Value Meanings of Culture

Culture serves as the primary framework for human creation, continuously shaping the essence of humanity. In this context, individuals embody meanings through purposeful activities. However, the theoretical interpretation of these meanings has been predominantly influenced by the tradition of rationalism, which tends to view meanings solely within the confines of communicative-semantic and logical processes. This perspective overlooks the diverse range of non-rational forms of understanding reality. Communicative-semantic interpretations attribute the origin of meanings exclusively to the realm of consciousness and intellectual endeavors, neglecting the significance of purposeful practical activities as a genuine source of pre-rational cultural constants and primary practical meanings. These meanings inherently encompass both cognitive and value dimensions. Through spontaneous generalization, primary practical meanings are categorized into cognitive and value meanings, which are distinguished by their psychophysiological modes of representation in consciousness. The sociocultural spheres reflecting, organizing, and reproducing these meanings are formalized according to their types. The reflection and reproduction of cognitive meanings occur in the systems of science and education, while value meanings, which serve as stimuli for social activity, are manifested in aesthetic and artistic processes that design both spiritual and practical aspects of social activity and education.