Social ecxclusion as a moral problem
The article describes the issue of the social exclusion as a moral problem and ethical commitment. The meaning, main causes, forms and different solutions of the social exclusion problem are described. У статті розглядаються питання соціальної ізоляції як соціальної проблеми та етичного зобов’язання...
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Інститут філософії імені Г.С. Сковороди НАН України
2012
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| citation_txt | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem / S. Kоnstańcζak // Світогляд - Філософія - Релігія: Зб. наук. пр. — Суми: ДВНЗ "УАБС НБУ", 2012. — Вип. 2. — С. 51-58. — Бібліогр.: 9 назв. — англ. |
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| description | The article describes the issue of the social exclusion as a moral problem and ethical commitment. The meaning, main causes, forms and different solutions of the social exclusion problem are described.
У статті розглядаються питання соціальної ізоляції як соціальної проблеми та етичного зобов’язання. Досліджено її значення, головні причини виникнення, форми прояву та запропоновані різні шляхи вирішення даної проблеми.
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Збірник наукових праць. 2012. Випуск 2
51
Summary
Kovalenko Andriy, Denisova Darya. Fear as a Means of the Manipulation
of Consciousness in Mass-Media.
The article defines the role of mass-media in the life of modern society and
reveals the notion of the manipulation of consciousness. The issue is approached
from emotional perspective, highlighting the essence of the emotion of fear as the
basic human emotion and the mechanism of its use as a means of the manipulation
of consciousness in mass-media.
Keywords: manipulation of consciousness, fear, basic emotions, mass-media.
УДК 177.8
Stefan KОNSTAŃCΖAK©
SOCIAL ECXCLUSION AS A MORAL PROBLEM
The article describes the issue of the social exclusion as a moral problem and
ethical commitment. The meaning, main causes, forms and different solutions of the so-
cial exclusion problem are described.
Keywords: social exclusion, moral problem, ethical commitment, society, social
policy.
Problem statement. One of the basic disposition of every man is
freedom of making up decision concerning one’s own existence. Universal-
ity of such a conviction is seen in a well-known saying: “Every man is the
architect of his own fortune”. This saying includes a hidden assumption
that all people are born equal and have similar possibilities at their disposal.
However, in every society there are two groups of people, of which major-
ity is doing well in the conditions of free market economy and minority is
helpless and is characterized by lack of ability to look after one’s own
business. Between these two groups there is still one middle group which
functions in a so called “grey zone”, formally qualified as minority but in
fact it takes part in social life. In general, it is a double beneficiary because
it also takes advantage from the means of the welfare for the helpless and it
also gains unregistered income because of functioning at the work market.
It is obvious that for every society this middle group poses a definite threat
because its salary is not charged with the costs of taxes and social and
health insurance premiums. Moreover, they also take advantage of the
means coming from the premiums paid by legally employed people. There-
fore, they deprive the most needy ones of the part of the means designed
for social support and they also diminish dignity of honest work. The moral
problem here is not only the fact of heartless use of inefficiency of welfare
system by such people but mainly moral agreement to such actions by the
people who should be provided with such help. It is also expressed by a
© Stefan Kоnstańcζak, 2012
Світогляд – Філософія – Релігія
52
slow moral degradation of people who are constant beneficiaries of the
welfare. Their situation can be initially called a disadvantageous economic
situation but it quickly changes into an oppressive social situation. Such
people stop to be desired neighborhood for this part of society which func-
tions successfully in a market economy. Social isolation which they experi-
ence has therefore two sources. One of them has an external character and
results from falling out of the work market and is also connected with the
lack of financial means which makes it impossible to take part at the mar-
ket in a role of a consumer (holidays, culture events, visits at the shopping
centers, etc.). Second level of isolation has an internal character and, as it
seems, is caused by a simple shame in front of the society because of one’s
helplessness and indigence (See: interesting notes of possibile sources of
shame for oneself in Elzbieta Struzik) [2, p. 208–210]. Adam Smith once
rightly noticed that a man who hasn’t got decent clothes is ashamed of ap-
pearing in a public place.
