Papers by Gennady Shkliarevsky
The Origin of Morality and the Making of the Moral Predicament
Ethical Review of Social Sciences, Dec 2025
Moral dimension is a characteristic feature of most transformative developments that have occurre... more Moral dimension is a characteristic feature of most transformative developments that have occurred in the course of human history. Moral outrage has fuelled numerous upheavals, uprisings, and revolutions. Researchers have recognized the important role of moral outrage during periods of social and political change. However, they usually tend to explain it by social, political, or economic factors. They rarely trace this phenomenon to purely moral factors. This article argues that the primary source of moral outrage lies in the moral sphere – specifically, in the discrepancy between the widely recognized moral principles and the actual practice. The imperative of equality is arguably the most important and fundamental principle that underpins the existence of morality. The appeal of the imperative of equality transcends temporal and cultural boundaries. Yet despite this broad appeal, our social practice accepts, tolerates, and perpetuates inequality. This article calls this discrepancy the moral predicament. The article will analyse the factors that are involved in the making of the moral predicament. It will identify the source of the imperative of equality and will explain why this imperative has not been realized in practice. The article will also consider several relevant issues, such as the rise of consciousness and morality. Finally, the article will offer a perspective on how the problem of the moral predicament can be solved.
Available for download in an open access format from https://ethicalreviewss.com/index.php/erss/article/view/10
Economic inequality remains one of the most explosive problems that human civilization has yet no... more Economic inequality remains one of the most explosive problems that human civilization has yet not solved. The persistence of inequality and the lack of solutions have led to a widespread conviction that the problem is in principle unsolvable. Dominant approaches that try to address the issue of economic inequality offer only palliatives that target the most egregious forms of inequality but not end it. The article challenges these approaches. It argues that the reason for their inability to solve the problem is their failure to understand its source. Current approaches toward inequality vary in their explanations of its origin. Some explanations point to conditions that were created by economic and technological advances, others point to private property and the rapacious nature of capitalism.
We live in the age of technology. Technological devices inundate our society. Technological appro... more We live in the age of technology. Technological devices inundate our society. Technological approaches have spread to many spheres of our life. Technology fascinates us. It inspires optimism that has become a kind of modern-day religion that preaches the gospel of the machine. Like Christian God, the machine god promises salvation through technology that will solve of all problems faced by humanity. On close examination, however, this current optimism appears to be unjustified. Results of technological advances have so far been mixed. There is a cloud that hangs over technological progress. Indeed, technology has brought many benefits to humanity. However, it has also created numerous problems. Technology has not been successful in solving the critical problems humanity faces in the current civilization crisis. It has not significantly improved environmental degradation and have not produced an effective response to climate change. While new technologies certainly bring economic benefits, they have not been able to solve the problem of growth that continues to plague our economy. Applications of technological approaches in the social and political sphere cause much concern about the threat they pose to individual autonomy, freedom, and democracy. Most current critics of technological progress argue that technology has an intrinsic shadowy side, and some deleterious effects are inevitable in technological advances. The main thesis of this article contends this view. The article argues that the shortcomings in the technological progress are not due to technology per se. Rather, they result from a more general problem in the way we perceive our relationship with reality. This general problem is a result of the anthropocentric tradition that dominates our civilization and affects many of its spheres, including the technological sphere. The article examines the ways in which anthropocentrism affects technology and its progress. The main conclusion that follows from the discussion presented in these pages is that humans are not wrong in their optimism regarding technology. However, to fulfill their optimistic expectations, they must liberate technology from the adverse influence of anthropocentrism. The liberation will enhance technological progress and make it more efficient, but this outcome can only result from a transcendence of the anthropocentric tradition that will eliminate anthropocentric constraints on technological progress. The article also discusses some ancillary issues that are relevant to the main thesis and will help in understanding the principal arguments. In part, the article explains the source of the capacity to make and use tools in humans and animals. It sees the roots of this capacity in the universal evolution that has led to the rise of human civilization.
Данная статья рассматривает роль Украины в глобальной стратегии США. В отличии от устоявшейся точ... more Данная статья рассматривает роль Украины в глобальной стратегии США. В отличии от устоявшейся точки зрения статья утверждает, что Украина является всего лишь одним вспомогательным аспектом стратегии США, направленной главным образом на достижение глобальной гегемонии в системе мировой безопасности. Основным препятствием на пути реализации этой стратегии в настоящее время является Китай. Именно противостоянию с Китаем подчинены все побочные аспекта американской глобальной стратегии, включая и войну в Украине.
