Causes and signs of degradation of modern society

Updated July 23, 2022 226 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. We often pronounce words borrowed from another language with ease and some bravado.

But do we always understand exactly what we are talking about?

Therefore, today we will partially fill the gap in our knowledge and find out what degradation is and what processes are characterized by this word.

Degradation is...

The Latin language has made a huge contribution to the formation of all languages ​​of the world, Russian is no exception. “Degradation” translated from Latin (de gradior) means “ to step down ”, or “ decrease ”.

Thus, degradation in the literal sense of the word can be called going down the stairs, and figuratively - a decrease (deterioration) of any characteristics of an object. In Russian, only an allegorical interpretation of translation is used.

Interesting fact: this concept in Russia initially began to be used during the reign of Peter the Great as the term “demotion, reduction in military rank.”

As you know, Peter the Great was a reformer who used a lot of “know-how” from abroad. The concept of degradation, as a demotion in rank, came to Russia from Polish military art. And only at the beginning of the 20th century this word acquired the meaning that we mean today.

Degradation is a process that occurs over time.

For example, “personal degradation” is a gradual process characterized by the disappearance of cultural values, useful skills, and a shift in the concepts of “what is good and what is bad.” Seeing an unkempt, degenerate homeless person, we say that this person has degenerated, implying that the process has already been completed.

The concept of degradation applies to a variety of objects , for example:

1. society;
2. culture;
3. biological objects (decomposition of organic substances under the influence of microorganisms);
4. ecology (destruction of existing biosystems).

Of course, this is not a complete list; below we will consider in a little more detail the most frequently used applications of the concept “degradation”.

Signs of Kali Yuga.

Srimad-Bhagavatam gives a colorful description of the Age of Degradation - Kali Yuga (Kali - fall, degradation in this context, Yuga - era). Excerpts from this chapter were at the beginning (12.2).

Sukadeva Gosvami said: O king! Due to the powerful influence of the age of degradation, religion, truthfulness, purity, patience, mercy, longevity, physical strength and memory will weaken day by day.

In the Age of Degradation, wealth alone will be considered the defining sign of good birth, correct behavior and good qualities of a person, and law and justice will be established by those who are stronger.

Men and women will cohabit only because of momentary attraction, and success in business will depend on the ability to deceive. Femininity and masculinity will be defined only by sexuality, and a brahmana will be considered one who simply wears a thread.

A person’s spiritual position will be judged only by external attributes, and the transition from one spiritual structure to another will consist only in their change. A person will be trusted only if he earns enough, and the one who skillfully juggles words will be considered an outstanding scientist.

A person will be condemned if he does not have money, hypocrisy will become a virtue, and marriage will be entered into simply by verbal consent. People will stop decorating their bodies with signs and attributes, and in order to look decent, ablution will be enough.

A distant body of water will be regarded as a holy place, and beauty will be judged by one's hairstyle. Gluttony will become the goal of life, and arrogance will be mistaken for truthfulness. The ability to support a family will become a criterion of experience, and the principles of religion will be observed only to maintain reputation. As the land is overrun by ungodly populations, the strongest will take power, regardless of class.

Having lost their wives and property because of such greedy and unmerciful rulers who will behave no better than ordinary thieves, their subjects will flee to the mountains and forests.

Plagued by hunger and excessive taxes, people will eat leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Suffering from drought, they will reach complete exhaustion.

Subjects will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. In addition, they will be tormented by strife, hunger, thirst, disease and unbearable anxiety.

Srimad-Bhagavatam. 12.2.1-10

Personality degradation

Personality degradation is a regressive process , which is accompanied by a lack of social and everyday activity, decreased performance, mental and emotional instability.

In simple words, a degrading person is deprived of his inherent individuality, loses the knowledge, skills and abilities that he previously possessed.

The degradation of society begins with each individual person, and vice versa. Why can a person born absolutely normal deteriorate and how can one see the first signs of this process?

