The article attempts to study the ontology of the language of education through the optics of philosophical and cultural research. The relevance of the topic is primarily concerned with the desire to comprehend the consistent universalization of some ideas and concepts in modern pedagogical practices as eternal and unchanging — against the backdrop of rapidly changing means and methods of cognition and communication in modern society. The purpose of the study is to offer a reasoned reconstruction of the ontology of the modern language of education for resolving this contradiction. The objectives of the study involve 1) to use examples of science, philosophy and fiction to describe the main approaches of new European culture to the language of education; 2) to identify the key challenges of our time that determine the need to turn to the construction of the ontology of the language of education; 3) to highlight the axiological component of the language of education; 4) to investigate its aesthetic and moral aspects. The main research method is categorical analysis. The research materials of the study are philosophical and literary works touching upon the topic of the language of education and allowing the tracing of possible models of the corresponding ontologies, to describe the conditions of their identification, as well as the possibilities and limitations of their application in pedagogical practice. As a result of the undertaken research, the ontology of the modern language of education was reconstructed. It paradoxically combines the idea of eternal values and the dynamic approach to the ontology of culture. It is shown that approaches to the language of education were formed as a result of understanding the connection between symbolism expressed in language and the ideas of constructivism, defining culture as a way of meaning-making. It was established that the key challenges of our time, which required turning to the construction of the ontology of the language of education, include the problems of communication in modern society associated with changes in socio-cultural reality. Among them are multiculturalism, inclusivity and the pursuit of stability in an unstable world, with a focus on the concept of "eternal values”. Thus, the axiological component of the language of education appears as the main (and eternal) question, to which a historically specific cultural answer is sought (and found), which has a moral and aesthetic dimension. This question represents the ontology of the language of education, adapting the mechanism of transmission of cultural heritage, and response of horizontal communication to the dictate of the time.

The article is devoted to the topical problem of analyzing cognitive mechanisms implemented in modern large language models (LLMs) based on the transformer architecture. Their high performance stimulates discussion of the hypothetical possibility of the emergence of the phenomena of consciousness in the process of their functioning. The purpose of the study is to clarify the potential of LLM in modeling the functions of human consciousness, taking into account the latest achievements in the field of interaction with artificial intelligence (AI). To achieve this goal, it was necessary to solve the following tasks: 1) to assess the progress of the scientific community in discussing the key paradoxes of the philosophy of consciousness (the Turing test, the Chinese Room); 2) to outline key positions in the current debate about the limits of modeling cognitive processes in artificial neural network systems; 3) to conduct an experiment on interaction with the GigaChat chatbot and analyze the data obtained to assess the current states of the cognitive abilities of the system. The main research materials used were the results of experiments with GigaChat, as well as scientific publications and philosophical works on AI and consciousness. The methodological basis of the study included categorical and value analysis; discourse analysis and SWOT analysis were also used. The key method was interaction with the GigaChat chatbot. As a result of the study, it was found that GigaChat demonstrates a high ability to interpret information, generate text and adapt to the context of a conversation, realizing its capabilities and limitations, as well as distinguishing between categories of subjects (‘you’, ‘we’, ‘I’). However, modern AI systems are still not capable of reproducing key features of human consciousness, such as developed self-awareness and subjective experience. The author concludes that the scientific community has made progress in discussing the key paradoxes of the philosophy of consciousness (the Turing test and the Chinese Room), taking into account new advances in the field of interaction with AI, but there are still unresolved questions about the criteria for consciousness; in the current debate about the limits of modeling cognitive processes in AI systems, various philosophical and methodological approaches are present, but the creation of a conscious AI continues to be the subject of intense debate and uncertainty. Experimental interaction with GigaChat has shown that the system has significant cognitive capabilities, such as adapting to context and recognizing categories of subjects, but it is still far from reproducing the full range of human consciousness, including developed self-awareness and subjective experience.