Abstract: Исключительность является одной из характерных черт современного украинского национали... more Abstract: Исключительность является одной из характерных черт современного украинского национализма. Среди его адептов широко распространено убеждение в том, что опыт Украины уникален и уроки этого опыта должны быть широко использованы за пределами страны, особенно в вопросе создания новой системы глобальной безопасности. В основе веры в исключительность лежит нерешённая проблема различия. Суть этой проблемы состоит в широко распространённом традиционном подходе, который не рассматривает различия как важнейший ресурс развития человечества, а видит в них прежде всего угрозу стабильности и порядку.
Статья Дениса Прокопенка, одного из основателей и командира знаменитой бригады «Азов», является ярким примером тенденции к исключительности. Статья содержит острую критику современной военной стратегии Запада и призывает отказаться от этой стратегии. Взамен Прокопенко предлагает новый подход в качестве универсальное решение проблемы глобальной безопасности. Анализ статьи показывает ограниченность исключающего подхода автора и предлагает пути преодоления этой ограниченности.
Ключевые слова: Денис Прокопенко, бригада «Азов», глобальная безопасность, горизонтализм, сети, иерархии, проблема различия, теория систем.
Abstract: This contribution is a response to the recent article by Denis Prokopenko in which he criticizes Western military strategy. Prokopenko’s article exemplifies the belief in Ukrainian exceptionalism—a trend that is common among modern Ukrainian nationalists. The critique of the article focuses on limitations of Prokopenko’s exclusionary approach and suggests the way of overcoming these limitations.
Key words: Denis Prokopenko, the “Azov” brigade, global security, horizontalism, networksб hierarchies, the problem of difference, systems theory.
Критические заметки по статье О. М. Костенко «Камо грядеши? Про світоглядну основу безпеки і прог... more Критические заметки по статье О. М. Костенко «Камо грядеши? Про світоглядну основу безпеки і прогресу людства» Геннадий Шкляревский Аннотация: Преодоление традиции антропоцентризма является одной из главных тем современности. Повышенное внимание к этой теме было вызвано прежде всего ухудшающимся состоянием природы, но в дальнейшем вышло за рамки экологии и биологии. Статья «Камо грядеши? Про світоглядну основу безпеки і прогресу людства» поднимает тему антропоцентризма в отношении общего кризиса современной цивилизации. Статья видит выход из этого кризиса в создании нового натуралистического мировоззрения. Основанием этого мировоззрения автор видит законы природы, а не субъективную волю человека. Однако критический анализ статьи показывает, что подход, предлагаемый автором, не преодолевает влияние антропоцентризма и в результате приводит к парадоксу.
Abstract: The article is a critical response to the proposal for creating a new naturalist Weltanschauung as a way of addressing the current crisis faced by our civilization. The proposal emphasizes the need to transcend the anthropocentric tradition. The critical examination reveals a paradox that defeats its intended purpose of transcending anthropocentrism.
EMBRACING SOLIDARITY AS A WAY OF LIFE, 2025
The mystique of solidarity retains its allure. The power of solidarity defies imagination. Yet ha... more The mystique of solidarity retains its allure. The power of solidarity defies imagination. Yet harnessing this power has proven to be a challenge. There is much about solidarity to be learned. This study seeks a deeper understanding of solidarity that is necessary to find a way of using the enormous creative potential of solidarity more effectively for human progress and liberation. The article shows that the dominant theory and practice of solidarity are incapable to realize this objective. The article argues that attraction to differences is the main source of solidarity's power. Affirmation and empowerment of differences is the key to creating strong and enduring social bonds that can sustain solidarity. Yet the dominant conception of solidarity requires subjugation of differences to the central point of identification and their suppression. The article proposes a new approach toward solidarity. The distinct feature of this approach is its view of differences. In contrast to the traditional view that sees differences primarily as opposed to each other, the article outlines a new conception of solidarity that views differences as the most important resource for human advancement and liberation. The article examines the theoretical and practical implications of the new conception.
The ascendance of relativism has defined the politics, social relations, values, science, and oth... more The ascendance of relativism has defined the politics, social relations, values, science, and other aspects of modern civilization and its practice. While some effects of relativism are salutary (relativism, for example, has promoted greater tolerance), others are not. This article argues that the ascendance of relativism has led to the demise and ultimate rejection of the concept of absolute truth. As the article explains, absolute truth is a very important operational concept that integrates, regulates, and conserves all spheres of human practice. It enhances human capacity to create new and increasingly more powerful levels of mental organization that are the source of radical innovations: new ideas, theories, and approaches. The article explains that the functional role of absolute truth is essential for sustaining human civilization and its evolution. It demonstrates that the functional role of absolute truth is defined by the universal process of creation. The rejection of absolute truth has been an inevitable result of the anthropocentric tradition that has dominated and continues to dominate human civilization. This tradition fails to recognize the central role of the process of creation in human existence. It is exclusionary and is incompatible with objectivity. This tradition poses a threat to the survival of civilization. The article argues that the revival of absolute truth and its role in human practice will ensure the survival and evolution of human civilization. The article offers a new conception of absolute truth. This conception relies on the universal process of creation as its main organizing principle. Due to its inclusive nature, the process of creation is objective, universal, and invariable under transformation. Since the new conception is based on the process of creation, it also possesses its properties; it is objective, universal, and invariable. It is not transient as the past conceptions of absolute truth. Finally, the article discusses the ways in which the new conception of absolute truth will affect human practice.
