The Role of the Value Basis in the Context of Waging Non-Kinetic Wars: Methodological Prerequisites for Analysis

The relevance of the topic presented in the article is determined primarily by the current foreign policy situation, namely the hybrid war unleashed by the collective West against the Russian Federation, a significant component of which are the so-called nonkinetic wars: informational, organizational, mental, cognitive, etc. In the article, the author focuses specifically on cognitive wars, which are the least studied in the social sciences. Hence, the main purpose of the article is to consider possible methodological foundations for the analysis of cognitive wars in the context of the high turbulence of the world order and the growing dynamics of digital transformations in the economy, politics, and social spheres. As the core of such a methodology, the author suggests considering social synergetics, the key postulates of which are openness, non-linearity of self-development, and the nonequilibrium nature of systems of various natures, which are most consistent with the current context of public relations. Special attention is paid to the role of the system of spiritual and moral values, or the social value basis, in ensuring the stability of the political system and effective counteraction to cognitive aggression. The author revealed its main functions, such as ensuring communicative effectiveness, overcoming the social atomization of modern society, and ensuring the cognitive stability of society by increasing resistance to cognitive and mental aggression.