The unesco new humanism conception dialectics 2016

E.A.Kafyrin, Doctor of Philosophy

The UNESCO "New Humanism" Conception Dialectics

At modern epoch a social mechanism of humanist renovation of the world is forming. International agreements on peace and co-operation, on arms reduction are an important condition of the humankind existence. Mass actions of people's solidarity play a great role in politics now. Due to the UN efforts, a culture dialog of peoples with different political systems arose.
The UNESCO "New Humanism" conception statements are the theoretical reflection of this process. They could be set forth in thesis in the following order:
- global problems are not to be solved by single persons, collectiveness is a necessary condition of success of common humanist projects implementation at globalism epoch;
- emphasis at the ethical side of modern humanism, at tolerance and mutual respect among peoples is insufficient to overcome modern problems of peoples' development;
- need has matured to create the solidarity world basing on equality of different nations and their mutual responsibility for the humankind destiny;
- there exists necessity of strengthening cultures' dialogue and intellectual co-operation of different peoples, which is impossible without forming bridges among various cultures of East and West, North and South.
The original dialectical "cells" of new humanism are nations, as long as only peoples and nations are holders of various cultures, but not elites, stratas, classes, parties or movements. Humanism ceases to be a personalized achievement, it is directed into the depth of the  world peoples' life.
Mostly representative institutions of nations, i.e. national states, may be real subjects of global cultures dialogue and forming a solidarity world basing on nations' equality. No modern international movement, no international organization, even if  tries to set such tasks in practice, cannot get through them, as long as national states may torpedo such an initiative. States are guarding national interests, and they should not only control but direct everything able to menace national security. So, from the dialectic point of view, national interests are the base point (external quality) of "new humanism".
The other side (internal quality) of "new humanism" are panhuman interests, for example, interests of universal security, interests of the humankind stable development. These interests "in their sublated form" are contained in national interests, as long as each nation is interested in its own security guarantee and in its own stable development. Universal interests become actual at globalization epoch, as long as problems arise in the word which cannot be solved by single national states (and even under regional co-operation). So, some internal interests of national states become panhuman.
Achievement of national and universal interests unity, in the view variety of national cultures, requires to take into account not only their differences but also variety (typicalness) and even contrast (e.g., North and South) as modern realities. From the dialectic point of view, it is unity of national and universal interests that becomes the essence of social being under globalization epoch.
The events of nations self-determination, international solidarity and culture dialogue are manifestations of the pointed essence. Hence the nations self-determination may be interpreted in methodological way of dialectic unity of national and universal values. As in turn, international solidarity is characterized through the lens of form and content categories. National cultures dialogue assumes description of possibility and reality of its implementation.
Under international solidarity, unity of "universal" and "national" is expressed in their equality which is affirmed only by relation of selfless interest of each of them in another one's success. It becomes evident that voluntary friendly support is a necessary condition of equality in relations among peoples and different countries; but equality violation (e.g., aspiration to use international aid in hegemony purposes) has nothing in common with new humanism but it is a backslide of national or regional egocentrism (Americanism, Eurocentrism, Islamism, Negritude, etc.)
Dialogue of cultures is the way to form universal content in nations' and peoples' living. It is characterized with contrariety of the universal content reception into one or another national culture process. First, only single persons and their associations take part in cultural reception. However, local character of such inclusion of other nations' cultural values is not productive enough: although, for example, new progressive ideas are introduced into the society, it is not sufficient for they begin to "work". Moreover, cultural features inherent to any cultural reception with participation of public associations (reduction, reinterpretation, absorption, acculturation, incorporation) bring discrepancy into basic ideas content understanding and sow dissention into those associations.
Principal renewal of cultures interaction has gradually arisen from the moment of foundation of the UN which becomes a specific "school of peoples' constructive co-operation". UN and its subsidiary branches begin to play a "mediate member" in the contradictory process of cultures interaction. It is the UN and its structure branches which serve as base for forming new content of people's living on the planet conditions. International standards and regimes, international law and modern diplomacy procedures, international movements' social initiatives become important components of these movements. Basing on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Global Compact, the role of moral grows consistently at solving disputable questions of world politics under globalization conditions. In turn, successful modernization of a number of countries' economics (basis of people's life improvement) makes national cultures cross-fertilization more fruitful both materially and spiritually. For example, by the UN experts' opinion, China's achievement of moderate prosperity level promoted successful solving of many human rights questions in this country. The Chinese example should become a torch on the way of humanist renewal of the world.
Thus, the unity of national and universal interests, its manifestations in solidarity among peoples and national cultures dialogue fold up into the "New Humanism" conception structure, tying its originally formulated characteristics into a dialectically integral complex.

  See Irina Bokova. The XXI century new humanism.
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Irina Bokova. The XXI century new humanism.
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http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001897/189775f.pdf