Causes of degradation:

1. "bad Company. The influence of the environment on a person, especially on the fragile psyche of a child and adolescent, is extremely great;
2. lack of development goals and (or) lack of willpower to achieve them;
3. lack of positive role models;
4. improper upbringing in the family;
5. alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse;
6. loss of a loved one and associated depression;
7. mental illnesses, including the extreme stage of senile dementia (dementia).

The process of personality degradation occurs differently in different people and at different speeds. It all depends on the depth of exposure to external factors and the strength of emotional and physical health.

Some people become drunkards and deteriorate rapidly, within a few months, while for others this process lasts for years. The extreme stage is insanity. It manifests itself in dementia (the inability to perceive reality and oneself in it), complete indifference to the world around us.

very important to notice the first signs of degradation in yourself or your loved ones in time and try to eliminate the causes that became the trigger of the pathological process. If you cannot stop the process on your own, then you need to contact a specialist (psychologist).

What are the first reasons indicating personality degradation:

1. increased excitability, nervousness;
2. narrowing the range of interests, including everyday ones (a person stops reading, watching TV, being interested in news, etc.);
3. memory impairment;
4. lack of concentration;
5. unreasonable euphoria (what is this?), a state of “knee-deep sea”, frivolity;
6. the appearance of a feeling of greed, selfishness (if these are not innate qualities);
7. disregard for one's appearance, emerging sloppiness, lack of modesty;
8. simplification of speech patterns.

21st century - development and degradation of humanity

As the main criterion for analyzing the topic, the authors chose the state (change) of the standard of living of the average person on the planet. To do this, we will consider the natural resources consumed by the world community for life support per person:

• atmosphere (oxygen),
• humus (fertile soil),
• drinking water,
• minerals, including the fuel and energy complex,
• ecology – human habitat.

If the volume of resources consumed per person increases, which will determine the growth of his standard of living, in this case the 21st century is the century of progressive development of mankind; in an alternative outcome, the 21st century will become a century of further degradation of humanity.

Demographers (demography is the science of population) predict that by 2050 the population of planet Earth will increase by 1.5 times, i.e. up to a population of 9 – 9.5 billion people.

At the same time, the globe, naturally, will not increase by 1.5 times, and natural resources, naturally, will significantly decrease due to their active consumption by humanity.

Currently, with a population of 6 billion, one third of it is persistently hungry, i.e. regularly does not receive enough nutrients the body needs and a third of the population experiences a constant shortage of drinking water, while the second third drinks low-quality water that does not meet sanitary standards. It has become a commonplace either a joke or a dire forecast that humanity will soon fight not so much for oil as for drinking water.

The volume and distribution of humus (organic soil matter characterized by high fertility) – a source of plant food for humans and animals – on the globe has sharply decreased.

The amount of plankton (a collection of aquatic organisms) – a source of oxygen generation – has also sharply decreased in the aquatic environment, and primarily in the world’s oceans. The area of ​​plant life (especially forests), which is also a source of oxygen, is actively decreasing. At the same time, its consumption is constantly increasing. Just for fun, for example, the engines of a passenger plane crossing the Atlantic from Europe to the Americas consume about 100 tons of oxygen.

Based on calculations of the planet’s natural resources, an assumption is made: hydrocarbon reserves remain for 30-40 years, usable water – for 50-60 years, food (given the current demographic dynamics) – for 80-100 years... Such a limited period of time, in principle , is also typical for other “sources of life”.

There is a constant struggle (including military) for the redistribution of natural resources: fuel and energy - oil, gas, coal; ore deposits of chemical elements - iron, non-ferrous and rare metals and other elements.

There is an obvious impotence of the human community to manage its development and establish a reasonable attitude towards nature, i.e. create “a system of organizing society in which the needs of the present generation are met without compromising the consumption opportunities of future ones” (Encyclopedia Britannica). The resolutions of both UN World Summits on Sustainable Development should be considered confirmation of this impotence.

