Skhid

The Religiosity of Modern Youth: Transition from Institutional Dependence to Individualized and Syncretic Spirituality

Tetiana Bevz, Olena Hazizova , Viktoriia Kapustina — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article analyzes the profound transformation of religious life among Generation Z, focusing on the global trend of deinstitutionalization. The central thesis posits a decisive shift from inherited institutional dependence to individualized and syncretic spirituality (often expressed as SBNR – “Spiritual But Not Religious”). The analysis, based on international sociological research (Pew, Springtide) and domestic Ukrainian studies, identifies the core drivers of this change: a profound demand for authenticity, a low tolerance for institutional hypocrisy, and the prioritizing of social justice and ethical action over rigid dogma. Young people utilize digital platforms to construct their own “Disaggregated Faith”, adopting practices and beliefs from diverse traditions.

A key finding highlights the Ukrainian paradox: despite a strong trend toward non-institutional, syncretic consciousness (over one-third of youth), a significant portion maintains a relatively high level of institutional practice (church attendance), often contrasting with Western decline. This paradox suggests that in times of crisis, institutional affiliation in Ukraine may function as a socio-cultural act of national solidarity and a functional community, rather than solely dogmatic obedience. The conclusion emphasizes that to remain relevant, religious institutions must fundamentally transform their communication and mission, moving away from a focus on doctrine to addressing real-life existential issues, demonstrating genuine inclusivity, and adopting a “service community” model. The future of faith lies in personal choice, ethical transparency, and active social impact.

Transformation of Religion as a Form of Communication in Social Realm of Digital Age

Mykola Stadnyk, Uliana Martyshchenko — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article demonstrates that the transformations of contemporary social realms are not mere technological but also fundamentally communicative. The latter aspect shapes new conditions under which religion operates. Within the digital society, communication is not solely a medium for the transmission of information, but a basic principle underpinning the construction of social reality, including religious experience. In this context, the mediatization of religion emerges not as an external influence but as an integral process of its reorganization in accordance with the logic of contemporary media. This process entails changes in the ways faith is being represented, a partial transformation of religious authority, and a reinterpretation of symbols and narratives that function within an open, dynamic, and competitive information environment. The article emphasizes that the digital dimension of religious communication reflects a transition from institutionally centralized forms to more decentralized and personalized models. Religious experience is increasingly shaped through individual engagement with media content, participation in online communities, and new forms of communicative presence. This does not necessarily imply the disappearance of traditional institutions. Rather, it indicates a transformation of their role, from being the sole source of authority to becoming one of many participants within the broader communication landscape. Changes in the sphere of pastoral activity, particularly development of telechaplaincy, further confirm this trend by demonstrating reorientation of religious communication toward the individual needs of believers, their lived experiences, and the accessibility of spiritual support regardless of spatial constraints. The conclusion highlights that contemporary religious communication is formed at the intersection of technology, media, and social practices, where not only the content of faith but also the manner of its transmission becomes a defining factor. This creates new opportunities for religion while simultaneously confronting it with the challenge of preserving substantive depth within a rapidly changing and media-dependent environment.

Ethical Dimensions and Transformation of Meanings in the Loss Motif: Ukrainian Children’s Military Literature (2024–2025) in the Context of Ukrainian Studies