The relevance of addressing the understanding of the geography of religion as a section of religious studies is on the one hand due to the growing popularity of this discipline in the modern scientific space,  and on the other its insufficient conceptualisation. The high interest in the geography of religion on the part of the scientific community is caused by its focus on the comprehension of theoretical and practical problems related to the spatial characteristics of religious life. Nowadays, the study of territorial aspects of the coexistence of different religious traditions acquires a special urgency due to the combination of globalisation trends and the desire to preserve authentic identity. Historically, the problem field and scientific apparatus of the geography of religion has been formed with reliance on theoretical developments and methodological tools of philosophy and various scientific disciplines, which supports terminological and methodological polyphony within this discipline and hinders its conceptualisation. The aim of this work is to identify possible grounds for attributing the geography of religion to the sections of religious studies. To achieve this goal the following tasks were solved: the origins of the formation of geography of religion were revealed; the approach to the formation of geography of religion from the perspective of geographical science was analysed; the influence of philosophy of religion on the methodological foundations of geography of religion was shown; the main vectors of interrelation between geography of religion and religious studies were determined. The research is limited to the European tradition of studying the relationship between religion and geography. The study is based on the texts of the classics of philosophical thought, as well as the works of Russian and foreign scholars devoted to the comprehension of the geography of religion as a scientific discipline. To reconstruct the thinkers' position on the issues raised, to identify their dependence on the intellectual context and to compare them, such methods as historical and philosophical analysis of the text, discourse analysis and comparative analysis were used. The result of the study was the substantiation of the conclusion about the possibility and expediency of attributing the geography of religion to the branches of religious studies. Such positioning of geography of religion does not contradict the modern understanding of the problem field and tasks of this discipline as they are formulated within the framework of geographical science, and at the same time allows us to identify promising research strategies in interaction with various religious studies disciplines such as: philosophy of religion, history of religion, anthropology of religion, sociology of religion and psychology of religion.

The article provides an overview of theoretical approaches to comprehending private forms of religion. Private forms of religion are understood as beliefs and practices that go beyond exclusively institutional structures and doctrines. The relevance of the topic is connected with the existing demand for identifying trends in the development of the religious situation based on data on practices that take place in the everyday life of believers. The study aims to trace the peculiarities of the conceptualization of the notion of ‘private religion’ as a broad framework for describing religious reality. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set: 1) To identify, based on systematization of the existing research literature,  the key optics of studying private forms of religion; 2) to compare the specifics of definitions of religious reality in each of these optics; 3) to establish the key elements of the broadest approach to religious reality in the light of the theory of ‘lived religion’; 4) to trace the genetic connection of the theories of the framework of ‘lived religion’ with previous forms of theorizing, and to describe the evolution of these concepts in terms of religious epistemology. The materials of the study were publications devoted to private forms of religion considered within the concepts of lived religion, vernacular religion, and related concepts, as well as their predecessors - popular religion and folk religion, which caused the emergence of modern models.The methods of theoretical analysis and SWOT analysis were used to assess the internal logic of the concepts under consideration as well as the method of historical analysis, which allowed for the tracing of the evolution of approaches and establishment of their origins. In addition the method of comparative analysis was used to compare the existing strategies for researching private forms of religion.  As a result, the conceptual contours of the study of private forms of religion were revealed, taking into account the peculiarities of previous theories. The article makes 4 main conclusions: 1. The systematization of the research literature has revealed two groups of studies: ‘traditional’ studies of ‘folk religion’ and publications from the late 20th century that attempt to revise these traditional optics. The first group is represented by sources that emphasize ‘folk’ beliefs and practices. The second group includes modern theories of “lived”, “vernacular”, “material” and other conceptualizations of private forms of religion, which developed as a reflection on the limitations of existing models.  2. Each of the optics focusing on private forms of religion emphasizes the irreducibility of description to observable phenomena; in this case ‘vernacular religion’ fixes first of all the presence of the irrational element of the course of religious life; ‘material religion’ establishes the significance of objectification of religious life; ‘lived religion’, in our opinion, is the broadest notion revealing the variety of possible theoretical approaches to private forms of religion. 3. The key elements of modern concepts of private forms of religion are: the idea of their dynamic nature; the emphasis on everyday practices and their context; the orientation on empirical analysis and the application of qualitative research methods; the priority of research on material culture, personal experience of believers, and sensory aspects of worship. 4. Within the framework of addressing the theoretical origins of modern approaches, the main methodological difficulties are identified (primarily related to the hierarchical and evaluative specificity of traditional theories). The problem of neutral terminology is revealed, related to the inevitability of discursive associations and dichotomous oppositions, which, despite criticism, continue to be reproduced in research. It is revealed that comprehensive analyses of institutional and private practices from the perspective of systemically conducted falsificationism remain relatively rare, which indicates the prospect of further research in this area.