The first summit - the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992): over the next 10 years, practically none of the specific decisions taken at it were implemented.

That is why the organizers of the second summit (Johannesburg, South Africa, August 2002) recommended not to adopt any declarations establishing specific goals and deadlines, but to give priority to a new format - global, without revealing what this means. However, it is interesting to note that the second summit identified the area - the water environment and its rational, careful use - as the main problem in the world today.

The hopes of academician V.I. Vernadsky, who formulated the idea of ​​the era of the Noosphere (mind) at the beginning of the 20th century and hoped for the “maturation” of humanity, which would live in complete harmony with nature as its natural component, have not come true to date.

Opinion of Academician N.N. Moiseev is just the opposite: the struggle for natural resources will continue and ... it is unlikely that all the appropriate means at a person’s disposal will not be involved in this struggle.

There is a paradoxical phenomenon in the world - with the growth of the intelligence of human society and, as a consequence, the accumulation of objective laws of its existence and development, it would seem that there should be a strengthening of the role of objective factors and a weakening of subjective factors in the life of society and its management. However, in reality, the opposite is true - there is a process not of weakening the role of the subjective factor in the life of society and its management, but, on the contrary, of its strengthening, which caused a corresponding deep decline in global universal morality.

Hence the gigantic dramatic consequence - in the world as a whole, the level of professional leadership of human society (and in each state separately) has sharply fallen in accordance with the general decline in morality on a global scale. And this process will worsen in the 21st century. And the reason for this paradoxical phenomenon is simple - a desperate struggle for survival resources, in which all means are “good” to achieve the goal, including, and perhaps primarily, purely immoral ones.

The gene pool of humanity is deteriorating. This is due to the deterioration of living conditions of the population (poor quality of air, water, soil, nutrition), which leads to a decrease in its resistance to external influences - unfavorable changes in the environment (nature, production conditions, environmental crisis, etc.) with all the ensuing severe social consequences (high morbidity and mortality, reduced life expectancy, loss of ability to work and creative potential, massive nervous stress, etc.). Constant military conflicts and struggles for power take away the healthiest part of society, which at the same time is “enriched” by weak individuals with a poor gene pool. The world's leading ecologists postulate a collapse (a pre-fatal state of human society) in 40-50 years: an irreversible mutation of the human gene code will begin if the destruction of nature continues at the current pace.

The “golden billion” is twenty-nine developed countries (1.2 billion people), including the famous “seven” (USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan), members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), owns more than 80% of the world's gross product, and the specific consumption of mineral raw materials in them (per 1% of the Earth's population) is almost 8 times higher than the level of consumption in underdeveloped countries and 3.8 times in other countries.

Ratio of income of 20% of the world's population in the richest countries and 20% of the population in the poorest countries: 30:1 - in 1960, 60:1 - 1990, 74:1 - 2000.

By the beginning of 1991, 1/5 of the world population (developed countries) accounted for the share of “life benefits” shown in the table.

Indicators of living standards in developed countries of the world (1991), %

These indicators have hardly improved for the poorest countries to date.

For underdeveloped countries today waging a desperate struggle against poverty, saving resources and respecting nature are in the background. Developed countries, and especially the G7, take advantage of this and buy up the mineral resources of underdeveloped countries at the low prices they set. At the same time, developed countries do not invest in the development of poor countries that export raw materials. There is predatory exploitation of underdeveloped countries. It is unlikely that in the future the willingness of developed countries to significantly reduce the consumption of natural resources and, of their own free will, “share” wealth with poor countries.

Such high rates of inequality, as follows from the above data, cause a steady increase in discontent in underdeveloped countries. This was expressed in harsh terms at the second UN summit in Johannesburg and at the Asia-Europe meeting in Thailand in 2003.