It is difficult to state which of these levels isolates deeper from the rest
of society but their common result is finally the phenomenon of social ex-
clusion. Among theoreticians of economy and politics there is a dispute
concerning the size of this phenomenon and defining the moment in which
it starts. Accepting income criterion is a kind of compromise but dwelling
standards or the state of health are not less essential. Income criteria in au-
thor’s conviction describes therefore exclusively the state of emergency
and not exclusion alone. Looking from this perspective, the problem should
be considered from other point of view because erroneous assumptions re-
sult in irrelevant strategy of help given to the excluded. Therefore, in this
article there will be raised the question of moral commitment of society and
defining of the boundaries of giving help to the excluded people. This is
strictly an ethical task because society cannot evade such help but at the
same time has to clearly set the rules and criteria of giving such help. The
lack of such rules and criteria causes that the most of such help is used by
those who use welfare as an easy source of income.
The aim of the paper is to describe meaning, main causes, forms and
propose different solutions of the social exclusion problem.
Previous research. The problem of social exclusion was investigated
in the works of such researchers as A. Power, W. J. Wilson, Li Yi, F. Mou-
laert, E. Swyngedouw, A. Rodriguez, A. Honneth, Philippe Van Parijs,
G. Deleuze, J. Rawls, K. Marx.
Main body. The notion “social exclusion” was used for the first time
in the book published in 1974 of French economist René Lenoir “Exclusion:
one Frenchman for ten” (Les exclus: Un Francais sur dix) [5]. In economy
this notion was adopted in the English issue as leading to a social division
Збірник наукових праць. 2012. Випуск 2
53
into insiders/outsiders. Literally, it is used to describe this group of people
which, for different reasons, is not able to look after their own business in-
dependently. One can consider this problem in the categories of biological
terminology because lowered ability about to adopt to changing conditions
of a social life decides about exclusion of a given person. Only when we
consider the problem from this perspective one can avoid a charge that a
man becomes excluded for his/her own request and such viewpoints among
liberally-minded intellectual and political elites are not rare. To be honest –
a person who is able to take care of one’s own business independently is
not excluded, however uncomfortable situation he/she would be in because
exclusion consists of element of helplessness, not adjusting to the surround-
ing social world. Statement of such status does not require any special
abilities, however it is only by chance that exclusion is identified with pov-
erty. For assuming income criterion results in dispersion of social activity
and is in favour of using the gaps in legal system by a part of society which
should not benefit from institutional help endorsed by the state. In this way
the problem with the excluded is not an economical problem any more but
also a political one. Now, the excluded, in spite of their number, do not
have any possibilities of exerting pressure on political elites at their dis-
posal, so they are not subject at the political scene. For this reason one can
say that politicians do not let them die of hunger but at the same time they
have no stake in leading them out of exclusion. Even success connected
with leading out of the exclusion of a group of people does not change into
defined political profits. Here, we therefore touch the problem of relations
connecting spheres of freedom and politics. Assuming such an interpreta-
tion, the excluded ones have to fulfill some “positive” role in the social sys-
tem if they are maintained and tolerated in this state. Otherwise, discourse
on freedom would not pass indifferently by the existence of those who do
not make use of this freedom at all.
Market economy simplifies discourse over the problem of man’s free-
dom in general, because it is reduced to the problem of loss of the source of
regular income. Mostly it is connected with the loss of a job which mostly
constitutes relatively certain source of this income. The man who loses
his/her job as if loses his/her freedom at the same time. Of course, this is an
illusion but it seems to influence perception of the situation of all partici-
pants of social life. It may also happen that a man who was never cared for
by anybody, at the moment of losing a job suddenly becomes “a hero” of
tabloids and surely he/she will automatically find him/herself in the register
of people threatened with the loss of a job. It is enough to read a popular
magazine to see that it really happens. At the same time return to the job
market might involve the loss of this medial status, which might cause
Світогляд – Філософія – Релігія
54
instinctive defensive reaction inducing a maximum delay of coming of such a
moment. No wonder that often the excluded ones are least interested in get-
ting out of the oppressive state. The state of affairs is not changed by the
conviction that full social safety in a market economy practically does not
happen but there exist groups which are deprived of it in every dimension
and they are a burning moral problem.
As there is a hypothetically possible situation in which nobody is in-
terested in getting out of exclusion of a definite person, so at the same time
it explains why the struggle with it is so ineffective. Therefore, in every
liberal democracy there is simultaneously a discourse on two levels: eco-
nomic and political. The order of first kind of discourse shows a conviction
that the excluded ones are mainly important as “a bugbear” for those who
have their job as a source of regular income. The second order requires an
equal “worry” about all participants of social life. As a result: “economic
order generates inevitably unemployment, however legal and political or-
der, inspired by solidarity ethics, organizes solidarity by granting income to
non-active victims of the job market” [3, p. 215].
