of spiritual production, let us compare it with material production. In short, material production is the creation of things, and spiritual production is the creation of ideas. Created things are a product of labor. What about ideas? They are also the result of labor efforts, mainly mental. You know that a novel or a scientific book, an artistic canvas or a major piece of music is often the work of the author for many years.
Can we consider that material and spiritual production differ in that the first is based on physical labor, and the second on mental labor? If we think about it, we will come to the conclusion that everything that a person does in material production first passes through his consciousness. There is no work without awareness of its goals and means. As they say, everything needs to be “done with your head.” And spiritual production, along with mental labor, sometimes requires considerable physical effort. Let us remember the work of a sculptor or conductor, ballerina or experimental scientist.
We also note that ideas and images born in the head of a scientist, poet, composer must be captured using various signs (letters, numbers, etc.) and take on a material form (for example, books, notes, drawings, etc. .). But the value of such a thing lies not so much in the value, for example, of the marble from which the sculpture is carved, but in the ideas and images that their material carrier represents.
So, we can say that spiritual production is the production of new spiritual values, most often in the form of scientific works and literary works, works of sculpture and architecture, music and painting, films, and television programs that carry ideas and views created by their authors, images and feelings, assessments and ideas.
Spiritual production, as can be seen from the above, is connected with material production. Firstly, paper, paints, devices, musical instruments and much more are a necessary condition for spiritual production. Secondly, some products of spiritual production are an element of material production: these are technical ideas and scientific theories that become productive forces.
Spiritual production is carried out, as a rule, by special groups of people whose spiritual activity is professional. These are people who have the appropriate education and mastery of skills. Of course, knowledge and mastery of the techniques of this type of activity are not enough. After all, the product of spiritual production is distinguished by novelty, uniqueness, and therefore, it is the result of creative activity.
But spiritual production, along with professional production, also includes activities constantly carried out by the people. Its result can be a folk epic, traditional medicine, rituals that have independent value (folk tales and epics, recipes for herbal treatment, folk wedding rituals, etc.). Many people, not being professionals, enthusiastically become involved in creative spiritual activities through participation in amateur performances. Some of them rise to the level of professionals in their creativity. Often, images or knowledge created, for example, by the creativity of folk musicians or healers, become the basis of artistic works of professional artists or scientific works of specialists.
An important feature of spiritual production is that its products are created not only to satisfy the existing need in society for certain spiritual benefits, but also for the self-realization of a thinker, artist, etc. They satisfy the author’s internal need to manifest, express himself, convey your mood, realize your abilities. For a scientist, musician, artist, poet, the value of work lies in the value not only of its results, but also of the process of creating the work itself. Here is what the English naturalist C. Darwin (1809-1882) wrote: “My main pleasure and only occupation throughout my life was scientific work, and the excitement caused by it allows me to forget for a while or completely eliminate my constant poor health.”
This feature of spiritual production is also connected with the fact that there is often a gap between the moment of creation of a spiritual product and the time of revelation: its meaning for other people. Some technical inventions and works of art were understood and adequately appreciated only after the death of their creators, and sometimes after centuries.
So, spiritual production is the activity of people to create spiritual values, the purpose of which is to satisfy the spiritual needs of a person and influence his consciousness. This impact, the consequence of which is the growth of people’s spiritual culture, is ensured by activities to preserve, reproduce, and disseminate spiritual values in society, i.e., activities that are called spiritual-practical.
Preservation and dissemination of spiritual values
An original idea, a scientific discovery, a novel or a painting can be lost forever or remain in obscurity without having any impact on people. Let us remember the bitterness and sorrow caused by the destruction in Moscow in the 30s. the majestic Cathedral of Christ the Savior, erected in honor of the victories of Russian weapons in the Patriotic War of 1812. Nowadays, this and other destroyed churches are being restored using public funds. Let us imagine how impoverished humanity would be if it did not know ancient mythology, if the Egyptian pyramids and Rublev’s paintings had not been preserved; Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” or Leonardo da Vinci’s mysterious Mona Lisa, how the appearance of St. Petersburg would fade without the “Bronze Horseman” - a monument to Peter I or Moscow without St. Basil’s Cathedral.