The article offers reflections on several issues relevant to the war in Ukraine and its consequen... more The article offers reflections on several issues relevant to the war in Ukraine and its consequences. It will examine the interplay of processes, both global and local, that led to the emergence of the Maidan movement and shaped its agenda. The failure of the Maidan to realize this agenda created political vacuum that was filled by Ukrainian nationalists. The ascension of Ukrainian nationalists to power and their attempts to Ukrainianize Ukraine was a development that played a critical role in the eruption of the war. The strategy pursued in the Ukrainian war by the partnership between the Ukrainian nationalist government and its Western sponsors is another important issue to be addressed. This strategy has been singularly unsuccessful. The article will try to explain the reasons for its failure. The war in Ukraine is part of the global turmoil that engulfs the world today. The outcome of this war will undoubtedly have global effects. The article will discuss some consequences that the war has already produced and that are currently shaping the emerging world order.
Tensions and rivalries are proliferating in the contemporary world as an unprecedented rate. Ther... more Tensions and rivalries are proliferating in the contemporary world as an unprecedented rate. There are many signs that human civilization faces a real possibility of a new global conflict. Some observers even claim that the Third World War has already began. There are few other times in human history when the need to bring order and peace to the troubled world has been more urgent than it is today. The creation of the new world order is the main subject of this article. The article examines four major perspectives on world order: Western, Chinese, Russia, and Islamic. The analysis shows that none of these perspectives offer a possibility to create an enduring global order. The creation of such order requires a solution of the problem of difference. This problem is a result of the clashes of differences that appear to be intrinsic to reality. The study shows that clashes among differences are not inevitable, and that the problem of differences is resolvable. The article outlines the approach that makes possible to solve the problem of difference and attain perpetual peace.
The article focuses on the problem of national Ukrainian identity that is currently a subject of ... more The article focuses on the problem of national Ukrainian identity that is currently a subject of heated public debates in Ukraine. This article is largely a response to the discussion between Vitaly Portnikov, a popular Ukrainian journalist, and Russian writer Yulia Latynina. The article briefly analyzes the popular interpretation of the Ukrainian identity that is disseminated and popularized by ideologues and propagandists. It also contrasts this interpretation with views and approaches to the problem of Ukrainian identity that are current in academic and intellectual circles in Ukraine.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
Independent Sentinel, 2024
Contemporary American foreign policy appears to be in free fall. It is beset by numerous inconsi... more Contemporary American foreign policy appears to be in free fall. It is beset by numerous inconsistencies, contradictions, and outright mistakes. The article maintains that the chaotic state of American foreign policy is not simply a result of human foibles and miscalculations. It is a product of a fundamental flaw. The article argues that there is a fundamental discrepancy between American quest for global hegemony and the pursuit of national interests that is the main organizing principle of American policy. This organizing principle is not sufficiently powerful for exercising global leadership and managing complex interactions among members of the global community. It is much weaker than what this role requires. In its concluding section the article offers a possible solution for this problem.
Одним из главных тезисов украинского национализма является утверждение о его родстве с европейско... more Одним из главных тезисов украинского национализма является утверждение о его родстве с европейской культурой. Украинские националисты представляют себя защитниками европейских ценностей. Однако при более близком рассмотрении, можно увидеть серьёзные расхождения между важными принципами, на которые опираются европейские государства и общество, и характерными чертами украинского национализма. Особенно можно в этом отношении выделить приверженность европейцев принципу политической легитимности и преемственности, отказ от насилия как средства исторических изменений, плюрализм и терпимость. Европейская общественно-политическая теория и практика строится вокруг включения различий. Именно с этих важных аспектах наблюдаются серьёзные расхождения европейской культуры с украинским национализмом.
Данная статья рассматривает проблему демонизации в сознании украинских националистов. Проблема э... more Данная статья рассматривает проблему демонизации в сознании украинских националистов. Проблема эта вызвана прежде всего внутренним противоречием между иррациональной сутью видения мира и потребностями рационального подхода и принятия решений в реальном мире; между анархичностью, присущей украинскому национализму, и необходимостью практическими потребностями, связанными с созданием и функционированием государственного аппарата и его институтов.