“The globalization of the world threatens high crime rates. The aggravation of the employment problem will make reality the forecasts about the operation of the 20:80 scheme, when 20% of the population will be in demand, and 80% will be surplus, with all the ensuing criminal consequences. The expansion of financial speculation markets will bring any unwanted country to the brink of financial collapse and criminal anarchy. Strengthening the role of transnational companies and supranational entities, guided by their own selfish interests, will reduce the ability of national governments to maintain law and order, which will contribute to the growth and transnationalization of crime” [2].

You should also pay attention to the possible role of natural disasters on the situation in the 21st century. Climate change - global warming, global cooling, droughts, large-scale floods, earthquakes, environmental crises, etc. will complicate the situation in the world, create conflicts between states, and intensify the struggle for the means of subsistence remaining after the cataclysms.

Thus, even now, when the population of the Earth is only 6 billion people, a tense situation has developed in the relations between developed and poor countries, as well as within prosperous countries, due to different living standards of the population and in the struggle for vital resources.

What will happen when the planet's population increases by one and a half times?

Among some of the people - optimists and idealists, as well as those inclined to theological thinking, there is an opinion circulating about the need to create an international one for the salvation of humanity by analogy, as the “experts” believe, with the “Cosmic Collective Mind”, which supposedly controls everything, everything in the world. light, including all processes and people on our Earth. Create, so to speak, an international economic and organizational system.

Many years of experience of the United Nations (UN) have shown the extraordinary difficulty (and in many cases simply impossibility) of connecting and uniting the interests of almost two hundred and fifty states of the Earth, consisting of thousands of nations and nationalities, groups that differ sharply in their position and natural capabilities on the globe , as well as according to the level of their development.

Nevertheless, we must strive to create various international organizations that would strive to at least somehow ease tensions between peoples, but on the condition that they do not serve the interests of certain influential global and national groups (economic, financial, territorial, political, national and etc.) of the world.

Thus, there is a steady tendency to reduce the consumption of “vital resources” by one statistical person on the planet. This trend will worsen in the 21st century due to active population growth. At the same time, developing scientific and technological progress with its high technologies will not be able to “reverse” this trend, since science does not foresee any super-radical discoveries (such as atomic energy) capable of leading humanity to a fundamentally new orbit of sustainable development. Consequently, the 21st century is the century of sustainable degradation of humanity.

A natural question arises: what will be Russia’s position in the world community in these conditions of intense competitive struggle “for life” in the 21st century.

After the artificial collapse of the USSR, which occupied one-sixth of the landmass, Russia nevertheless retained more than an eighth of the landmass (17 million sq. km) with a population of only 145-150 million people, which, unfortunately, is continuously declining ( in the current social crisis, 1.5-2 million people die per year above the natural norm), threatening the catastrophic desolation of the territory, and therefore its defenselessness; a quarter of the world's forest resources, as well as about half of the territory, untouched by economic development, which increasingly ensures the global stabilization of the planet's biosphere; 20% of the world's liquid fresh water reserves; unlimited (if we take into account yet undiscovered deposits) reserves of minerals. And in terms of the number of registered reserves and the diversity of mineral resources, Russia occupies a leading position in the world's mineral resource base. The depths of Russia contain: 13% of the world's oil reserves; 35% - gas, 12% - coal, 27% - iron ore, a significant part of the reserves of gold, diamonds, non-ferrous and rare metals. The gross potential value of Russia's identified and explored mineral reserves as of January 1, 1995 many times exceeds the total value of all other natural resources and fixed assets of the country and amounts to about 30 trillion dollars. Russia's share in total world mining and industrial production in 1994 exceeded 14%.

Russia, with its diverse climate and flora, vast territory preserving its original natural state, is a reserve of sustainability of the entire biosphere of the planet and, as a global environmental donor, plays and will in the future play a decisive role in maintaining global ecological balance. All of the above natural resources of Russia give it the most important priorities in international activities to ensure the sustainable development of mankind.