This income is strictly rationed though and in principle aimed at a
complete elimination out of the job market and therefore in spite of reduc-
ing it deepens the state of exclusion. There is also a noticeable tendency in
all countries of liberal democracy in which there is a trend to change financial
benefits into different substitutes which delimit the freedom of excluded
ones even more. Such form of a substitute are different kinds of rations of
ready-made food and manufactured goods, housing benefit, financing of
meals for children, free lunches, etc. Finally it causes that the very unem-
ployed people are scared with the threat of losing them and they do not take
up any activity in order to improve their situation. Therefore, for social eth-
ics the most important thing is a specific challenge how to break this self-
driving vicious circle. But to make it possible there must be set unequivocal
parameters allowing to classify somebody to the excluded ones. This can-
not be income criterion because it only acts till the moment of starting to
get out of the exclusion state because it generally stops at the moment of
starting of paid work. At the same time this is a critical moment when this
help is maybe the most important thing. What, therefore, let us include
somebody into the category of excluded people? In the report of Task
Team for Social Re – integration affairs operating under the auspices of
Ministry of Economy and Social Policy five groups have been considered
as threatened with exclusion [1, p. 6–7]:
1) disabled people;
2) mentally ill people;
3) people leaving prisons;
Збірник наукових праць. 2012. Випуск 2
55
4) women after giving birth of children;
5) addicted people.
The proposal of this team evokes many reservations because total
counting of all such people would show that the problem of exclusion con-
stitutes the margin of social life. In the meantime the situation is different
because the problem is growing and for the causes indicated above, struggle
with it is ineffective.
In the report of Ministry of Economy and Social Policy there has been
one concept of exclusion adopted, the one that assumes that every citizen
has right to education, work and social insurance, health protection, housing,
using of public and having one’s own means of transport and communica-
tion, to social help, rehabilitation and access to culture. Social exclusion is
understood here as depriving the individuals or all groups of possibility to
use one of the above rights.
In the meantime, one should possess definite abilities to fully make
use of entitlements we are given by participation in a social group. Because
modern culture requires from a man “that he will possess abilities needed
in working, family and public life. It can be assumed that modern world re-
quires that to possess these abilities one has to graduate from a secondary
school, that this type of education is common. For example: to operate well
in the modern world one has to be tolerant but also has to know how to use
a mobile phone […] Ability to make good consumer choices and also aware-
ness of civil identity […] let somehow find oneself in life. Without secondary
education such package is difficult to transmit. And without it there starts
the mechanism of exclusion starts to act, which makes the man a citizen of
second category in different dimensions” [9, p. 30].
Therefore the problem of exclusion can be brought to three basic
levels [8]:
1) problems with participation;
2) problems with entitlements;
3) problems with resources.
In Poland there exists understanding of the notion “social exclusion”
proposed in 2003 by Group II of Task Team of Social Re-integration affairs
of Ministry of Economy, Work and Social Policy. In the understanding of
members of the Team “social exclusion is a situation preventing from or
significantly obstructing an individual or a group fulfilling social roles
within the law, making use of public goods and social infrastructure, col-
lecting of reserves and gaining income in a dignified way” [6, p. 14]. Such
understanding of the phenomenon of exclusion is concentrated on three es-
sential elements: determining situation leading to exclusion, indicating
people who belong to the excluded people and indicating the spheres of
Світогляд – Філософія – Релігія
56
public life out of which a given person has become or might become ex-
cluded. As forms of exclusion are quite variable and there is a possibility
only short-term social exclusion connected with i.e. sudden loss of health,
work or loss of a significant part of income, the subject of interest is per-
manent social exclusion, getting out of which requires the outer help.
To our point of view it is also important to look through the social ex-
clusion as ethical commitment. Possibility of determining that somebody is
at the stage of exclusion involves a kind of moral commitment to provide
services in favour of people being in an oppressive social situation. One can
expect in vain that members of any society will spontaneously decide for
such diagnosis of the nearest social surrounding. One should rather expect
activities aimed at transferring of this duty to state institutions. The conse-
quence of such state of affairs are declarations like: “that is why I pay taxes
to the state” or “it’s their own fault”. As a result, one can say that an exclud-
ing organ is the society itself. Therefore leading somebody out of exclusion
is at the same time an act of renewed socializing, introducing into social
life. This is not exclusively the process of coming back to the market as
people responsible for social policy imagine in the most of countries.
