SPIRITUALITY AND ITS ROLE IN HUMAN LIFE

Abstract

Summary. The purpose of the article is understanding of spirituality from the position of philosophy and determining of its role in the lives of individuals, their various communities, and society as a whole. Particular attention is paid to different approaches to the interpretation of this phenomenon, which are presented in the literature. The methodological basis of the research is the analysis of spirituality in the context of the relationship and contrast between the material and the spiritual, the ontological and the axiological, the secular and the religious. Spirituality is an indicator of the degree of «unfolding» of the spirit. Adequate interpretation of spirituality involves distinguishing the meaningful fields of the terms «consciousness of individuals» and «individual consciousness». The first one is much broader in content than the second one. The methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, ascent from the abstract to the concrete make it possible to understand the specificity of spirituality as a special regulation of human behavior. Scientific novelty. Essential signs of spirituality, features of its manifestation at the level of consciousness of individuals and in the system of social relations are highlighted. The connection of the phenomenon with freedom, duty, and creativity is analyzed. Spirituality is considered as an important condition for productive selfrealization of the subject and change of reality for the better. This purpose is impossible without the moral component, which acts as a kind of «filter» that leaves positively oriented values in subject's consciousness from all the information learned by him. The specificity of the antipodes of this formation – non-spirituality and pseudo-spirituality – and their negative impact on people's behavior and the functioning of society are shown. Conclusions. Spirituality is an important characteristic (quality) of human existence, manifested in the subject's thoughts and actions, which have a positive orientation, a conscious moral basis, and a goal setting for the improvement of oneself and the environment. It occupies a prominent place in the culture system. At the same time, it is formed under the influence of the latter.