Who contributes to the preservation and dissemination of spiritual wealth? These are, first of all, various institutions that perform the functions of collecting, storing, researching and popularizing cultural, historical and natural scientific values. Let's start with museums. Their essence was initially well revealed by the ancient Vietnamese term “bao ta”, which means repository of relics. With the development of museums (now there are over 12 thousand of them in the world), they have become not only a collection of valuables, but thanks to their displays, exhibitions, excursions, they have become a serious source of replenishing the knowledge of millions of visitors.
Museums are diverse in their profile: historical (including archaeological, ethnographic, etc.), artistic, literary, natural history (botanical, geological, etc.), technical. In Russia and other countries there are many amateur (created on a voluntary basis) museums, including school ones: these are museums of the history of educational institutions, military units, and enterprises.
The words “repository” and “distribution” also apply to libraries. The oldest of them appeared many centuries before the invention of printing: in the middle of the 7th century. BC e. At the court of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, a library of “clay books” was collected. With the development of book printing, the role of the library constantly increased as the most important means of helping more and more people master scientific, literary, and spiritual values.
The network of libraries is truly enormous: from small ones - personal, school, city, to the largest book depositories. Located in Moscow, the Russian State Library has more than 41 million items in 247 languages.
The word “archive” (translated from Latin - letter storage) is often associated with something very old and distant from life. Archives, like libraries, have been known for a long time. Archives are a place where documents are stored, including the most ancient and very recent ones. Collections of archival sources are intended for scientific research for practical purposes. The archives are continuously replenished, because new information is accumulated every day about the activities of individuals, organizations and government agencies. Archives can be small (for example, the archive of a factory, where documents about its employees are stored) and gigantic, from which one can explore much that is not yet known, or restore the truth that has been hidden for a long time. Thus, thanks to archival research, it was possible to make publicly available: previously classified treaties (for example, the secret protocol signed by Molotov and Ribbentrop on the eve of the Second World War). When restoring ancient Russian cities destroyed by the Nazis during the war, data was used on the architectural features and size of the restored buildings and cultural monuments. Long-standing reports about certain natural phenomena stored in archives helped geologists: 20th century. discover colossal mineral reserves (oil, gas, etc.). Archival certificates help citizens confirm some of their rights (for example, certificates of work experience affect the size of the pension).
Thus, archives, libraries, museums; - these are not only storage facilities; the ancient Egyptians called them “houses of life,” emphasizing the important role of these institutions in preserving and transmitting cultural heritage. Museums, archives, libraries are the property of the people, they should be accessible to everyone.
The effectiveness of spiritual and practical activities carried out by museums, libraries, and archives largely depends on the “pilot” who paves the best path for the visitor and reader to “knowledge.” These “pilots” are guides, librarians, and archivists.
The aphorism “Looking does not mean seeing” recalls one of the fundamental tasks of a museum worker - to teach “to see,” that is, to identify the essential features of the exhibition, thus obtaining the maximum information contained in it. Consider, for example, visiting an art gallery. Of course, being left alone with a painting, everyone experiences its aesthetic impact. But often much remains incomprehensible due to poor familiarity with the topic (for example, with stories on biblical themes), due to an insufficiently clear perception of the artistic style and its features. In such cases, the guide's explanation is very significant.
In libraries, it is very difficult to navigate the world of books. And here the librarian’s advice helps to choose the right path to satisfy the reader’s needs and shape his interests.
The greatest contribution - in terms of the reach of people and in terms of national significance - to the activities of disseminating spiritual values is made by the school, primarily by the teacher.
Let us remember the broad, social meaning of the word “teacher”: this is a thinker who leads people along the path of knowledge, helping them formulate their views, seek and find their path in life. It is the teacher who is for children and young people a living source of knowledge and skills, a bearer of the relay of times; he disseminates and passes on to new generations the most important, valuable and humanly universally significant things that have been accumulated by science, technology, and art from ancient times to the present day. The teacher strives to lay the foundations for understanding the modern system of developing scientific knowledge about the world, man, and society. But in order to give students a spark of knowledge, wrote one of the famous teachers V. A. Sukhomlinsky, the teacher needs to absorb a whole sea of light.
The largest audience that perceives spiritual values are hundreds of millions of readers of newspapers and magazines, radio listeners, television viewers, i.e. those who are constantly influenced by the media.
