Violence and Religion as Social Phenomena of Contemporaneity (Philosophical Anthropological Context)

The article considers the most relevant phenomena of contemporary society - violence and religion - in their interaction and confrontation. Violence is presented in a number of forms: power as command and subordinate relations; total control bringing in the Panopticon symbolism; self-control; irrationality and destruction of impersonated mass; aggression and unmanageability of crowds; mimetic violence based on simulation and marking the victims. The author of the article defines the possibilities for violence emergence in religions and emphasizes the Church’s (in integer philosophical meaning) role in countering various manifestations of violence in contemporary societies. The author marks out the changed nature of violence since the beginning of the 21 st century connected to the technological development, rapid non-linear history development, usage of psychological mass manipulation, inclusion of religious categorization for communities’ submission and carrying out destructive actions and, sometimes, warfare. The author points out the importance of resistance to violence and irrationality by enlightenment and reason, by rationalization of all social interactions. The author focuses on moral, anthropological and spiritual potential of religions to preventing violence and minimizing its effects.

violence, non-violence, religion, power, rationality, irrationality, mimesis, Panopticon, mass, crowd, aggression