The relevance of the study is due to the need to investigate the cultural phenomenon of traveling and related travel journals. The rapid development of this genre along multiple trajectories (primarily travelogue as travel journalism and travel blogging) at the end of the 20th century replaced the more familiar genres of literary travel, travel essay, travel note, etc. Associated with the development of new media, travel blogs today represent a wide range of interactions, including the use of electronic means of communication. At the same time, the reference in this article to a littlestudied documentary source from the 19th century, the travel diary of Count Louis de Turenne about his journey to Quebec (winter–spring 1876), published in Paris in 1879, allows us to draw certain parallels between the travel journals of the late 1870s and the modern genre of travel blogging. The purpose of this study was determined by the discovered property of the French traveller’s journal, consisting in the desire to transmit his personalized experience in printed form in order to share impressions. Thus, this study attempts to trace parallels between the contemporary socio-cultural practice of travel blogging and its earlier prototypes. Achieving this goal required solving the following tasks: 1) to systematize the main approaches to the travel blog genre from the standpoint of cultural studies; 2) to establish the historical circumstances of the creation of the travel diary of Count Louis de Turenne; 3) to describe the personal characteristics of the Count that influenced the route he chose; 4) to trace the specifics of the phenomena that attracted his attention; 5) to correlate the cultural content of a 19th-century travel diary with the basic provisions of the latest leisure concept of the experience economy. The study is based on a comprehensive cultural analysis, which made it possible to combine the biographical method with a historical-genetic approach as well as both hermeneutic and anthropological examination of the available material. This view allowed for the tracing of the relationship between the realities of the journey, the author’s personality and the text he created (such a relationship is one of the main criteria of a travel blog, as it is commonly understood today). The material for the study was the aforementioned travel journal of Count Louis de Turenne Fourteen Months in North America (Turenne de Louis. Quatorze mois dans l’Amérique du Nord), which had not been studied by Russian scientists before. As a result, the study proposes a model for interpreting a modern travel blog as a consequence of the development of one of the directions of the travel genre, carried out in pursuit of impressions and recorded in regular diary entries. In conclusion a modern travel blog is a heterogeneous phenomenon, its comprehensive consideration in the optics of cultural studies can help to identify a number of non-trivial features. The historical circumstances of the creation of the studied journal do not allow us to fully project ideas about modern travel blogs onto this work. At the same time, an analysis of the diary’s content revealed a number of their typological similarities, the main one of which is the attitude to impressions as a value. Thus, the diary of Louis de Turenne can be considered a prototype of both modern travel blogging and a proto-phenomenon of the experience economy.

