Culturologist’s Expert-Analytical Activity: Goal-Setting and Intellectual Resources of Decision-Making

Abstract

The article actualizes the philosophical and culturological understanding of expert-analytical activity, considered as a special type of intellectual activity and a social technology in demand by society. The author defines the content of culturologist’s expert-analytical activity. It is represented not only as a multidisciplinary work of a universal specialist versed in many areas of cultural creativity, but also as a research work of a culturologist capable of reaching the level of broad theoretical generalizations. The author proposes a typology of expert-analytical activities of culturologists, which includes more than ten directions — from the examination of cultural values, legal expertise, evaluation of projects and programs to the humanitarian and linguoculturological expertise. There is identified a group of factors influencing the algorithm and the quality of the examination conducted by researchers. The article reveals the meaning of the context and characteristics of the socio-cultural situation in achieving the effectiveness of results. The author focuses on substantiating the goal-setting and the levels of expediency of invoking expert procedures and analytical work. There is raised the question of creating expert teams (cognitive communities) for the purpose of scientific analysis, discussion and ranking of socio-cultural issues for strategic decision-making as a process of choosing from potential alternatives. The article shows that the basis of the expert community’s communicative model includes not only the procedures for obtaining knowledge, methods of transmitting and exchanging information, but also the demonstration of meanings that set conceptual filters for discussion processes in order to obtain objective and full-fledged ideas about the object of expertise. In turn, the involvement in the reflection process provides a critical assessment and stimulates the experts to their own interpretation and decision-making. There is raised the question of the need for teaching critical thinking and professional training of expert culturologists.