Everyday and theoretical consciousness in the context of the crisis of human essence: problem statement

The article examines the essence, trends in the development of everyday consciousness and theoretical consciousness, their relationship in the context of the global crisis of modern society. It is shown that this crisis has deep anthropological foundations and represents a crisis of human essence itself. From the perspective of materialistic understanding of history, it is obvious that, ultimately, it is the crisis of social being that provokes the crisis of everyday and theoretical levels of social consciousness. However, the Marxist theory also assumes the opposite effect - an essential activity of social consciousness in relation to social being. The author states that under contemporary conditions this reverse influence leads to «conservation» of social being in its forms that are inadequate to the latest challenges. The author’s hypothesis is that one of the factors restraining the development of society and overcoming the crisis is the deformation of everyday and theoretical consciousness and their relations. The article formulates the problem and identifies the main objectives of the study. The author believes that it is necessary to reveal the essence of everyday and theoretical consciousness as well as dialectics of their relation from methodological positions of modern materialism; to investigate the successes and failures of efforts aimed at purposeful «scientification» of everyday consciousness; to reveal the concrete manifestations of the deforming influence on the interaction of everyday and theoretical consciousness; to identify the concrete mechanisms by which the crisis of social being promotes the erosion of rational moments of everyday consciousness, the strengthening of illusory theorization of the society.