The penultimate Emperor of Russia, Alexander III, before his death, told his heir, the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II: “Son, they don’t like us because we are big.” This wise phrase clearly defines for centuries, as long as Russia exists, the attitude towards Russia of the entire world around us (all countries of the world, especially neighbors and, first of all, Europe). To put it mildly, they look at Russia like tipsy men look at a beautiful woman - purely consumerist, predatory, with only one goal - to take away something (territory or its wealth).

This hostile attitude (policy) towards Russia will sharply escalate with the astronomical growth of the planet's population and the struggle for vital resources. As an illustration, we should cite today's US policy towards our state (briefly and most importantly). The USA, having carried out the collapse of the USSR from within as a result of victory in the Cold War, is currently forming the second stage of the defeat (collapse into parts) of the current Russian Federation (by analogy with Yugoslavia) as a further US policy aimed at resolving the “Russian question”.

The idea that the Russian Federation is a failed country, a state in distress, fundamentally unable to resist the military and political domination of the only superpower of the New World, is being vigorously imposed on world public opinion. But since there are vital interests of the United States on Russian territory, the US armed forces and, above all, the Air Force, must be prepared to be involved in resolving any conflicts on Russian territory, no matter where they arise. Cynical frankness about plans for intervention in Russia! In accordance with these plans, the United States has declared a course towards the economic, political and social destabilization of Russia, undermining Russia's defense potential and, above all, its nuclear missile potential, lowering its international status, up to and including removal from the UN Security Council.

Simultaneously with this course hostile to Russia, the United States has sharply increased the pace of modernization of the entire complex of its armed forces, and above all, of an offensive nature, in particular, the deployment of the latest high-precision weapon systems, including space weapons. And this is in the context of the end of the Cold War, when Russia is actively disarming, freeing itself, in particular, from such types of weapons of mass destruction as chemical and bacteriological weapons, which, in principle, could be opposed to US military threats.

Military analysts believe that in 2010 the United States will achieve its highest combat readiness while Russia's combat readiness is at its lowest. The state of constant mobilization of the armed forces opens the way for the United States to war with Russia, or more precisely to a unilateral surprise attack in 2010.

The countries of Europe and the “golden billion”, which are military and economic allies of the United States and follow the footsteps of US policy, are, of course, strategic opponents of Russia.

What should our dear Russia, our dear Fatherland, do in this current situation and in the upcoming threatening prospect? First of all, to have sufficient, or better yet, good, excellent armed forces. But for this you need to have a correspondingly powerful economy capable of providing the army with modern equipment. Now the economy, destroyed by the notorious “perestroika” and damned “reforms,” cannot do this. Industry and agriculture are in decline. The Armed Forces today rely on technology from the Soviet period, which is already outdated in time.

“No restructuring of the economy on a high-tech basis, no innovation boom as a result of denationalization and destruction of the archaic planned system occurred in Russia; on the contrary, the country has degraded scientifically and technologically” [1]. All this led to a sharp drop in the living standards of the population.

In Russia, the share of income of the richest 20% is at least 10-15 times higher than the income of the poorest 20%. As a result, Russia ranked 71st in the world in the Human Development Index in 1997; To date, this situation has not improved. Currently, “in Russia, 32.5% of the population has an average per capita income of up to 3 thousand rubles. per month (about 100 US dollars), 42.3% have monthly incomes ranging from 3 to 7 thousand rubles. and only 25.5% have more than 7 thousand rubles. per person per month. The bottom 10% of the population has only 2% of total cash income, while the top 10% have 30%. … A fifth of the working (!) population cannot provide themselves with a living wage (this is the salary)…. With such income differentiation, it is impossible to talk about civil society, about the national idea” [1].

“In the coming years, the unprecedented gap between poverty and wealth in the world and in Russia is unlikely to narrow. According to various estimates, the decile coefficient in our country ranges from 1:30 to 1:100, with a socially tolerable ratio of 1:4 and a socially unfavorable ratio of 1:10. It is difficult to expect in Russia the triumph of the constitutional principle of equality of all citizens before the law and the court. Meanwhile, violation of social and legal justice is the source of extremism, terrorism, and revolutions” [2].

