No 9 (2023)

The paper characterizes the efforts of the editorial board of the "Sociological Studies" journal on the holding of the 24 annual scientific conferences "A. Kharchev readings" through 1999-2023. The empirical basis of the paper consists of the programs of the conferences held, reports on their results, articles published by the journal in connection with the readings, the experience of their organizers. The history of the readings, approaches to the formation of the topics and the composition of the readings’ participants are highlighted. The role of readings in filling the journal with materials relevant for the development of sociological science is noted. It is emphasized that the focus of the efforts of the readings’ organizers was the issues of sociological theory as a key component for the development of science. The efforts of the editorial staff of the journal to expand the geography of the participants of the readings, to attract young scientists, sociologists from neighboring countries with Russia, to analyze the discourse in world sociology, as well as to pose problems of sociological science arising from digitalization of society, "Big Data", artificial intelligence issues, etc. are shown.

Social mood is a complex phenomenon that encompasses emotional and rational perceptions of economic, political and social processes by the general population, and the impact of these processes on personal well-being. Social mood is considered to be a combination of four main aspects: (1) perception of the political, economic and social situation in the country; (2) general emotional state; (3) degree of optimism; (4) generalized trust and willingness to unite. Based on the data of an all-Russian survey conducted in 2022 by the Center for the Study of Civil Society and the Non-Profit Sector at the HSE University (Moscow, Russia), it was revealed that overall positive social mood prevails in the modern Russian society. Cluster analysis revealed six groups that differ from each other in terms of the four of social mood aspects listed above. The data show a statistically significant connection between social mood and participation in volunteering and informal helping behavior. In particular, respondents who demonstrate a greater willingness to unite and higher levels of trust are generally more likely to participate in helping behavior, although a pessimistic attitude is associated with significantly less involvement regardless of declared willingness to unite. Meanwhile, respondents exhibiting optimistic perceptions of their future are more likely to participate in helping others irrespective of trust and willingness to unite.

There is analyzed the current trend in the after-school tracks of young people – the redistribution of demand from universities to colleges – separately according to the forms of higher education (HE) and the social characteristics of consumers. It is shown that the decline in admission to universities is due to distance learning and does not affect full-time one. Institutional changes in secondary and higher education (strengthening of hierarchy and selectivity, introduction of the USE) continue to lead to the social consolidation of two tracks: giving access through the USE to full-time HE education and opening the way - through the transit of secondary vocational education (SVE) – to distance learning. Demand is switching from HE to SVE for part of the youth the second track from HE programs and areas of study (mainly for the "old" service sector), which have lost the "social lift" function and profitability in the labor market in favor of current mass service professions, IT, etc., provided by SVE. At the same time, demand is changing in the direction of greater profitability of HE distance learning programs. In general, new features of social inequality in education are revealed.

Information about successfully defended doctoral dissertations in sociology over the last eleven years allowed us to conduct a statistical analysis: to obtain structural characteristics and identify trends that emerged over this period. Out of 182 approved dissertations, almost half were prepared by women, the number of annual defenses decreased from 30 in 2012 to eight in 2022, the largest number of defenses (84) took place in the specialty 22.00.04, the least number in the specialty 22.00.05 - four. The defenses during this period were held in 40 dissertation councils, most of all in NNGU named after N.I. Lobachevsky - 17, St. Petersburg State University and Belgorod State University - 12 each. For the first time the data on the defense of doctoral dissertations in dissertation councils having the right to independently award academic degrees are given. Six of them defended 14 dissertations, among them six in the specialty of Sociology of Management. The data on the candidate degrees of doctoral candidates are presented - on average, 75% of them defended candidate dissertations in sociological and philosophical sciences every year. The time intervals between the defenses of candidate and doctoral dissertations were revealed. During the years under study there were four "ultra-early" defenses (4-5 years) at one pole of the range and 21 "ultra-late" defenses (21 years and more) at the other pole. Among the thematic preferences of the dissertants the studies of various sociological aspects of youth - 17 dissertations, economic life of society - 15 - stand out. While the problems of sociology of science, social inequality, and sociological education were ignored.

      

      

The article deals with the concept of technosocialism by B. King and R. Petty. The author shows that this concept was a result of a synthesis of many intellectual trends of recent years: belief in technological progress and technologically driven abundance, discourses of automation and ideas of the advent of the era of artificial intelligence dominance, as well as various concepts of post-capitalism, based on the ideas of post-labor society, the “capitalist road to communism”, unconditional basic income, etc. According to King and Petty, socialism can be achieved not through political revolutions or radical socio-political transformations, but with the help of the latest technologies, robots and artificial intelligence. All that needs to be done is to redirect the flow of “gifts of automation” from the exceptionally wealthy to everyone else through a series of cosmetic changes, such as taxation of robots and unconditional basic income. The article reveals the vulnerable sides of King and Petty position. The author shows that their concept represents a technocratic class position, their views on the coming technologically driven abundance are naive and based on shaky empirical grounds. The technosocialism of King and Petty turns out to be techno(crato)socialism when viewed closely, since their version of post-capitalist society is characterized not so much by the true realization of the personal potential of everyone, but by radical social stratification. It is also characterized by degraded and unskilled labor, “optimization” of such important areas of activity as education and medicine, as well as the redirection of material resources from the field of social policy to the field of consumption (basic income).

The main counter-arguments against the "Technosocialism" by B. King and R. Patty can be reduced to three positions. Firstly, the most advanced technologies so far cannot not only provide a high standard of living for entire mankind, but even in the countries of the "golden billion" there will not be enough funds to introduce a basic unconditional income. Second, the potential to ensure prosperity for all will not translate into reality if existing institutions in society block the redistribution of wealth and life opportunities from the elite to the poor. Most importantly, thirdly, ensuring the satisfaction of human needs without participation in joint work is simply dangerous, since it is fraught with degradation of the individual and society. The model of "technosocialism" is therefore not only impossible at the present stage of development, but also dangerous if it were possible. The concept of "technosocialism" turns out to be a combination of a semi-fantastic utopia and dystopia, reflecting the contradictions of the Western technocrats' public consciousness, who are passionate about the introduction of digital technologies into business, but see its ambiguity. This concept with all its shortcomings and advantages fully fits the “bourgeois socialism” described in the “Manifesto” by K. Marx and F. Engels. The most important positive role that Technosocialism can play is the role of a challenge to professional social scientists who are close to the socialist idea.