Within this return to society one should somehow learn some new princi-
ples of community life, including especially conventions and moral rules
based on the principle of reciprocity. For social ethicists it is becoming
more and more obvious that a man excludes him/herself out of society more
than his surrounding does it with him/her. Self-exclusion is based, among
others, on rejecting of the rules and principles applicable in a society out of
which he/she has been excluded. Return to normal social functioning is
long-term and involves new accepting of the rules which had been rejected
before.
Thus, finally, the phenomenon of exclusion leads to the situation that
disadaptation of an individual to the requirements of social environment is
“transferred” on other people or is transferred to the next generation. “If a
man in his/her life will not be able to effectively look after him/herself, that
is decide for oneself, then:
• they might be cared for by institutions and civil servants feeling that they
represent “the will of haven” or “social and nature forces” with whose
“imposed will” one should irrevocably agree with, which leads to making
an individual dependent on their decision, to his/her intellectual and
moral enslavement, incapacitation in all aspects of life […];
• one will not be able to take care of those for whom he/she should be re-
sponsible for (first of all for the relatives and charges);
• others (following the act of mercy and compassion) will have to help
this individual” [7, p. 115].
Збірник наукових праць. 2012. Випуск 2
57
Conclusions. To change the existing situation it is justifiable to look
for new strategies assuring possibility of independent getting out of exclusion.
One of them are undoubtedly micro credits – the kind of ones given by
Grameen Bank from Bangladesh established by Muhammad Yunus, Nobel
Prize winner in 2006. They are however only efficient in these cases when
the excluded ones want to change their own social status. In our conditions
an excluded person has no chance to obtain such a credit and in this way
one of the most effective form of fighting with exclusion is unavailable.
Other form, as it seems, of effective struggle with exclusion is proposed by
Jules Gazon stock of neighbourhood credits (crédit de proximité – CPR).
They are a kind of socially rationed services but their final cost will always
be smaller than institutional fight with unemployment. What is important
such a form allows to free oneself of the circle of impossibility and helpless-
ness and at the same time to keep the sense of autonomy. Gazon is convinced
that by implementing his idea all people able to do any work will find
socially useful job and thus unemployment has to disappear [3, p. 220]. It is
difficult to share this conviction with him but in his proposal, what seems
more essential, is proceeding integration of the excluded with a local society
and including all citizens into the struggle with exclusion (Such opening to
another man is postulated by Aleksandra Kuzior) [4, p. 120–122].
Social ethics has something to offer to politicians but this offer requires
accomplishing of definite reforms and to carry them out successfully political
will and sense of solidarity are more important than money alone.
References
1. Analiza polityki społecznej państwa w kontekście przeciwdziałania wykluczeniu
społecznemu. Raport Grupy nr 3 Zespołu zadaniowego do spraw Reintegracji
Społecznej Ministerstwa Gospodarki i Polityki Społecznej. – Warszawa, 2003. –
Р. 6–7.
2. Etyczny wymiar cielesności w filozofii E. Levinasa // Jeden za drugiego – Levinas
filozofem więzi społecznej, edit. R. Monia i K. Wieczorka / wyd. Wszechnicy
Mazurskiej. – Olecko, 2008. – P. 208–210.
3. Gazon J. Ani bezrobocie ani opieka społeczna: Od wyboru etycznego do ekonomicznej
realizacji, transl. / J. Gazon. – K. : Malaga, WN PWN, Warszawa, 2008. – P. 215–220.
4. Jakość życia // Metodologické a metodické otázky z bioetiky v súčasnosti / edit.
V. Gluchmana, Prešovska Univerzity v Prešove. – Prešov, 2009. – Р. 120–122.
5. Lenoir R. Les exclus: Un Francais sur dix / R. Lenoir. – Seuil ; Paris, 1974.
6. Problemy definicyjne zjawiska wykluczenia. Raport Grupy II Zespołu Zadaniowego do
spraw Reintegracji Społecznej Ministerstwa Gospodarki, Pracy i Polityki Społecznej. –
Warszawa, 2003. – Р. 14.