The undoubted national heritage are theatrical productions and films that have become classics, the reproduction of which by television introduces new generations to the art of the peoples of Russia and foreign countries. The treasures of St. Petersburg museums, thanks to a series of television programs, became the property of millions of people living far from the Hermitage and the Russian Museum. Without much difficulty, you can multiply the number of examples that reveal the role of television in the reproduction and dissemination of spiritual values.
Spiritual consumption
Spiritual production, preservation and dissemination of spiritual values are aimed, as noted above, at satisfying the spiritual needs of people. The process of satisfying them is called spiritual consumption.
The most important spiritual need of a person is knowledge. Philosophers from different eras have talked about this. Aristotle wrote: “All people by nature strive for knowledge.” And the French thinker of the 16th century. M. Montaigne argued: “There is no desire more natural than the desire for knowledge.”
Another important spiritual need is aesthetic. The desire to master the world according to the laws of beauty, to see harmony in nature, in people, to deeply feel music, painting, poetry, to improve human relationships - all these are facets of a single aesthetic need.
Another spiritual need of a person is communication. Love for a person, friendship, camaraderie are truly human needs. Moral and psychological support, attention to each other, sympathy, empathy, exchange of ideas, joint creativity - these are some manifestations of the need for communication. (Remember what was said about the importance of communication in previous chapters.)
Spiritual needs give rise to activities aimed at satisfying them. There is, as it were, a movement towards each other: the activity of the writer meets the activity of the reader, the activity of the actor - with the activity of the viewer, the activity of the teacher - with the activity of the student. The spiritual life of society is unthinkable without the combination of spiritual production and spiritual consumption. No one can enjoy music that is not created. But a professional musician will be upset if the auditorium at his concert is half empty.
Spiritual needs, thus, give rise to spiritually productive and spiritually practical activity, on the one hand, as well as the activity of spiritual consumption, on the other. But the needs themselves are not immutable. When new spiritual values appear, the need to join these values also arises. A new book, for example, finds its readers. The production of spiritual goods thus influences spiritual needs, expands and changes them. And the consumption of spiritual values also affects spiritual needs, expanding, enriching and deepening them.
So, in the spiritual life of society, activities aimed at the production, preservation and dissemination of spiritual values, spiritual needs and spiritual consumption represent an inextricable unity.
Let's take a closer look at spiritual consumption. Spiritual values appear before us in material form (sometimes they say that they have a material form). Thus, the content of a literary work, the thoughts and images created by the writer, can be captured in small or large print on dazzling white or gray paper, in paperback or hardcover. A book is a spiritual value, but at the same time it is a thing, an object.
When material goods are consumed, a specific material value (a given thing) ceases to exist. For example, worn-out clothes and shoes no longer exist as values determined by their purpose. Spiritual values, as a rule, can be used repeatedly and by many people over a long period of time. In those cases where a work can be reproduced (books, books, etc.), the destruction of one thing - the bearer of spiritual value - does not lead to the disappearance of the spiritual value itself. Consumption (use) of a unique painting in an art museum does not in any way affect its material form if optimal physical conditions (air temperature, humidity, etc.) for its preservation are observed. Moreover, the value of spiritual products in the process of their consumption by an increasing number of people; usually increases.
Spiritual values, which are objects of consumption, do not disappear in the process of satisfying spiritual needs, but enrich the spiritual world of a person and become his property. This is the first feature of spiritual consumption.
The second feature is that the process of spiritual consumption is to a certain extent; process of spiritual production. The perception of spiritual values is creative. Everyone interprets the content of a literary work in their own way; the perception of a musical work gives rise to its own images and feelings. Any person experiences spiritual values through the prism of their own experience. But this is always the creative work of a person’s soul and mind.
The above allows us to conclude that spiritual consumption is a special type of activity, and, therefore, it has its own focus and requires certain efforts and the use of appropriate means.
The direction of spiritual consumption is determined by social conditions and the spiritual needs of a person. One is looking for books that encourage thinking about the meaning of human life, the other does not go beyond adventure literature. One reads the description of nature, the other skips these pages. One needs serious music, the other needs only an entertaining genre.