Academician Petrakov N.Ya. concludes “Russia has been imposed from the outside with such a scheme for the country’s integration into the world economic community, within the framework of which it must perform the function of a raw material appendage of high-tech economies,” and “Russian money must be frozen and cut off from the real economy” [1].

In Russia in recent years, the term “sustainable development”, which is based on an optimal economic system, as well as all kinds of sustainable development programs, has become too widespread and therefore, due to its vagueness, has simply depreciated. Hopes for self-regulation of the development of the Russian economy when the floodgates of market relations were opened turned out to be in vain. The disproportions in the economic complex and the standard of living of the country's population are so great that they threaten the integrity of the country and the stability of the national economy as a system. An opinion is actively being formed not only about the expediency, but also the necessity of state regulation of the socio-economic development of the country, both at the macro level, the meso level and even the territorial micro level.

In order to get out of this global situation, it is necessary to switch to a mixed economy within the framework of the theory of convergence (market socialism, oriented towards noospheric development), namely: the fundamental sectors of the economy - fuel and energy (oil, gas, coal), heavy industry - mining and metallurgical complex, chemical industry, heavy industry - mechanical engineering, all types of transport: railway, sea, river, air - return to state ownership, i.e. make it popular, as it was before. In this case, the state budget will at least triple with all the ensuing positive opportunities for financing the development of industry, agriculture and solving social problems. To improve the health of society and increase the budget by 30-40%, return the alcohol industry and the sale of its products to state ownership. The remaining types of production should be left to the private initiative sector. And, of course, prohibit the export of capital abroad, where Russian capital “works” for the interests of our competitors and opponents. The capital, which has already been exported abroad and amounts to hundreds of billions of American dollars and which actually belongs to the Russian people, should be returned to their homeland, Russia, to boost the economy and provide for social needs.

Will the current leadership of the country agree to this?

No!!! Because it is a servant of Russian criminal big capital.

Lenin said: “Every bourgeois government is a group of clerks of big capital” (a clerk is a salesman (male) behind a merchant’s counter). In addition, members of the supreme leadership of the Russian Federation have personally participated and are participating in the privatization (more precisely, robbery) and redistribution of people's socialist property, and therefore are personally interested in maintaining the current situation in the state.

So what awaits our Motherland in this situation in the first half of the 21st century, when the struggle for survival is sharply increasing in the world, and in the Russian Federation the so-called “perestroika” and disastrous “reforms” under the leadership of its own government and the Presidents of the country resulted in the collapse of its territory, the collapse of the economy based on the robbery of the working people and their alienation from the property they created, the loss of the humanistic ideology (morality) of the people? The result is worse than the actions of any occupiers!

At the same time, the current leadership of the country does not have a program for actually leading the country out of the catastrophic crisis!

The answer, in the authors' opinion, may be this: If the country does not take the path of a mixed economy, when its fundamental sectors do not come under state control (as mentioned above), Russia will face collapse (perhaps even within the next 10 years), those. disintegration into separate territorial “pieces” under foreign control. Maps of the territorial division of the Russian Federation into small states are already being published in the Western press, and there is an active discussion in the media about this topic as a resolved issue. If the country switches to the path of a mixed economy, then in 20-25 years we can expect to achieve the socialist level of gross production that was before the collapse of the USSR. This will ensure Russia's security in the broad sense of the word. In this case, we will be able to “survive the pressure” of the planet’s 9.5 billion population, protect our territorial and natural resources, in a word, preserve statehood and increase its power.

The authors, as statists and statists, do not see any other fateful paths for Russia.

