The problem of the relationship between applied and theoretical culturology

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to determine how the relationship between theoretical (fundamental) and applied (practical) culturology is understood in the Russian scientific literature. Based on the analysis of the works of Russian cultural scientists, the article raises the issues of the relevance of cultural knowledge, the necessity and possibility of cultural theory, the prognostic possibilities of the science of culture. Increased attention is paid to the consideration of such an aspect of the topic as the insufficient saturation of cultural concepts with empirical data and the blurring of the conceptual apparatus of culturology. The author attempts to substantiate the opinion that excessive theory, isolation from the living realities of culture harms culturology as a scientific discipline. The novelty of the research lies in the criticism of the position insufficiently reflected by the scientific community, according to which applied culturology is based on some fundamental knowledge about culture. The vulnerability of ideas about the existence of such knowledge is shown, which, however, does not detract from the importance of culturology. It is concluded that culturology can be a science in demand by society only by being primarily an applied discipline. Time will tell whether it will be able to acquire a theoretical superstructure that works in practice. But the theory should grow on the basis of specific empirical research, and not be invented speculatively.