Mediation: Overcoming Social Dichotomies

Abstract

The relationship between the individual and society, particularly their opposition to one another, has always been central to philosophy and the social sciences. This question has taken on special relevance and national importance in Russia today, as the country undergoes intense transformation while simultaneously pursuing modernization and preserving its national traditions. Russia must construct mechanisms to ensure social solidarity across a multi-ethnic, multicultural society characterized by diverse sociocultural, religious, ethical, and moral traditions. The increasing complexity of social systems, emerging technological realities, and external pressures have exposed the limitations of classical methodological approaches that rely on rigid dichotomies and “either/or” thinking, forcing choices between diametrically opposed and often mutually exclusive positions. There is an urgent need for new conceptual tools to analyze the “space between” – the mediational field where genuine social dialogue emerges and middle-ground positions acceptable to all parties become possible.
The articles in this issue continue the journal project “Problems of Mediation and Dialogue” (directed by Dr. Alexei Davydov) and present interdisciplinary research bringing together philosophers, economists, sociologists, and artificial intelligence specialists. Rather than simply describing existing and potential forms of individual-society interaction, the authors develop a conceptual framework for analyzing those middle spaces where dialogue reformulates positions and transforms both individual needs and societal interests.