The article discusses the aspects of digitalization in the information mass society, associated with the interaction of the personal being and the changing parameters of social relations and social space. It has been established that modern information technologies, the use of big data, allows of influencing the humans and controlling both their social behavior and individual self-realization. The author comes to the conclusion that digital technologies coupled with previously non-existent factors of social change are capable of transferring mass information society into a new phase. In accordance with this, the task of social-philosophical thought in searching for forms and methods of preserving individual aspects in a person becomes one of the most acute tasks of social development.

The article discusses the features of the media, the Internet and their influence on the formation of public opinion and public consciousness. The authors analyze the influence of modern mass media on public consciousness in modern Russia. Based on the results of the analysis, it was concluded that the growth of public interest in important, significant situations, as well as journalistic interest in covering these situations leads to the emergence and formation of a civic position in the society.

The article deals with the problem of the peculiarity of understanding the reality formed by the mass media in the concept of operational constructivism, with the productive positions being separated from the erroneous ones. The author studied the main provisions of N. Luman, a prominent representative of operational constructivism, on the features of the mass media reality by using the methods of comparative and semiological analysis. The conclusion is made that the mass media system vividly demonstrates that the direction and subject of thought in understanding reality and sense formation are largely determined by the choice of the way the information is presented, its functional and operational effect.

The article deals with A.I. Herzen’s attitude to early Christianity. The author examined the specificity of Herzen’s assessment of early Christianity. To this end, the views of Herzen and Saint-Simon were compared and, as a result, significant differences have been noticed. In addition, five similarities between early Сhristianity and socialism of the 19th century specified by Herzen have been identified. The main of them is that both teachings meet the needs of the lower strata of population and reject private property. The article specifies Herzen’s view on early Сhristianity, traces its connection with socialism and is addressed to those who are interested in Herzen’s work. The author comes to the conclusion that the Russian materialists who considered the social foundations of early Christianity, developed and supplemented the propositions made by Herzen.

The article deals with the problem of the methodological positions of the Russian religious philosophers of the 19th - early 20th centuries in the field of ontology. The study was conducted using the methods of historical and philosophical analysis: method of comparative analysis; method of historical and philosophical reconstruction; interpretation method; method of synthesis as a compound of the interpreted material in a new quality. As a result of the study, it was revealed that throughout the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries Russian religious philosophy tried to find such methodological positions that would become the foundation for philosophical systems, organically combined with the Orthodox mystical tradition, with the theistic worldview of Christianity. The theoretical significance of the article lies in the fact that the study of the deep, methodological stratum of Russian religious thought expands the theoretical possibilities for the further development of philosophical knowledge.

The article considers the theosophical concept of pantheistic spiritualism, historically evolving into the form of mesmerism, as a constitutional basis for reforming such principal attributes of the 18th - 19th century European culture as philosophy and science. The source base includes the seminal work of the theist philosopher V.A. Snegirev “Spiritualism as a Religious and Philosophical Doctrine.” Professor Snegirev is presented as the founder of the Kazan tradition of theo-anthropological centrism. The study was conducted using the comparative historical method of systemic reconstruction. The author comes to the conclusion that the development of mesmerism reflects a shift in the ideological paradigm, which marks a shift from the classical model of Western European science rooted in Christian tradition to neo-pagan natural philosophy in the form of spiritualism, reproducing the attributes of medieval deism, ancient and revivalist hylozoism, neo-European pantheism and evolutionism.

The article discusses epistemological constructions of Slavophile thinkers concerning the idea of holism. The concepts of holistic thinking and hyperlogical knowledge are revealed. The idea is emphasized that it is a holistic, spiritual mind that makes the cognition of God possible, which is the utmost task of thinking. The authors argue that Slavophiles connect such types of knowledge as heart knowledge, intuition and faith with the idea of holistic thinking. The specificity of Slavophiles’ views is that in the context of reasoning about irrational forms of cognition they introduce the theme of love. And the truth, according to them, is available only for the totality of minds connected by love. Using historical, analytical, dialectical and systematic methods of research, the authors come to the conclusion that the connection of irrational forms of knowledge with the idea of holism is an important feature not only for Slavophiles, but also for the whole Russian philosophy. The relevance of the subject-matter lies in the fact that at present, in the era of sharp social transformations and predominance of postmodernism, the idea of integrity in cognition becomes very important because any historical planning is impossible without integrity in cognition.

This article explores human heart in terms of philosophical, theological and anthropological synthesis. The article aims to reflect the dialectical correlation between the inherent properties of man, transcending to the Absolute, and his mind and form of reasoning. It highlights the Christian aspect of the heart that is a predetermined desire of the human being for goodness and truth. The article reveals interrelated aspects of the essence and symbols of the heart: existential, ontological, axiological, ethical, and epistemological. The article depicts the effective role of the heart in a dialogue of the internal and external worlds of the person. The author comes to the conclusions: in spiritual life of the person the activity of the heart is manifested in contemplation and cognition; the Christian heart finds true and real significance when it gets awakened by spiritual work, including the struggle within the self to love others; the heart and mind are interrelated human properties, the heart being a creative force and the mind helping to open the heart, comprehend its motives, and evaluate the influence of good and evil in human life.

The article presents a conceptual view of the problem of revealing the semiotic potential of territories based on the materials of ancient and modern geographical maps of the city of Astrakhan, the study of which significantly expands the cognitive tools of the concepts of symbolic design. The purpose of the study is to introduce the concepts of spatial visionary, mimetic geo-images and simadic structures which make possible the archeo-visualization of the territory’s gestalt objects as culturally significant territorial symbols. The author uses the methods of comparative analysis, structural-functional and general scientific. It has been concluded that the study of simadic structures allows to extract from the regional palimpsest key geo-patterns that can have a significant impact on the formation of attractive representations of the sociocultural space of the modern Russian city / region aimed at enhancing the national branding policy, developing domestic tourism, and solving institutional problems.