FUTURE EMPIRES: VARIANTS, CONFIGURATIONS, AND LINES OF SPLIT IN THE LEADING WORKS OF PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCE FICTION OF THE LATE 20TH–BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURIES

Aim. Having analyzed several models of the past and the future, to compare them and draw conclusions about how the vision of empire has changed over time and which grounds for creating empires are more effective, as well as to analyze how the empires of the future should be different from the empires of the past. The purpose of this work is also to introduce into scientific circulation new sources containing an understanding of the problems and contradictions of empire as a phenomenon. In the article, the author focuses on the images of empires of the future shaped in the works of science fiction of the late XX – early XXI centuries. Methodology . Based on three works selected for analysis, in which the future and the past of the imperial type are modeled, the author of the article conducts a comparative analysis of these models. Results. The author comes to conclusions about the extent to which certain features of classical empires will be in demand in the future as well as their upcoming adaptation to new historical and civilizational conditions. Thus, the model of unification based on personal power, personal authority and strength turns out to be fragile in relation to diverse peoples who violate their cultural and confessional sovereignty, whereas the unification of equally diverse peoples facing similar challenges and united by common action leads to harmony and carries a tendency to strengthen the unity even with belonging to different cultures and beliefs. Research implications. The research deepens the understanding of the patterns of development of large multi-ethnic and multi-confessional formations also referred to by the term “empire”. The results of the study can be used in the analysis of the development of modern state entities and in training courses on political science, philosophy and history.