In the process of spiritual consumption, the means of achieving the goal are, on the one hand, material capabilities, and on the other, relevant knowledge and skills. To read a book, you need to be able to get it from the library or buy it. To listen to music, you must either get into a concert hall or own recordings and technical devices that allow you to reproduce the sound. In this case, matam” tofon is one of the means of satisfying the need for music. But, on the other hand, it is impossible to rise to the heights of spiritual culture without knowledge about literature and art, about writers and artists, about means of expression and how to use them, without the skills to look and see, listen and hear, read and understand. The level of education and general culture of an individual directly affects the consumption of spiritual values.
Scientific research has led to the conclusion: the higher a person’s culture, the more money from the family budget he strives to allocate to satisfy spiritual needs (buying books, CDs, subscriptions to magazines, visiting theaters, etc. The more free time he spends encourages self-education, reading fiction and other types of spiritual consumption and spiritual creativity.
But it’s not just about quantitative indicators (cost of money and time). The main qualitative characteristic of spiritual consumption. With the help of modern sound reproduction technology, you can enjoy the masterpieces of world music. But the same equipment can reproduce primitive works, the value of which is questionable. From the television program you can choose performances with the participation of great actors of our time. But some people only watch sports competitions, while others sit for hours at the TV and watch everything. Consequently, the consumption of spiritual values depends primarily on the subject of this activity, on his spiritual needs.
In many cases, spiritual consumption is greatly influenced by fashion. Certain books, theatrical performances, poems and songs can become fashionable. Consider how to evaluate the impact of fashion on spiritual consumption. Will this assessment be positive or negative?
The most common means of introducing spiritual values are books, radio and television. Reading books is the most important type of spiritual consumption. “People stop thinking when; stop reading,” said the French philosopher D. Diderot (1713-1784). And another French thinker R. Descartes (1596-1650) wrote: “Reading good books is like a conversation with the most respectable people of past centuries - their authors, and moreover, a learned conversation in which they reveal to us only the best of their thoughts.”
Research by sociologists has shown that over the past decades there has been a shift in the structure of people's cultural activities. The consumption of culture “at home” (individually organized forms of cultural activity) has increased significantly compared to visiting cultural institutions (socially organized forms). The number of books in personal libraries is growing compared to library institutions, and the number of films and performances watched on TV has increased.
Disputes have arisen: is reading books being replaced by “TV watching”? Different points of view were expressed. Some said that because of television, people began to read less, that a schoolchild, instead of reading “Crime and Punishment” by F. M. Dostoevsky, limited himself to watching a film created based on this work. Others argued that, although television took away some of the time from reading, it, firstly, through the skill of performance, presented the images and ideas of the work more fully and deeply; secondly, for people who have become accustomed to reading; A TV movie is often an incentive to read the corresponding book; thirdly, if television takes up time, then for some people this happens not at the expense of reading, but at the expense of time that was previously spent playing cards or dominoes, doing nothing, etc. What do you think?:
Summarize. The spiritual activity of people is diverse, everyone has a wide choice of its forms and types. Such activity can become his profession: he will be a scientist or writer, actor or artist, teacher or librarian, tour guide or journalist. He can join amateur spiritual creativity by participating in the folk theater, literary association, the creation of a folk museum, and amateur art competitions. And most importantly, everyone communicates with books, music, theater and cinema. And what kind of values a person prefers largely determines what he is like.
Questions and tasks
1. A. Einstein wrote: “In the light of already achieved knowledge, successfully obtained results seem self-evident, and any smart student can learn them without much difficulty. But many years of searching in the darkness, full of forebodings, with their intense aspirations, with alternating confidence and disappointment, with their final breakthrough to the truth - all this is known only to those who have experienced it.”
What words in this text characterize Spiritual consumption? What kind of spiritual production? What is the connection between spiritually productive and spiritually practical activities? .
2. Compare the two statements.
Biochemist V.A. Engelgardt: “Sometimes people ask us: tell us how you make your” discoveries; it must be terribly interesting to discover something all the time? Of course, it is a deep misconception to think that the life of a scientist consists of continuous pleasant discoveries. In the work of a scientist there is immeasurably more stress, often monotonous work, disappointment, deceived1 hopes and expectations, constant overcoming of difficulties and unexpected obstacles that arise one after another.”