Iuliana Shynkaryk — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article provides a Ukrainian Studies comprehension of the ethical dimensions and transformation of meanings in the motif of losing family and loved ones during the Russian-Ukrainian war in Ukrainian children's military literature. It is established that the comprehension of the loss motif in Ukrainian children's literature of the 2024–2025 period marks a qualitatively new, mature stage in the development of national Ukrainian Studies discourse, capturing a transition from initial soothing therapy and shock response to deep ethical honesty, deconstruction of taboo topics, and the formation of a child's active agency. It is found that contemporary military prose for children, represented by the works of Alina Otzemko, Kateryna Yehorushkina, Dzvinka Matiyash, Tetiana Rumenko, Dmytro Kuzmenko, Olena Skulovatova, and other authors, definitively abandons the excessive romanticization of war in favor of legitimizing children's fear, pain, and uncertainty. It is noted that through powerful artistic metaphors and specific contemporary cultural codes, literature transforms the perception of loss from a destructive void into a value-based heritage. In this context, a physically destroyed home turns into an internal space of national identity, while the memory of fallen heroes integrates into both private and nationwide experiences of the struggle for freedom, ensuring the continuity of generations and performing a crucial nation-building function. The study reveals that such a literary catharsis synchronizes with the evolution of Ukrainian children's reading practices (according to Info Sapiens sociological data and the "Reading Without Borders" monitoring by the National Library of Ukraine for Children). This evolution demonstrates an increasing percentage of independent reading for pleasure and intellectual pursuit, where the book serves as a tool for adaptation, and teenagers' choice of an honest dialogue testifies to their formation as active chroniclers of their own era. It is emphasized that the leadership of adventure and humorous works in children's preferences highlights the need to preserve mental integrity and define safe territories, which requires authors and educators to abandon straightforward didactics in favor of delicate, synergetic approaches. It is substantiated that a contemporary book about war emerges no longer as a mere dry textual document, but as a complex therapeutic toolkit: paratextual elements and visual codes of illustrations, particularly the works of Anastasiia Bankulova, reduce anxiety and create a visual space of trust, while interactive activity supplements, notably in Alina Otzemko's publications, allow processing trauma through creative action. It is proven that Ukrainian children's military literature of 2024–2025, combined with the practices of tactical communication, becomes a reliable moral safeguard against dehumanization. It does not merely record an historical catastrophe, but transforms the individual pain of loss into a fundamental resource for long-term resilience, building an integrated personality for the new generation and laying the semantic foundations for a post-war Ukrainian Studies worldview.

Transformation of Сharitable Activities of Religious Organizations in Ukraine under Wartime Conditions in the Context of Socio-Humanitarian Processes and Digital Practices

Іrіna Lomachinska, Mykhailo Kravets — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article provides a religious studies analysis of the transformation of charitable activities of religious organizations in Ukraine under wartime conditions, driven by profound changes in the socio-humanitarian space. It is substantiated that, as a result of the full-scale aggression, religious institutions have become important actors of civil society, combining charity, volunteerism, and social ministry. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive religious studies interpretation of the transformation of charitable activities of religious organizations in Ukraine during wartime through the prism of the integration of socio-humanitarian and digital dimensions. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary combination of religious studies, sociological, legal, and media-communication approaches. The empirical basis of the study consists of the results of an online survey conducted among respondents from religious communities of Sumy region, as well as a content analysis of social media platforms. It has been established that the regulatory and legal framework for charitable activities requires further improvement, while the activities of religious organizations have significantly intensified in the fields of humanitarian aid, spiritual support, and rehabilitation. The effectiveness of fundraising and endowment mechanisms as instruments of financial sustainability for charitable initiatives has been demonstrated. Particular attention is paid to the role of digital technologies and social media in resource mobilization, audience expansion, and trust-building. It is concluded that the digitalization of charity contributes to increasing the effectiveness of social ministry and strengthening societal resilience.

The Struggle of Ukrainian Orthodoxi against the “Russian world”: Practice and Theory of Opposition

Yuriі Fihurnyi, Olha Shakurova — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article analyzes the practical and theoretical aspects of the confrontation between Ukrainian Orthodoxy and the “Russian world”. It is revealed that since the formation, establishment, and development of Russian statehood, it was created as an aggressive state entity, the main goal of which was the destruction and absorption of competitors and the creation of an empire. It is revealed that one of the main elements of Russian imperialism, in addition to military, political, economic, cultural, etc., is also spiritual, the vivid embodiment of which was the “Russian world”. It is established that the “Russian world”, despite its institutionalization at the beginning of the 20th century, has existed for many centuries as an existential dimension of Russian imperialism. It is noted that Ukrainian Orthodoxy, from the time of its inception to this day, has become one of the factors of opposition to Russian imperialism and its existential manifestation - the “Russian world”. It was emphasized that more than three centuries of subordination of Ukrainian Orthodoxy to the Russian Orthodox Church caused it great harm, which has now materialized in the existence of two Orthodox religious structures – the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It has been found that the modern Russian-Ukrainian war is not an ordinary high-intensity military conflict, but an existential confrontation between European Christian civilization and the Eurasian Orthodox empire. It is shown that to achieve victory over Putin's autocracy, it is not enough to defeat it on the battlefield, in economics, in diplomacy, in geopolitics, etc., it is necessary to defeat the enemy also in the humanitarian sphere, namely, to reveal the criminal and imperial essence of the “Russian world”. It is established that in this existential struggle against Russian imperialism and its geopolitical doctrine and pseudo-religious concept – the “Russian world”, Ukrainian Orthodoxy plays an important role. A model for refuting the Russian propaganda claim that Ukraine is an integral part of the “Russian world” is presented.