Conclusion

In 1952, six months before his death, J.V. Stalin wrote: “... Reforms are inevitable, but in due time. And these must be organic reforms, ... based on traditions with the gradual restoration of Orthodox self-awareness. Very soon, wars for territory will be replaced by “cold” wars – for resources and energy. You need to be prepared for this. Mastering new types of energy should become a priority for our scientists. Their success is the key to our independence in the future” [3, p.416]. Humanity as a whole and each country individually will face and overcome numerous crises, ups and downs - this is a path of continuous search, not sustainable development. You need to be prepared for this. And yet, we must remember that Sustainable Development, proclaimed in the world community, is today the path chosen by humanity to the Noosphere (Mind).

Problems of the future development of humanity will ultimately inevitably lead it to the need to form a Sphere of Reason (noosphere), within which the measure of national wealth will be the spiritual values ​​and knowledge of a person living in harmony with the natural environment. At the same time, on the one hand, it will be impossible to achieve complete harmonization of the development of society and nature only in Russia or in any other country.

On the other hand, the practical implementation of a real and productive relationship, if not all, then a significant part of countries in solving the problem of global sustainable development, is extremely problematic.

The general idea of ​​Russia's development in the future will be largely determined not only by its own actions in the field of sustainable development in the first half of the 21st century, but also by general progress in solving this problem on a global scale. Objectively, the all-round significance of Russia in the world community is too great, which means that it is inextricably linked with its existence.

A fairly complete harmonization of the development of the economy, society and nature is possible only along the paths that implement the ideas of V.I. Vernadsky about the Noosphere.

Literature

1. Petrakov N.Ya. Oil: a blessing or a curse for Russia? // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2006, vol. 76, no. 4, pp. 291-295.
2. Kudryavtsev V.N., Luneev V.V., Petrishchev V.E. Terrorism and organized crime in the context of globalization // Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2005, vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 3-9.
3. Vakhania V. Personal secret service of I.V. Stalin (strategic intelligence and counterintelligence). Collection of documents. M.: Svarog Publishing House, 2004, p.416.

Balakirev V.F. (Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences), Aryukov I.I., Balakirev S.V. Source: Marketing Guild

How can society deteriorate?

The degradation of society is an evaluative concept.

Why do we sometimes say this? Yes, because we do not accept new trends, the ideals of the new generation. Our teachers said about us that they had never had such a bad class. Years have passed and the same teachers say that we were just angels with wings compared to the current generation.

Everything in the world is relative . Thus, Western countries are tolerant (to say the least) towards sexual minorities (LGBT). In our country, this phenomenon is not presented for general imitation; sexual orientation is a purely intimate matter.

“We” believe that “they” are deteriorating, and “they” have the same opinion about us. Who is right in this situation? Time will tell. Maybe nature is reducing the population on the planet in this way?

Now let’s talk about the formal signs by which it is customary to judge the degradation of society (let me remind you, these are evaluative signs, not dogma):

1. low level of culture. This applies not only to the rules of behavior in society, but also to basic knowledge of the cultural heritage of mankind;
2. lowering the bar of moral standards;
3. the pursuit of external attributes of well-being;
4. infantilism (what is this?) of adult youth who have reached social maturity (from 17 to 25 years). Manifests itself in the inability to take responsibility for one’s actions, lack of desire and ability to make serious decisions, etc.;
5. destruction of family values ​​(propaganda of free sexual relations, leveling of such qualities as fidelity, respect).

The list could take a long time.

A degraded society is dangerous not only for outsiders, it is, first of all, dangerous for itself.

Methods to combat personality destruction

There are different ways to deal with personality decay. At the initial stages, degradation can be stopped if a person, after listening to the reproaches of loved ones, makes efforts to return to a full life. To do this, it is enough to be interested in events in the world and maintain friendly connections.

Personal growth is facilitated by the development of new activities and creativity. You can enrich your social and spiritual experience through new acquaintances, attending communication trainings, and cultural and entertainment events.

In the later stages of degradation, one cannot do without the help of a psychologist.

To choose a way to combat degradation, the psychologist establishes its cause. We can talk about a favorable prognosis if the client manages to find the meaning of life, set an achievable goal, and feel his importance to society.