Composer P. I. Tchaikovsky wrote about inspiration: “This is a guest who does not always come when called, Meanwhile, you always need to work, and a real honest artist cannot sit idly by, under the pretext that he is not in the mood: If you wait for the location and do not try to meet him halfway, it is easy to fall into laziness and apathy. You need to endure and believe, and inspiration will inevitably appear to those who have managed to overcome their reluctance.”
What are the general features of spiritual production in the field of science and; in the field of art? How do you see the difference?
3. There is a well-known statement by A. P. Chekhov: “Everything in a person should be beautiful: face, clothes, soul, and thoughts.” Do these words reflect an aesthetic need? Is it related? satisfaction of this; needs with spiritual activity? Which? Explain your position.
4. How do you understand the following words of the German writer G.K. Lichtenberg (1742-1799): “A book is like a mirror: if a donkey looks into it, it is difficult to expect that the apostle will be reflected there”?; To what position in the text of the paragraph can Lichtenberg’s thought be associated? What feature of spiritual consumption is reflected in him?
5. How do you understand the statement of the Russian thinker V. Fedorov: “A museum is an institution where knowledge is inseparable from morality”, it “dwells a mind that not only understands, but also feels losses, grieving for them” for a museum is a temple of remembrance of those , who should and can be resurrected by the combined efforts of sons who have not forgotten their duty towards their fathers?
6. A. I. Herzen wrote: “A book is a spiritual testament from one generation to another, advice from a dying old man to a young man beginning to live, an order passed on to a sentry going on vacation to a sentry taking his place.” How do you understand this judgment?
7. What conclusions can you draw from the provision of the Constitution of the Russian Federation: “Everyone is obliged to take care of the preservation of historical and cultural heritage, to protect historical and cultural monuments”? ,
8. According to Academician V.I. Vernadsky, the main task of public education is “increasing the spiritual strength of society,” and “the learning people are the basis for the broad and peaceful development of humanity.” Give reasons for your agreement (disagreement) with these provisions. What is the role (positive, negative) of the media in the dissemination of spiritual values.
A person’s practical activities can be so diverse that they affect all areas of life. Moreover, it does not matter what exactly the person does. Practical activities, as a rule, are associated with self-organization and self-expression. People go to work not only to provide themselves with food and pay for housing. First of all, each of us wants to become a successful person so that we can be proud of ourselves. This article is devoted to the issue of purpose; it will consider the main types of practical activities.
Play activity
Of course, first of all, this is the prerogative of young children. They love to simulate various life situations and play them out. Playful activities allow children to better recognize the world around them and themselves, and determine the boundaries of what is possible. Some children love to play together, while others prefer group interaction to a solo tour. You need to see how enthusiastically children build cities and castles from construction sets, play with dolls, and spend a lot of time playing computer games. All this activity is sometimes perceived by them much brighter and more real than reality itself.
Practical activity would be completely incomplete without this type. The game is considered the beginning of any development, including the source of personality formation. With the help of this activity, children gain ideas about available professions, lifestyles, and choices.
Creation
Since ancient times, it was believed that the ability to compose and create new works is the lot of the chosen few. A creative person always works with feelings. And most often he is forced to trade with his own emotions. Spectators, listeners, and readers enjoy what an extraordinary personality produces. And how much effort it all takes is often not taken into account. Talented people who make money from their calling are sometimes considered lazy, unadapted to normal life, overly shocking individuals and parasites. Of course, this is far from true. And only a few can share the fate of a true creator: a soul mate and true friends. Even relatives often refuse to understand their household members.
The practical organization of the activities of a creative artist directly depends on his efficiency and ability to remain true to himself. A sense of responsibility is in his blood. Such a person will not allow himself to let his partner down or will do it in a rare case, fully aware that he is setting himself up.
Creativity as such is inherent in human nature. Each of us from time to time wants to bring something new into our lives, to somehow colorize the gray everyday life. A truly creative person acts with this intention. He constantly creates a new reality around himself, which over time becomes his own worldview.