7. Rembierz M. Gra władzy i wolności. O ludzkich dążeniach do samostanowienia
i podmiotowości w epoce ideologii konkurujących o zawłaszczenie człowieka /
M. Rembierz // Wolność i władza w życiu publicznym, ed. J.M. Byrskiej, W. Zuziaka,
WN PAT. – Kraków, 2008. – Р. 115.
Світогляд – Філософія – Релігія
58
8. Szarffenberg R. Od trzech elementarnych strategii badawczych do programu badań
wykluczenia społecznego / R. Szarffenberg // Wykluczenie społeczne / edit. L. Frąckie-
wicz; wyd. AE. – Katowice, 2005.
9. Zdał, nie zdał: czy to takie ważne? Rozmowa pomaturalna z socjologiem prof.
Ireneuszem Bieleckim. – Polityka. – 2006. – № 29. – Р. 30.
Отримано 01.02.2012
Анотація
Стефан Констанчак. Соціальна ізоляція як моральна проблема.
У статті розглядаються питання соціальної ізоляції як соціальної
проблеми та етичного зобов’язання. Досліджено її значення, головні причини
виникнення, форми прояву та запропоновані різні шляхи вирішення даної
проблеми.
Ключові слова: соціальна ізоляція, моральна проблема, етичне зобов’я-
зання, суспільство, соціальна політика.
УДК 37.0+1
Оксана МИХАЛИНА©
ФИЛОСОФИЯ ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ И ПОСТМОДЕРНИЗМ
Статья посвящена постмодернистской философии образования, которая
находит свое применение в образовательной практике, в трансформации сознания
педагогов, их ценностных и философско-теоретических установок. Постмодерни-
стские концепции образования выступают за радикальное реформирование обра-
зования, за индивидуализирующие методы обучения. Явление постмодернизма
в образовании – это радикальный пересмотр и переосмысление тех оснований, на
которых зиждется все здание европейской культуры и цивилизации.
Ключевые слова: философия образования, постмодернизм, критическая педа-
гогика, Запад, теория образования.
Постановка проблемы. Изменения в экономике, культуре, техно-
логиях во второй половине ХХ века и в начале ХХI века вызвали к
жизни необходимость философской рефлексии, выдвигающей новую
ценностную парадигму для истолкования мира, в том числе и образова-
ния. Ответом на эти изменения являются идеи постмодернизма, предла-
гающего критический и трансформирующий взгляд на современность.
Актуальными задачами обращения к данной теме становятся необхо-
димость нового подхода к образованию и изменение концептуальных
рамок философии образования.
Анализ актуальных исследований. В статье идет речь преимуще-
ственно о западной философии образования, поэтому степень разра-
ботанности темы будет дана в таком же контексте. Очерчивая круг
литературы по данной теме, необходимо выделить три блока.
© Оксана Михалина, 2012
|
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| institution | Digital Library of Periodicals of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| issn | XXXX-0108 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-30T11:57:10Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Інститут філософії імені Г.С. Сковороди НАН України |
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| spelling | Konstańcζak, S. 2013-01-23T18:23:06Z 2013-01-23T18:23:06Z 2012 Social ecxclusion as a moral problem / S. Kоnstańcζak // Світогляд - Філософія - Релігія: Зб. наук. пр. — Суми: ДВНЗ "УАБС НБУ", 2012. — Вип. 2. — С. 51-58. — Бібліогр.: 9 назв. — англ. XXXX-0108 https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/40683 177.8 The article describes the issue of the social exclusion as a moral problem and ethical commitment. The meaning, main causes, forms and different solutions of the social exclusion problem are described. У статті розглядаються питання соціальної ізоляції як соціальної проблеми та етичного зобов’язання. Досліджено її значення, головні причини виникнення, форми прояву та запропоновані різні шляхи вирішення даної проблеми. en Інститут філософії імені Г.С. Сковороди НАН України Світогляд - Філософія - Релігія Філософія Social ecxclusion as a moral problem Соціальна ізоляція як моральна проблема Article published earlier |
| spellingShingle | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem Konstańcζak, S. Філософія |
| title | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| title_alt | Соціальна ізоляція як моральна проблема |
| title_full | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| title_fullStr | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| title_short | Social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| title_sort | social ecxclusion as a moral problem |
| topic | Філософія |
| topic_facet | Філософія |
| url | https://nasplib.isofts.kiev.ua/handle/123456789/40683 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT konstancζaks socialecxclusionasamoralproblem AT konstancζaks socíalʹnaízolâcíââkmoralʹnaproblema |