Institutional nature of the social elevator

Abstract

Introduction. The concept of «social elevator» is directly related to the name of P. A. Sorokin. The term itself, as well as the phenomenon hiding behind it, become especially in demand in the conditions of crisis situations in which society finds itself. In the article, the social elevator is considered as one of the tools for overcoming the crisis. The introduction of the article substantiates the need for a qualitative study of the meanings of what is hidden behind this phrase; the relationship between the metaphor and the concept in its current interpretation, in understanding the problems of social elevator, is clarified.
Purpose setting. The evolution of the idea of horizontal and vertical coordinates of social space is traced; the analogy between geometric and social spaces is investigated.
Methods and methodology of the study. The article analyzes the features of the formation of methodological knowledge in the history of culture, clarifies the idea of measuring social space in the concept of P. A. Sorokin, shows that the use of Cartesian coordinate system allows Sorokin to offer a new philosophical view of social space. This view, in contrast to the classical relational or substantial ways of seeing space, offers vertical and horizontal slices of this space.
Results. The article consistently presents answers to questions related to the history of the appearance of the phrase "social elevator" in science and everyday life; metaphorical and conceptual interpretations of the social elevator are revealed; the concept under study is applied to the actual reality of modern Russia on the example of one of the institutions of civil society (Autonomous Nonprofit Organization "Russia – the country of opportunities").
Conclusions. For the first time, the status of geometry in the formation of methodological knowledge, in the development of P. A. Sorokin’s socio-philosophical ideas was consistently traced. The peculiarities of the work of social elevators are illustrated by the example of the analysis of such an institution of civil society in modern Russia as the ANO "Russia – the country of opportunities". It is proved that Sorokin’s socio-philosophical concept is an effective scientific basis for explaining the specifics of social mobility in modern realities.