Scientific activity
This type of social employment is considered the most respected. Scientific and practical activity implies the presence of certain life aspirations and attitudes, and also characterizes a high level of development of intellectual abilities. Science is usually devoted to those people who, to one degree or another, are not indifferent to the problems of development and the establishment of social discoveries. Practical activities in the field of medicine, mathematics, physics, etc. are of interest to a small percentage of the population, but, as a rule, these are those individuals who remain faithful to it until retirement.
Intellectuals have a deep view of the world. They try to subject every concept to scientific analysis and put forward their own concept. Constructing scientific hypotheses, collecting practical material, conducting experiments, analyzing the data obtained - all this requires a lot of time and daily dedication.
Communication
This type of activity, perhaps, stands apart, since it is not directly related to a person’s work. This is what we use every day, regardless of our occupation. It must be said that without social interaction no activity would become impossible. In order for cooperation to be strong and fruitful, people need to be in constant contact with each other. And the more interactions, the better the common cause develops.
Communication implies the constant presence of the opponent. There is no place for philosophical concentration on your own world and lonely reflections on life. As a result of social interaction, people sometimes change their own point of view and replace it with a new view. No person can live without communicating with other people. It’s just that some individuals need it more, others less. If it is enough for someone to meet with friends once a week, this does not mean that other people do not want to do this every day. There are especially sociable individuals who cannot be alone with themselves for even a few hours.
Labor activity
It refers to ordinary average employment, which involves constantly going to work in order to perform a number of necessary tasks. Most people are engaged in working activities. Some of them are not endowed with special talents. They have simply mastered one profession or another and are now trying to live up to the stated level. Management, as a rule, rewards their subordinates for a job well done. Work activity, like any other, requires concentration, responsibility and dedication from a person.
Spiritual activity
This includes priests, thinkers, and partly writers. The main distinguishing characteristic of all these people is that they almost constantly reflect on the problems of existence and the meaning of life, and want to change themselves for the better. Their inner law is to serve the truth, to be spiritual teachers.
Thus, practical activities can indeed be different. Each person has the right to choose what suits him specifically.
Under spiritual practice usually refers to activities to affirm cultural values, everything that is related to the functioning of cultural values in society, their development and the creation of new value foundations for social life. And this is the cultural progress of society.
Spiritual practice unfolds procedurally as a spiritual-practical activity. Traditionally, this activity is understood as everything related to the creation of works of art, the functioning of public consciousness and social ideology, everything that is culturally objectified by them, as well as science, education and upbringing.
But spiritual-practical activity also has its own aspect, which is often missed. This is the inconsistency of the category “spiritual practice” itself. After all, practice as a socio-philosophical category initially presupposes the active interaction of a person with the surrounding reality. This is what distinguishes it from contemplation and a contemplative, reflective attitude towards reality.
A person carries out reflexive activity according to the formula: “ subject-contemplation-object " Translating reflection into the plane of cognition, a person changes the contemplative attitude to an active-practical one according to the formula: “ subject-cognition-object " And when cognition becomes direct practical activity, the formula takes on the form: “ subject-practice-object " Thus, a person’s attitude to reality becomes actively transformative.
But what is true for material and social practice is not uniquely true for spiritual practice. After all, spiritual activity includes both practical and contemplative aspects. Those. it is one “in two persons”, when one does not exclude the other, moreover, they presuppose each other. Without mental reflection, spiritual introspection, and intellectual contemplation, there can be no spiritual practice. Equally and vice versa.
In this regard, it makes sense to talk about “spiritual society”, socio-spiritual values and socio-spiritual activity. In the sense that humanspirit is deobjectified sociality, and sociality is objectified spirituality.
Such understanding is possible only in a cultural system. Therefore, spiritual-practical activity (SPA) should be considered in the cultural system, in the aspect of the socio-spiritual essential forces of man, their development and creative self-realization.
By connecting DPD with a person’s value self-determination and subsequent creative self-realization, it is possible to clarify its content and main forms of manifestation. Namely, through its inherent contradictions, which in the cultural system determine the development of spiritual production, bringing into action the main driving force of this production and the subject of socio-spiritual action - the intelligentsia as a sociocultural class.
The mechanism of spiritual and creative action, embedded in the DPD, is presented in the totality of such basic components.