Religion, Politics and Law: The Security Dimension of Interrelationships in Times of War and Peace

Oleg Buchma — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article analyses the specific nature of the security dimension of the interrelation-ship between religion, politics and law from a retrospective, contemporary and prospective perspective, with a focus on the experience of Ukraine. It has been established that religion and religious institutions are intrinsically and historically closely linked to politics and, con-sequently, to the state and the law. It is shown that, in their interrelationships, religion and politics have historically evolved from complete fusion to a functional division of spheres of influence (from sacralisation to sovereignty, from theocracy to a secular state).
The role of religious institutions, ideas and interfaith relations in the nation-building pro-cess, the formation of Ukraine’s political and legal culture, and its state sovereignty is exam-ined. Their place and significance in the development of Ukrainian statehood at various stages of its history are identified. It is shown that the religious factor, in various forms, has been a means of implementing Moscow’s aggressive policy regarding historical memory and the political, cultural and religious identity of the Ukrainian people, both in the past and in the current context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It is demonstrated that the presence in Ukraine of religious structures subordinate to the aggressor state destabilises the internal socio-political situation and directly threatens national security. Ukrainian legislation is analysed, and the trust between the state, the army and the church is identified as a key factor in public and national security.
The place and role of religion in overcoming challenges and threats to Ukraine’s na-tional security, and in the establishment and functioning of the rule of law and civil society, have been clarified. The specific ways in which religious institutions, values and norms influence the formation of political and legal culture, civic engagement and the rule of law have been identified. The significance of academic (scientific) religious studies for national, state, humanitarian, religious and information security, the preservation and development of Ukrainian statehood, and the creation and promotion of a true image of Ukraine at the international level has been highlighted and emphasised.

The Lifeworld and Knowledge in the Age of Big Data: a Phenomenological Perspective

Alla Kravchenko , Iryna Kyzymenko, Nataliia Husieva — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article provides a comprehensive philosophical analysis of the transformation of the classical concept of "knowledge" and the fundamental dimensions of the phenomenological concept of the "lifeworld" (Lebenswelt) under the conditions of total digitalization, platformization of society, and the widespread proliferation of Big Data technologies. The authors substantiate the necessity of moving beyond the purely technical, regulatory, or sociological discourses of the digital environment, proposing instead a fundamental framework of critical phenomenology. Drawing upon the foundational ideas of E. Husserl, A. Schutz, M. Heidegger, and M. Merleau-Ponty, as well as the conceptual apparatus of J. Habermas’s critical theory, the study demonstrates that the algorithmic mediation of contemporary platforms exerts not merely an instrumental influence on everyday practices, but a radical ontological transformation of human being-in-the-world. This shift directly deforms the primary structures of human experience, including embodiment, temporality, spatiality, intersubjectivity, and individual self-understanding. Within the scope of this study, it is explicated that modern digital infrastructures operating within the logic of "surveillance capitalism" (S. Zuboff) and "metric power" (D. Beer) constitute a qualitatively new form of the "colonization of the lifeworld." Unlike the classical Habermasiam model, wherein the expansion of the systemic logics of money and administrative control occurred through external institutional pressure, algorithmic colonization unfolds immanently—from within the subject itself. It reformulates the individual's attention, affective reactions, motor patterns, and muscle memory, thereby transforming the smartphone into an element of an extended cognitive and corporeal "self." The study reveals that traditional sources for shaping the Schutzian "stock of knowledge" and "systems of relevance" (such as face-to-face communication, tradition, and upbringing) are increasingly supplanted by predictive algorithms, filter bubbles, and echo chambers. This engenders a phenomenological paradox of "digital alienation" (N. Couldry, J. Yu), whereby the individual is transformed into an object of knowledge for corporate platforms, losing their status as the primary subject of knowledge about themselves. Consequently, their unique first-person experience is reduced to a statistical "data double" (J. Cheney-Lippold) and free raw material for behavioral futures markets. The algorithm, therefore, begins to function as an artificial, anonymous "significant other" devoid of the inner horizon of the alter ego, which ultimately ruptures the ethical fabric of intersubjective communication.