Bill Clinton's "Moment of Truth": The U.S. Role in Bringing War to Ukraine
Independent Sentinel, 2023
The article discusses the circumstances that led to the fateful decision by the Ukrainian governm... more The article discusses the circumstances that led to the fateful decision by the Ukrainian government to give up its nuclear arsenal. Contrary to the common misconception that sees Russia as being the main force behind this decision, the truth is that it was the Clinton administration that put pressure on the Ukrainian government and even made threat to force Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons.
Bill Clinton's "Moment of Truth": The U.S. Role in Bringing War to Ukraine
Independent Sentinel, 2023
The article discusses the circumstances that led to the fateful decision by the Ukrainian governm... more The article discusses the circumstances that led to the fateful decision by the Ukrainian government to give up its nuclear arsenal. Contrary to the common misconception that sees Russia as being the main force behind this decision, the truth is that it was the Clinton administration that put pressure on the Ukrainian government and even made threat to force Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons.
Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, 2022
The article offers a critique of the current practice on inclusion. Several principal concerns ar... more The article offers a critique of the current practice on inclusion. Several principal concerns arise in connection with this practice. The fact that it has its roots in the European Enlightenment tradition makes it culturally specific and largely reflective of Western values that are not universally shared. Also, as a result of the selective application of this practice, it actually involves exclusion, which makes this practice contradictory. Finally, its objectivist approach underestimates the role of subjective factors (values, norms, and cultural traditions). These concerns indicate the need for a new inclusion practice. The article outlines a new approach toward inclusion. This approach emerges from a better understanding of what inclusion actually is and what it involves. The article demonstrates the connection between inclusion and the process of creation. This close relationship suggests that the new practice of inclusion should use the process of creation as its main organizing principle.
Independent Sentinel
Among many divisions that the current war in Ukraine has created, suspicions and hostility toward... more Among many divisions that the current war in Ukraine has created, suspicions and hostility toward Russian who live in Ukraine represents perhaps the greatest danger for the future of the country. In order to avoid this danger, the government should use its levers of power to prevent excesses. It is unfortunate that the Ukrainian government does not always live up the role it is supposed to play. This short piece deals with one legal case against a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church who faces a very questionable accusation of collaborating with the Russian invaders.
Reason, Power, and the Project of Emancipation
UKRAINIAN ASSEMBLY OF DOCTORS OF SCIENCES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The focus of this article is the project of emancipation — alternately known as the Enlightenment... more The focus of this article is the project of emancipation — alternately known as the Enlightenment project, or the project of modernity. The principal goal of this project is the elimination of domination and the emancipation of humanity. Having originated during the period of the Enlightenment, this project has powerfully shaped the course of European and world history. Yet despite centuries of progress, the project has still failed to achieve its goal. The article tries to answer one question: Why has the project of emancipation failed to achieve its goal? In answering this question I focus on the work of Jurgen Habermas — arguably the most important contemporary advocate of the project of emancipation — and his proposed solution of this problem. My analysis shows that Habermas, as many of his predecessors, still fails to solve the problem of exclusion. The failure to solve this problem is the main reason why Habermas and the Enlightenment more generally fail to eliminate dominatio...
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Papers by Gennady Shkliarevsky
Available for download in an open access format from https://ethicalreviewss.com/index.php/erss/article/view/10
Статья Дениса Прокопенка, одного из основателей и командира знаменитой бригады «Азов», является ярким примером тенденции к исключительности. Статья содержит острую критику современной военной стратегии Запада и призывает отказаться от этой стратегии. Взамен Прокопенко предлагает новый подход в качестве универсальное решение проблемы глобальной безопасности. Анализ статьи показывает ограниченность исключающего подхода автора и предлагает пути преодоления этой ограниченности.
Ключевые слова: Денис Прокопенко, бригада «Азов», глобальная безопасность, горизонтализм, сети, иерархии, проблема различия, теория систем.
Abstract: This contribution is a response to the recent article by Denis Prokopenko in which he criticizes Western military strategy. Prokopenko’s article exemplifies the belief in Ukrainian exceptionalism—a trend that is common among modern Ukrainian nationalists. The critique of the article focuses on limitations of Prokopenko’s exclusionary approach and suggests the way of overcoming these limitations.
Key words: Denis Prokopenko, the “Azov” brigade, global security, horizontalism, networksб hierarchies, the problem of difference, systems theory.
Abstract: The article is a critical response to the proposal for creating a new naturalist Weltanschauung as a way of addressing the current crisis faced by our civilization. The proposal emphasizes the need to transcend the anthropocentric tradition. The critical examination reveals a paradox that defeats its intended purpose of transcending anthropocentrism.