Leading reflection or afferentia. It allows one to accelerate neuropsychic processes in the human brain by an order of magnitude (P.K. Anokhin). The usual logical discourse of human thinking changes radically: from discursive it becomes intuitive and discrete, accompanied by mental phenomena of synectics (“breakthrough in inferences”).
Productive imagination or Imagination. I. Fichte first drew attention to this mental ability of human thinking and substantiated it philosophically and epistemologically. At the same time, he directly connected this ability with the mental phenomenon of intellectual intuition. Modern creative developments in thinking and imagination connect imagination with the ability of the human psyche to association and metaphorization, ability for new taxonomy images and concepts.
Discoursers human thinking “work” in new semantic (meaningful) and semiotic (meaning and significance) aspects. Brand new ones are appearing significators, signs and meanings that do not have direct objective analogues in external reality.
Within the framework of ordinary “continuous” logic (and not discrete-intuitive) in acts of productive imagination there arise semiotic discoursers of synectics or other value interpretation images and concepts. In psychology, these mental phenomena are known as aglutination, or “fiction-glitches” of human reflection.
Perfect reconstruction or new composition images and concepts, a kind reincarnation their previous analogues, the creation of new ideal prototypes and patterns based on engrams and recessions of past images and concepts. This is an ideal model for its material and object identification.
Creative implementation , which is presented phronesis or practically tied to external reality, visualization ideal model and its material objectification-synthesis. In essence, this is the actual spiritual-practical activity, or rather, its final result. After all, it is in the spiritual-practical act of creative self-realization that the objectification of human spiritual powers is observed, their representation and naturalization in the created cultural values.
But when identifying the content of DPD from the perspective of its internal mechanisms, it would be more correct to talk not so much about the final results of a person’s creative self-realization, but rather about the process of DPD itself. Those. about the deployment of human socio-spiritual forces in time and space. For practice itself is a process of active interaction between a person and reality, in which he acts both as a subject and as an object of self-development and self-improvement.
Therefore, if spiritual and practical activity needs to be associated with a person’s creative self-realization, then it should not be confused with it, and not reduced only to it. Then in the DPD you can see the following basic structural and content elements of the DPD:
Making a spiritual and value choice by a person, the realization of his free will, freedom of value self-determination and creative expression. This is far from a simple spiritual-psychic act, and often a person can spend most of his life (or even his entire life) preparing to perform it.
We can also talk about the spiritual and value choice of the entire society, its choice of paths for its sociocultural development or a new “value paradigm.” And often this choice can become “historical”, i.e. to direct society along the path of rapid progress or “historical oblivion.” The spiritual vectors of social development, cultural and socio-humanistic values have served as a reliable guideline at all times.
Practical activities in areas of spiritual expediency , harmonious proportionality with your external environment and your conscience. This is the type of activity that at different historical times was characterized as “good”, “virtuous”, “favorable” not only for oneself, but for everyone. It is not a careerist activity “over the heads”, which at first glance brings you closer to the goal the fastest (but also produces countless enemies and ill-wishers). This is an action in line with common interests, in the spectrum of universal human values, in an aura of mutual understanding and assistance, and sometimes “irrational retreat” from one’s own benefit and personal gain. But, ultimately, it is precisely such actions that are the most rational and effective.
Cultural spiritual self-programming according to the individual, social and spiritual essence of each person, the “peculiar” socio-spiritual measure of personality. In other words, this is a “self-model program” for future innovative self-realization.
The structure of the “innovative self-model” program includes:
the entire life experience of a person, as well as “phronesis” (common sense) of future life activity;
risk, entrepreneurial abilities, inversion personality traits;
inversion of current existentiality into a new intention of being;
new life creativity and a change in life paradigm.
Spiritual-cognitive verification , those . « verification-evaluation-test” of the achieved results: how much they correspond to the spiritual criteria of truth, the goals of personal and social knowledge. Most often, this is a “moral test”, a spiritual self-test of how the material results of DPD correspond to the values of culture, have meaning and significance for other people. This is a test of the truth of a person’s personal life activity, to what extent intentions, expectations and results coincide with the established “bar of achievement”, and the assessment corresponds to the person’s “estimative forces” (criticality and correctness of assessments).