People Level Effects of ASEAN Member States’ Divergent Cyber Gov-ernance Policies: Observations from 2014 - 2024

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This study investigates the people-level impacts of cyber governance across ASEAN countries between 2014 and 2024 through a quantitative descriptive analysis of secondary data and policy reviews. This study employs the Policy Diffusion Theory, Constructivism, and Regional Security Complex Theory, along with the Comprehensive Impact Assessment and Dimensions of Impact frameworks to study investigate the people-level impacts of cyber governance across ASEAN from 2014 to 2024. Categorized into economic indicators (i.e., net migration, food importation, GDP, GNI) and social, cultural, and demographic indicators (i.e., literacy rates, maternal mortality). The study draws data from various sources, specifically the UN Population Division, Worldometers, the World Bank, and the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS). The findings suggest that ASEAN states with consistent cyber governance tend to have higher GDP/GNI and at least two positive people-level outcomes. While policies converge institutionally (CERTs, ISO standards, CII protection), they diverge in purpose and enforcement, with no clear link to MMR or migration rates. Finally, the paper addresses the implications of the above findings.

Introduction to Max Horkheimer's Philosophy of Religion: Philosophical Faith in the Time of the Formation of the Basic Institutions of Democracy

Vitalii Bryzhnik — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article examines the attitude of the neo-Marxist philosopher Max Horkheimer toward Christianity as a socio-cultural phenomenon of Western societies. By analyzing his philosophical and religious works, the study reveals that the Christian religion gradually lost its core ethical component through the historical progress of Western civilization. Consequently, Western Christianity, as the embodiment of Europe's rationalized spirituality, became incapable of combating the social injustice generated by dehumanized politics and unrestrained state violence. This historical shift facilitated the spread of a dehumanized rationality within Western culture, characterized by the authoritarian administration of human social existence. Horkheimer argues that the primary factor capable of neutralizing the power of such administrative control is the individual spirit. Once a person becomes a bearer of responsible reason, they are able to make conscious efforts toward implementing the principles of harmonious coexistence within a democratic society. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrates that for Horkheimer, this spiritual component of the individual functioned as an object of personal feelings of a deeply religious nature. The catalyst for actualizing this personal responsibility in society is identified as upbringing—a crucial social institution of Western democracy cultivated within the family circle. Finally, drawing on Horkheimer's philosophical and educational works, the study identifies other essential social institutions necessary for this transformation: a renewed university education, the humanistic morality of the new youth receiving such an education, individual accountability, and a conscious, active solidarity with those experiencing suffering and unjust treatment.

Galaxia Digitalis as a New Reality of Digital Modernity

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article provides a socio-philosophical and anthropological analysis of the funda-mental transformations of human existence under the conditions of algorithmization and platformization of society. The concept of Galaxia Digitalis is substantiated as a qualitatively new media, political, and epistemic regime of digital modernity, which fundamentally alters the classical linear scheme of communication and deprives the medium of its status as a neutral channel. It is proved that in the new reality, the medium takes over the cognitive and selective functions that previously belonged exclusively to the human subject.
The study unfolds on three interconnected levels: politico-epistemic, economic, and an-thropological. At the level of new regimes of power, a shift from disciplinary institutions to infrastructural modeling (technopolitics) is fixed, which is legitimized through the "simula-crum of humanitarianism". The concept of the "fifth stage of the simulacrum" is proposed to describe the simulacrum of total decentralization of power, where the subject of action is displaced from language and social practices, paralyzing the individual's capacity for re-sistance. At the economic level, the concepts of "extractive infrastructure" and "digital en-closure" of the user's living space are explicated, where human intimate life is transformed into raw material for predictive models, leading to the "alienation from the future". In the anthropological dimension, the transition from a holistic individual to a split "dividual" (a set of digital metrics and a bundle of profiles) is analyzed. To describe this decentralized sub-jectivity, an integral analytical framework of the "anthropological polyscreen" is introduced.
The study concludes that the response to the total infrastructural extraction of data should be the assertion of "cognitive sovereignty" through the strategy of "resistance as a composition" — an ensemble of practices aimed at protecting the human scale and main-taining one's own positionality in information exchange, which serves as a functional alter-native to naive Luddite rebellion.

