Vol 2, No 1 (2022)

Budimir Gvidonovich Tukumtsev would have turned 95 years old on the 1st of January 2022. This man is a legend of the Russian social science, due to the fact, that he has made an invaluable contribution to the formation of the labour sociology in our country. The purpose of this article is to familiarize the readers with the personal qualities and the main stages of the life path, as well as with the academic interests of a famous scientist. Conclusions are drawn regarding the reasons for the wide recognition in the scientific community sphere and success within the scope of teaching and scientific activities.

The article analyzes the practices of production and improving the efficiency of technical knowledge. The field of information technologies was chosen as the base of research. A distinctive feature of the modern stage of development of technology is that knowledge itself becomes a technical object. The requirements of efficiency, high performance, security are beginning to apply to knowledge itself. The author’s concept of epistemic practices is used as a methodological basis for the present study. Epistemic practices are defined as methods and techniques for working with technical objects, the result of which is to increase the efficiency of technical knowledge implemented into these objects. The high level of competition and the direct dependence of the profits of IT companies on the efficiency of knowledge production makes the information technology industry a kind of “testing ground” for the production of epistemic practices. It has been proved that epistemic practices in the field of information technology are the forms of knowledge representation in information systems, the selection of data visualization methods, the improvement of multifactorial mathematical models and the determination of the hardware load configuration. It is concluded that the production of epistemic practices is a condition for the competitiveness of IT companies operating in the sphere of high technologies.

The immediacy of the utility problem is determined by the variety of the notion “utility” interpretations. The present research objective – solution of the notional uncertainty of the notion “utility” in the rational and empirical concepts of the modern era. The methodology includes historic reenactment of the notion “utility” within the scope of rationalism and empiricism as well as comparison and collation of these approaches. The result of research is pointing out the definitions of the notion “utility” in the rational and empirical concepts of the modern era. The first (rationalistical) interpretation may be understood as the experimental data combination that includes preparation methods, decision-making and implementation of the decisions, compliant with the forecasting expected impact and achieving practically significant results. The second, the empirical one, deals with the thinking mode, coordinating the work of the conscious mind and feelings, and providing the free-will choice of an acceptable decision in accordance with the certain situation. The results of research presuppose removal of the colliding approaches regarding the notion “utility” interpretation via mutual complementation of the initial rationalism and empiricism fundamentals (reasoning capabilities and experimental data), implemented within the scope of utilitarianism, pragmatism, as well as within the concepts of the new science frontier – the philosophy of technology.

Science fiction literature simulates our reality in a specific way. It also provides opportunities to predict not only the development of technologies, particularly the artificial intelligence, but also the modes of the human’s communication with these technologies, that are resented in the written works via anthropomorphic images. In this article there have been analyzed the organizational interaction modes between a human being and artificial intelligence within the scope of science fiction as exemplified by the works of Ph. Dick, A. Azimov, D. Adams, A. Clarke and W. Gibson. It has been pointed out that the authors conceptualize the artificial intelligence via three methods: comparison to a human being, creating the images of supercomputers and super-mind. The authorial communication models oriented on the interaction with artificial intelligence are focused on the development of the human inner world, the search of the answers on the key “being” questions. Interaction with the “other”, non-human consciousness collides with the technological limits and the destruction of the subject-object communication sphere. The analysis of the authorial communication models oriented on the interaction with artificial intelligence has shown that the basic problems of such communication is the impossibility of creating the dialogue-like relations and understanding of the “other” as the main communicative efficiency norm. The artificial intelligence, becoming the communication subject, continues to be perceived by the characters of the literature work as am object. The above-mentioned situation in the end leads to destruction of dialogical communication. True communication is possible under circumstances, when a human being understands technological restraints of artificial intelligence and he / she is ready to enrich it proactively with sense within the context of functional objectives solutions.

The article analyzes the modern researchers’ theoretical ideas regarding the concept of “professional competencies”. The problem of professional competencies’ formation and development is essential under the current circumstances, as competition among production organizations increases every day. Moreover, employers are interested in highly qualified workers who are ready to achieve effective production results and contribute to the prosperity of companies via the implementation of theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The purpose of the article is to analyze the process of formation of professional competencies among employees. In this article, special attention is paid to the analysis of the most important competencies and skills of employees necessary for the full functioning of labor relations in the production process. Also, in this article, the competence-based approach to the implementation of practice-oriented training at the university for the preparation of potential employees, who are able to compete and adapt to the emergence of the latest modern technologies, has been examined and analyzed. The introduction of a competence-based approach into the higher education system is a new step in the training of highly qualified personnel who has not only a set of theoretical knowledge, but is also ready to implement the practical skills to solve various production tasks. An employee, who has received a high-quality higher education, a rich theoretical set of knowledge and practical skills, will apply his / her abilities in his work, demonstrating high efficiency. The results are presented via practical recommendations for employers and educational organizations concerning the employees’ formation of professional competencies.

The 24th of January 2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famous philosopher, sociologist, culturologist, political economist, Doctor of Philosophy and Candidate of Economic Sciences, Professor Zakhar Ilyich Fainburg (24.01.1922 – 10.09.1990). The years of his life chronologically almost coincided with the time of Soviet socialism. His scientific work from the student times until his death was devoted to one topic – the socio-economic mechanisms of social development during the transition or shift from individualistic societies to a collectivist-type society. These mechanisms covered the entirety of society development processes from changing the nature of labor at work to overcoming religious-like social consciousness. The results of the scientific search of Z.I. Fainburg are system-based, because they contain various aspects of the structure and functioning of modern society in their unity / solidarity, and, moreover, they are characterized as essential, because they provide the modern researcher with heuristically valuable methodology and social knowledge instrumentarium. There has been analyzed the characteristic features of Z.I. Fainburg’s systemic approach concerning the scientist’s examination of the nature of labor and the formation of its new historical type; the culture and core values of the individual, as well as the personality development concept in a post-economic society and the prospects for the collectivist society formation as a new social reality. Serious attention is paid to semiotic problems related to the use of “thought experiment” methods in socio-philosophical science fiction and the construction of concepts of new social knowledge.

The article continues the research connected with the use of the systematic model of argumentation with regard to the domain-specific object. Allegorical representations of values in the works of masters of various artistic schools, engravings and sculptural images are analyzed. Proverbs and sayings being judgments (arguments of different levels) with special status are considered as presuppositions. Principles and convictions, aphorisms and maxims considered as presupposition are analyzed in systematic model of argumentation. Judgments of deontic logic, which can be both arguments and a thesis and presupposition, are dealt with separately. Deontic systems and logics of E. Mally, G.-J. Lokhorst, G.H. von Wright, E.F. Karavaev are analyzed. Causal relationships of allegories and facts, the status of analytical and synthetic judgments as presupposition have been researched.

The review analyzes the monograph by M.A. Perepelkin, its structure and content. A new study, dedicated to the life and work of E.N. Chirikov, is considered in the context of modern historical and literary works about this outstanding Russian writer. The research issues and the uniqueness of the work, carried out by the author in the study of the writer’s Samara life and work period, are described.