Currently, relations between Russia and Italy are experiencing another period of cooling, which hinders interaction at the level of governmental structures. Therefore, it is relevant to study the topic of establishing intercultural dialogue aimed at the prospect of implementing a positive scenario for establishing relations in the future. Of particular interest are the tools used for similar purposes in previous eras. The article covers one such tool — the visit to Italy in early 1908 of a separate detachment of ships assigned to carry midshipmen on a training voyage. It was the second voyage, organized by the Russian Navy Department for such purposes.  This is a little-studied topic and the aim of the study is to assess the role of the visit of this detachment in the establishment of relations between Russia and Italy. The objectives of the study are, including on the basis of previously unstudied documents; 1) to describe the key issues of interaction between the two countries at the beginning of the 20th century and look into the historical and cultural background of the visit; 2) to highlight and analyze the communicative aspect of the process of maintaining mutual interests during the visit; 3) to supplement the existing information on the mutual assessments of representatives of Russia and Italy that developed during and as a result of the visit. The methodological basis of the research is the principle of historicism, it was conducted using historical-genetic and historical-systemic methods. The materials of the study were historical documents, including a number of  fragments of official documents and memoirs stored in the Russian State Archive of the Navy and the Russian State Historical Archive, as well as one published source. The combination of historical sources of official and personal origin made it possible to look at the visit from different angles. As a result of the conducted research, a conclusion was made about the ambivalent nature of the intercultural interaction that took place during this meeting: its consequences were not of a breakthrough nature, but at the same time they provided the very possibility of future interaction. It is shown that the historical and cultural background of the visit was dual: from an economic and political point of view, there was mutual interest, but this was not the interest of partners, but rather the interest of not unfriendly players, whose mutual benefit did not yet outweigh mutual distrust. An analysis of the communicative component of interaction during the visit showed a pronounced diplomatic interest in maintaining “contact for the sake of contact,” ensured by the efforts of official representatives of the parties. At the same time, the semi-official and unofficial parts of the visit were significantly friendlier and relied heavily on cultural ties of the past. Based on the report of the detachment commander, Rear Admiral A. A. Eberhard, written following communication with the Italian royal family and representatives of the country's elite, it was concluded that both in government circles and in public opinion in the country, a wary attitude towards Russia prevailed. The Rear Admiral believed that the friendly reception at all levels demonstrated that the Italian authorities were committed to further developing contacts. At the same time, an analysis of the memoirs of two midshipmen on the ships of the detachment showed that there were no communication difficulties at their level. The detachment's diplomatic mission was overshadowed by the events of late 1908, related to the assistance of Russian ships to those affected by the earthquake in Messina. It turned out to be a kind of touchstone in establishing relations between the two countries. Through the analysis of previously unpublished documents, it was revealed that the specificity of the position of the military leadership of the detachment consisted in understanding the difficulties of refraction of positive personal contacts into promising political projects. At the same time, the efforts and attention of both sides were directed at maintaining communication as a condition for further interaction between representatives of the two cultures, which in itself turned out to be productive, despite the difficult political conditions.

The expression “(countries of) the Global South” is increasingly popular today not only in the speech practices of economics, politics, media and journalism, but also in scientific works and international legal discourse. It usually implies African and Asian states, but their list is still a subject of heated debates. This topic is of particular relevance, since the Russian Federation has been gradually expanding its cooperation with the countries of this cluster both bilaterally and multilaterally. The need to clarify the meaning of this concept in our study is due to the desire to minimize discrepancies in international documents. Accordingly, it aims to trace the cultural symbolization of the concept of the Global South primarily in the scientific and broad socio-political discourse, paying specific attention to international legal documents. The objectives of the study are to examine the specific approaches to this concept in everyday speech (primarily literature and media); international documents (primarily economic and political); to establish its core meanings within the current discourses of scientific communities; to critically analyze the historical fragmentation of the Global South in the post-colonial perspective; to assess the current state and prospects for the juristic use of the term, revealing the most promising approaches to its content in terms of concept and denotation. The study is based on historical materials, documents of the UN system and other international organizations, as well as scientific literature containing the relevant terminology. The study is comprehensive and relies on a comparative approach. Content analysis, SWOT-analysis, case study method, and the method of expert assessments were employed. As a result, various approaches to the content of the concept of the Global South have been systematized; the grounds for singling out this group of countries in scientific and political discourse have been classified; arguments for the need to clarify this, currently too broad and therefore insufficiently defined, concept have been proposed. It is established that this concept has been modified at least since the end of the 19th century, when the political foundations for the existing differentiation of states along the Global South axis were laid. Meanwhile, many authoritative scientists and practitioners still rely on economic indicators in this matter. The author defines the possibilities and limits of certain theories in attributing specific states to the category of the Global South. Despite the urgent demand for a clearer and more unambiguous definition of this concept, the paper argues that currently there are no scientific and practical opportunities necessary to develop such a definition. Based on the socio-cultural context and international documents, it is proposed to combine methods for classifying states into this cluster depending on specific political, economic and social goals both of the states themselves and of those who carry out such classification.

