SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AD Contents Experts about the project 7 Проект очима рецензентів 151 Foreword 11 Передмова 155 Chapter 1 Social development at the boundary of millennia 17 Глава 1 Суспільний розвиток на зламі тисячоліть 161 Chapter 2 Problem of historical-sociological reflection 23 Глава 2 Проблема історико-соціологічної рефлексії 166 Chapter 3 Idea of cycles in the context of periodization of social development 29 Глава 3 Ідея циклів у контексті періодизації соціального розвитку 171 Chapter 4 Choice of methodological foundations for the study 33 Глава 4 Вибір методологічних підстав дослідження 175 Chapter 5 Universal epochal cycle of social development: structure and contents 37 Глава 5 Універсальний епохальний цикл суспільного розвитку: структура і зміст 178 Chapter 6 Periodization of the world history in the light of a new conceptual construction: global (macro) level of analysis and prognosis 45 Глава 6 Періодизація всесвітньої історії у світлі нової концептуальної побудови: глобальний (макро) рівень аналізу і прогнозу 187 Chapter 7 Regional-continental (medi) level of analysis of the historical development 53 Глава 7 Регіонально-континентальний (меді) рівень аналізу історичного розвитку 194 Chapter 8 National-state (micro) level of analysis of the history 63 Глава 8 Національно-державний (мікро) рівень аналізу історії 204 Chapter 9 Glossary of main notions and social theories 99 Глава 9 Глосарій основних понять і соціальних теорій 238 Instead of conclusion 129 Висновки 268 Bibliography 275 Бібліографія 275 Appendices 135 Додатки 295
     Experts about the project 1
    The project by E. Afonin, O. Bandurka, and A. Martynov is referred to general sociological elaborations, being rare at present, in the sphere of conceptual analysis of the world history, which attract a growing interest of the scientific community after the crisis of the marxist and positivistic models. The authors are working at the intersection of the fundamental problems of sociology, psychology, historical science, and social forms of economic development. Of importance is the separation of the analysis of transient processes, key and critical points of the world history.
    The project quite rightfully substantiates the look at post-modern as not only a philosophical but generally cultural conception of the post-industrial epoch. In this connection, the question arises on the replacement of paradigms of the theory of historical process. Here, the authors connect new possibilities with the methodology of synergetics as a science on the dynamical regularities of interaction between order and chaos. It is shown that the social development moves neither in the direction of a growth of order (as O. Comte considered) nor in the direction of degrees of freedom (H. Spencer) which requires a loosening of regular situations and creative possibilities of chaos, but is defined by the evolution of dissipative structures which synthesize chaos and order in view of a growth of stability of social systems.
    According to the synergetic methodology, the socium is embedded into cycles of various hierarchies from cosmic processes to "long waves" of the economic development and vital activity of generations and individuals. A creative result of such an approach lies in the separation of universal epochal cycles of the history as units of the social analysis of specific countries and regions.
    By ideas of the authors of the project, universal epochal cycles are composed from 4 transformations: 2 normative states - involution and evolution, and 2 transient processes between them - co-evolution and revolution. As a merit of the authors, we mention the empiric substantiation of 8 such universal cycles basing on the consideration, which is encyclopedic by its size, of facts of the world history. Unfortunately, the authors use the own nontraditional terminology which can lead to misunderstanding at some points. For example, the period covering I and II World Wars, cold war, the appearance of the People's Republic of China, Islamic revolution in Iran, disintegration of the USSR and Yugoslavia, etc. is called the "evolutionary stage" of the history. In fact, the term "evolution" in the project means not gradual transformational changes but a development of innovative activity, freedom, etc., i.e., radical changes.
    The authors promise to utilize the analysis of epochal cycles for solution of the prognostic problems posed by contemporaneity, though it remains to be unclear what procedures and methods will be used for these purposes. But, to this end, further investigations will be carried out.
    On the whole, the project present a conception which is modern by orientation and methodology, empirically balanced by material, heuristic by promised potentialities and deserves a support.
    Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor,
    Honored Scientist of Ukraine S. Krymsky 2
    The appearance of a new conception concerning the complicated problems of scientific reflection of the social-historical development is a remarkable event in the domestic social science.
    By positively estimating the idea of the work on the whole, I emphasize the originality of the approach advanced by the authors' team to analysis of the world-wide historical process. ............