Spiritual-psychogenic improvement: is the development of the “spiritual consciousness” of the individual, a clear understanding and the ability to act correctly in the direction of the development of the socio-spiritual essential forces of man. A characteristic feature of this structural element of DPD is the superpsychic act of “spiritual filtration” of glitches and agglutinations, that is, liberation from illusions, delusions, “phantoms” and “phantasms” of personal self-consciousness, from distorted and false ideas about the surrounding social reality. Currently, such inadequate ideas are usually imposed by the media and that “mechanics”, which is characterized as the manipulation of public opinion and public consciousness.
In the theory of essential human forces, such spiritual-psychogenic improvement is considered in the spectrum of three human essential forces - cognitive, technological (the force that materializes a person’s cognitive abilities) and emotive-volitional force. The latter is a “disposition for success” and a “reaction to success.”
6. Spiritual transformation of human intelligence and him transformation into an “open mentalosphere”. For the first time, such a possibility in humans was noticed and substantiated by F. Schelling, who described it in his system of “Transcendental Idealism.”
This is a rather complex psychocognitive and mental act, as a result of which the human “intelligence” is transformed into “ex-intellect”, i.e. changes its dominant orientation. Briefly, the psychospiritual mechanism of this process is presented as follows.
First step. The subject directs his attention to the object and thereby transfers himself to the object, “subjectivizes the object” according to the formula:
S 0.
Second step. The subject transfers the object onto himself and thereby “objectifies” his subjectivity. Formula for “objectification of the subject.”
As you know, a person has strength not only physical, but also spiritual. The one that motivates him to action and directs him to goals is manifested in beliefs and dreams, in fearlessness and determination. It is thanks to it that not only material, but also spiritual human activity arises.
Sometimes it is only mistaken for endless internal soul-searching and the search for secret meanings and truths. But spiritual activity cannot be understood so narrowly; it is also aimed at creation and creativity. It is wrong to think that the work of the spirit is always hidden in the minds and consciousness of people - it is not so. It is widely manifested in public life, since it gives rise to its main values - moral, ethical, religious and aesthetic.
Types and forms of human spiritual activity
There are two main types of spiritual activity of people: spiritual-theoretical and spiritual-practical.
As a result of the first type of activity, new theories and thoughts arise, ideas are created. They become the spiritual heritage and values of humanity. They are presented in the form of a literary composition or scientific work, sculptural and architectural structures, musical works and paintings, feature films and television programs. Whatever the form, it always carries within itself the idea laid down by the author, his view and assessment of events, phenomena, and actions.
Spiritual and practical activities are aimed at preserving and studying, understanding the created values. By comprehending them, people change their own worldview and consciousness, enrich their inner world - this is how the creations of thinkers, artists and scientists influence them.
To preserve and disseminate spiritual values, humanity uses museums, libraries and archives, educational institutions and the media. Thanks to their existence, a variety of areas of knowledge and achievements - historical, artistic, technical, literary, scientific - are replenished and passed on from one generation to another.
Spiritual needs of man
The peculiarity of spiritual activity is in the manifestation of a person’s highest motives and aspirations. Everyone has different needs, among which are material - necessary for maintaining life, social - important for the existence of society, and spiritual - a manifestation of the highest form of consciousness. It is they who arouse in a person a thirst for knowledge and discovery. It is because of them that people strive to see and create beauty around them, empathize and love, create and help.
Some people are motivated by spiritual needs to create something new that is useful to people. Moreover, the creators themselves do this for themselves: this is how they reveal their talents and realize their abilities. After all, self-realization is also one of the highest needs that guides the spiritual activity of an individual. By expressing themselves, thinkers, poets and artists satisfy their need for self-expression, in the desire to convey their idea to people.
Those who accept this idea are consumers of spiritual values. They also feel a spiritual need 
– in painting and music, poetry and knowledge. They empathize with the creativity of the creator and comprehend the idea laid down by him. And sometimes it happens that a long time passes between the creation of a spiritual product and its consumption. A writer does not always immediately find his reader, and a teacher does not always find his student. Sometimes this gap is measured not in years, but in centuries, after which the spiritual activity of creating values is ultimately combined with their spiritual consumption - recognition and preservation.
But this happens because high motives, desires and aspirations live in a person. They nourish and enrich him, inspire him and make him better.