The relevance of this study is due to the growing interest in the ontological issues of art and literature, which today allows us to resist the global processes of digitalization of society. The poetry of the famous bard Alexey Vitakov, namely his poem from the winter cycle "Lose me in a birch grove ...", served as material for studying this issue. The purpose of the study is to show the phenomenon of apophatic culture, manifested in Russian artistic verbal culture, in poetry, at the ontological (thanatological) level of the text. To achieve this goal, theoretical works devoted to the apophatic paradigm in world culture were analyzed, opening up opportunities for onto-hermeneutic analysis of the artistic text. In modern cultural studies, the phenomenon of apophatic artistic culture is considered through the manifestation of the thanatological code. Within the framework of the onto-hermeneutic, cultural approach to the text, figurative implementations of this phenomenon in modern poetry, namely in the work of A. Vitakov, associated with the thanatological code, were studied. Additionally, the analysis extends to the typological level of the texts of Russian classics, the poem by A. S. Pushkin “Winter Road” and the poem by A. A. Blok "Russia", in which apophatics is expressed as a cultural phenomenon. A cultural examination of the concept of apophatics in its artistic cross-section requires research attention to the figure of the Other, a figure endowed with apophatic qualities and inscribed in the "text of fate", whom the lyrical hero of the poem meets in the conditions of a winter plain. . The ontological significance of the figure of the Other for me (the lyrical Me) is determined: to what extent is the Other important for me, how ready am I to approach him. A. Vitakov presents an artistic formula for meeting the Other in a threshold situation, in which his lyrical hero is on the verge of life and death. The results of the study consist in identifying the cultural and philosophical potential of modern poetry for further study of the problem of apophatics as a phenomenon of Russian artistic culture, a manifestation of national existence in Russian literature. The analysis of poetry makes it possible not only to outline new approaches to works of art in literary criticism, but also to treat differently the issue of studying apophaticism as a phenomenon of Russian literary culture. The results of the work may be of interest to philologists who include literature in the space of the great Bakhtinian dialogue of cultures, and can also be used in teaching courses on cultural studies and philosophy.

The study of the specifics of cultural symbolization in contemporary fiction is relevant due to its significance in culture, where literature is still one of the mechanisms for transmitting cultural heritage. At the same time, the nature of modern discourse is such that not only signs and meanings are radically changing, but also the forms of reflection on these changes. One of the vectors of these transformations is linked to the process of digitalization, which has also affected literature. The aim of this study is to outline the functions of smileys and emojis in the works of leading contemporary writers through an analysis of their forms of representation. The research objectives are as follows: 1) to trace the main approaches to the transformation of discursive practices and establish the possibilities and limitations of applying these findings to fiction; 2) to determine the significance of smileys and emojis in the implementation of mimetic techniques in contemporary literature; 3) to describe the forms and types of smileys used by leading contemporary Russian writers; 4) to identify the functions of smileys and emojis in fiction; 5) to systematize the obtained data against the background of an analysis of realist and postmodernist techniques reflecting discursive practices of the digital era in the studied texts. The research material consists of recently published texts, containing relevant graphic symbols (smileys and emojis), by prominent Russian writers — those who are contenders for and recipients of the country’s major literary awards, receive regular critical attention, and are associated with leading literary journals and the professional literary community. The primary focus is on the works of V. Pelevin, E. Vodolazkin, A. Salnikov, and R. Senchin. The selection methodology was based on random sampling, drawing from literary prize processes and critical reviews. Methods traditionally used to analyze smileys in online communication — such as the cultural-historical approach, content analysis, semiotic analysis, and linguistic analysis — were applied to these literary texts. As a result, new material is introduced into academic discourse, i.e. smileys and emojis in recently published prose works, specifically Invincible Sun (2020) by V. Pelevin, Chagin (2022) by E. Vodolazkin, Occultträger (2022) by A. Salnikov, and the short story Barbie (written in 2012 and published in 2024) by R. Senchin. It has been concluded that leading contemporary Russian writers exhibit a certain (restrained) interest in the transformation of discursive practices under the influence of digitalization. Smileys are primarily used for mimetic purposes — to convey psychologically realistic details of modern communication, reflecting generational connections and positive attitudes in writing. The study shows that these authors employ smileys in their simplest graphic form (parentheses) or through verbal descriptions. The functions of smileys are diverse: they serve as a means of complex emotional expression in figurative form, function as etiquette markers, and act as punctuation signs. In almost all cases, emoticons represent characters' online communication rather than direct authorial addresses to the reader.

