Actualization of the Problematics of the Other in the Value-Semantic Context Based on Materials from Russian Culture of the Late XVIII – First Quarter of the XIX Centuries

The scientific interest in the problematic of the ‘Other’ remains relevant, particularly in light of ongoing globalization processes. Modern cultures confront, alienate or adopt the values of those with whom they communicate. Questions concerning whether to accept the ‘Other’ and their experiences, the potential for their transformation, and the necessity of openness towards the ‘Other’ constitute a significant modern agenda in intercultural communication. This article presents an effort to synthesize models of reception of the ‘Other’ as articulated by both domestic and European thinkers, including the author’s original scheme of the value-semantic system “Self – Other”. The concept of the ‘Other’ is examined through phenomenological and civilizational approaches. The author notes a spectrum of characteristics attributed to the ‘Other’ and proposes a value-semantic lens for their consideration. A central question that persists to the present day is the possibility of understanding the ‘Other’ or Alien. An analysis of this issue through a value-based optic has revealed the factors of identification and consolidation of the ‘Self’ in relation to the ‘Other’. The author explores this problematic through culturally-historical examples of Russian-French interactions in the late XVIII – first quarter of the XIX centuries. The given examples and cultural and historical experience can be used in the analysis of the current cultural situation.