Effective means for personality degradation are hypnosis, art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and group psychological training for personal growth.

If personal disintegration is combined with dependent behavior, the psychologist refers the client to a psychiatrist. The doctor collects anamnesis and prescribes drug therapy. In some cases, the patient is recommended to be hospitalized.

Relatives and friends of the degenerate should remember that in order to recover he needs their support. Even in the case of alcohol degradation, the pathological process can be stopped provided that the individual completely abstains from alcoholic beverages.

I recommend to my clients, who feel that life has lost all meaning, to mentally return to their childhood: to remember what they dreamed of, what they wanted to become? Think about whether their parents would like to see them unhappy?

For many of them, memories of childhood become the very resource that makes them move forward, realize their dreams, change their profession and place of residence, and master new activities.

Degradation as a chemical process

All organic and inorganic compounds have their own structure. The process of interaction of various substances occurs at the level of chemical reactions (redistribution of nuclei and electrons of the starting substances).

The consequence of the chemical reaction that has occurred is the destruction (destruction or degradation) of the previous structure of the compounds and the formation of a new structure.

If we talk about the destruction of polymers, then as a result of this process the degree of polymerization or molecular weight of the polymer decreases. The process of destruction ( chemical degradation ) can be activated by the following factors:

1. warmth;
2. radiation;
3. mechanical stress;
4. oxidation (exposure to oxygen);
5. water;
6. enzymes of biological organisms.

The impact of these factors can occur either individually or in combination. For example, exposure to water and alkali initiates a hydrolytic reaction, which results in degradation of the original structure of the substance.

And enzymes (what are they?) that are produced in the human body lead to the destruction of certain cells and, as a result, body tissues.

Without going into medical nuances, we can say that some of the destruction processes are positive for the normal functioning of the body, and some have a negative effect.

The process of destruction (chemical degradation) is used to obtain new properties and characteristics from substances. For example, mechanical-oxidative destruction (as a result of mechanical deformation in the presence of oxygen) of artificial rubber improves its technological properties.

Analysis of the concept

The word "degradation" has Latin roots. The prefix “de” – subtraction, gradus – step, step. Degradatio – reduction, deterioration of the characteristics of a phenomenon or object.

The term is widely used in the scientific field. In sociology, the degradation of society, characterized by the loss of social attitudes. Biology describes evolutionary atrophy as the loss of limbs that the body does not need. Psychology – spiritual degradation, deprivation of moral principles.

How it appears and who is susceptible

Where there is evolution, there is degradation. Nature has been testing its inhabitants for stress resistance for many years. Its weapons are biological, geological, and social factors of influence. From pathological microorganisms to natural disasters, it reveals the living world's ability to survive. If you save a life, you get a reward. Improving brain activity, increasing physical characteristics, developing communication skills - all these are signs of evolution. Then how does personality degradation appear? Inaction and weakness are punishable by deprivation of functionality. Reluctance to work for one's own benefit is punished by a decrease in the quality of life. Why does a cheetah need fast legs if it does not hunt fast antelopes? Or high intelligence for a person who is not interested in self-development?

What causes soil degradation?

Land (soil) degradation is a process that leads to deterioration of soil fertility. Soil degradation causes huge economic losses.

Reasons that can lead to the destruction of the original soil characteristics:

1. exceeding the dose of nitrogen fertilizers → changes in soil structure → increased erosion (destruction);
2. exposure to pesticides → decrease in beneficial bacteria → decrease in fertility;
3. artificial irrigation → accumulation of insoluble salts, waterlogging, waterlogging of the soil → decrease in fertility;
4. illiterate reclamation (actions aimed at draining soils), intensive logging, uprooting of forests, fires (including deliberate burning of grass and straw in fields) → reduction of the humus layer (layer containing nutrients) → decrease in fertility;

5. absence of forest and artificial barriers along the fields → weathering of the top layer of soil → decrease in fertility (up to the transformation of arable land into desert).