The biography genre was initially focused on the life stories of great people, kings and generals who decided the fate of countries and peoples. However, as the culture of memory became more democratized and numerous archives, documents, diaries, etc. appeared, we now have the opportunity to view lives of representatives of a diverse social strata through a biographical lens . The hero of the book under review is Prince Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky. His ancestors are representatives of a titled noble family dating back to the Rurikovichs, and he himself remarkably combines four professions:  geologist, banker, financial consultant and art collector. The extensive historical and bibliographic material of the book is divided into 22 chapters that follow the chronological canon. At the same time, the author managed to move away from the clichés inherent in the biography genre and avoid romanticizing the glorious noble ancestors. As for the life of Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky himself, he was born during the period when his family lived in exile in Bulgaria. However, after the end of World War II, the communists came to power there too. Then the family decided to flee from Bulgaria to Greece through the mountains, but was detained by border guards. After living for some time in Paris, the young prince began studying Geology at Oxford. At that time, he began to take an interest in art and meets his future first wife Nina, the daughter of the French ambassador to the UN. In order to support his family, he works as a geologist in the oil fields and provides highly paid consultations to the management of oil producing companies. Together with his wife, they collect a unique collection of art objects. Meetings with art collectors fostered meaningful connections with influential members of the intellectual and artistic elite and their influential representatives both nationally and internationally. However, as befits a representative of a special genre of political and diplomatic work in the sphere of culture, Prince Nikita Dmitrievich very sparingly shares his secrets and achievements in this area in correspondence and public statements. The creation of a permanent exhibition of theatrical graphics in the country based on the collection of the prince and his first wife Nina may be of interest for readers interested in the peculiarities of cultural processes in the USSR during the late perestroika, and in the evidence of bureaucratic suppression of initiatives aimed at popularizing the theatrical culture of the Silver Age in the USSR. Prince Nikita Dmitrievich Lobanov-Rostovsky entered the tenth decade of his complex, meaningful and creative life with a clear mind, a voluminous memory and constantly expanding life experience. It is worth expressing gratitude to the author of the book, which helps the reader look at the turbulent events of almost an entire century with a lively, accessible and at the same time critical view, reflecting on the fate of the Motherland from the position of a steadfast, cheerful and deeply patriotic view of a complex Russian person.

On May 21, 2025, the New Tretyakov Gallery held a panel discussion titled Commonwealth of Museums: How Common Values Are Refracted in the Diversity of Cultures of the CIS Countries as part of the Intermuseum Festival. In an interview with one of the participants of the event, Masud Kimovich, the director of the Samarkand State Museum-Reserve, the role of museums in culture acquisition was discussed. Samarkand has held UNESCO World Heritage Site status since 2001. The Samarkand Museum-Reserve is a large institution whose history dates back to the second half of the 19th century, and today the museum-reserve includes 11 museums, 3 historical monuments, and 2 exhibition areas. Its museum collection is one of the greatest in Central Asia and is constantly expanding. Religious books in the museum’s holdings provide valuable material for theological researchers. The treasures of Samarkand attract an increasing number of tourists, who visit the museum each year, especially during the spring and autumn high seasons. The majority of visitors are domestic tourists, many of whom come on pilgrimages to holy places and to visit significant architectural monuments of the city. Russian tourists are most numerous after local tourists, as of May 2025. Foreign tourists mostly come from neighboring countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan and predominantly travel on their own, so the museum marketing team must work in the field to attract them. In contrast, tourists from distant countries often travel in groups, with their time and itinerary strictly limited. After the reconstruction of the Imam al-Bukhari mausoleum complex near Samarkand is completed, a new influx of pilgrims from Muslim countries is expected. Moreover, in recent years, Samarkand has become an international venue for receiving foreign guests of the highest rank. This is a demanding and important task, but Samarkand possesses all the necessary infrastructure and experience. Modern times force museum employees to constantly seek to improve their knowledge and be more creative.