Living Through War Together: a Global Polyphony of Local Disruptions

Ilami Yasna — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Contemporary discussions of crisis keep portraying the modern social living through the lens of interconnected instability, uncertainty, and risk associated with disorientation, anxie-ty, and weakened agency. At the same time, concrete local communities collectively living through locally bounded crises have been proven to demonstrate intensified forms of resili-ence, orientation, coordination, and collective action. Based on this contrast, this paper suggests that different types of crises may generate different structures of experience and social coordination.
From the perspective of social phenomenology and using a case of the civilian living during russia’s war against Ukraine, it addresses global risks as indirect, abstract, diffuse, and mediated, which, in terms of Alfred Schutz, means that they lack a shared horizon, remain outside the sphere of immediate relevance, and belong primarily to the domain of They-relations. By contrast, locally bounded crises are lived directly and synchronously by entire communities, unfold within the zone of actual reach and intensify We-relations, grounded in co-presence, simultaneity, and mutual awareness.
The paper argues that this difference explains why the awareness of global risk or crisis leads to disorientation and passivity, whereas collectively lived local crises enhance coor-dination, increase collective agency, and intensify social bonds. Under such conditions, uncertainty is transformed into practical problems that can be collectively interpreted and acted upon, giving rise to hyper-orientation – a heightened, socially distributed capacity for situational understanding and action.
Despite their diversity, these conditions generate a recurring social form of collectively sustained life under disruption. On this basis, the paper proposes to refocus from a unified global image of crisis toward its local manifestations. It argues that such a shift would chal-lenge our understanding of the global condition. Approached as a multiplicity of distinct local disruptions that cannot be blended into a single, homogeneous civilizational condi-tion, the contemporary world appears more ambivalent: a space where anxiety and disorien-tation coexist with collective endurance, coordination, and the active sustaining of social life.

Existential Dimensions of Life Under War: the Media Environment of Modern Ukraine

Volodymyr Kipen, Nataliia Bolkhovska, Kyrylo Mieliekiestsev — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article examines regional journalism in Ukraine under the conditions of the full-scale Russian invasion, focusing on the relationship between professional practice, infor-mation warfare, and the possibility of a tolerant information space. The study draws on a nationwide survey of 591 regional journalists conducted in 2024.
The findings indicate that wartime conditions restructure journalism at material and ethi-cal levels. Increased workload, financial instability, restricted access to information, and psychological strain form the background against which certain editorial decisions are made. While journalists generally demonstrate awareness of basic professional standards, uneven training and limited access to expertise constrain the consistent application of these standards, particularly in the coverage of vulnerable groups. At the level of content, inclusivity remains uneven and selective. Some groups, most notably veterans and inter-nally displaced persons, are systematically represented, whereas others receive limited coverage. This asymmetry stems from editorial priorities, structural limitations, and the pres-sures of wartime communication.
Information warfare constitutes the defining context of these developments. Disinfor-mation operates at the level of false facts and within broader narrative-interpretive frame-works that shape meaning, identity, and legitimacy. Journalists further remain in favor of additional training for understanding how to better combat disinformation and resist adver-sary narrative-shaping.
The article also engages debates on the limits of tolerance, such as recent critiques of liberal international order in Ukrainian philosophical publications, suggesting that journal-ists’ expressed need for further development of information verification skills and expert guidance indicates a practical redefinition of tolerance as bound by epistemic responsibility rather than abstract neutrality. As is, the article argues that tolerance in wartime is ill-served by being understood as unconditional openness. Rather, tolerance in wartime emerges as a differentiated ethical stance: inclusive toward vulnerable social groups, yet resistant to manipulative and propagandistic forms of discourse. Respectively, the development of a tolerant information space depends as much on normative commitments as on the institu-tional capacity of journalism to sustain truth-oriented practices under the conditions of a prolonged war.

Epistemic Resistance to Manipulative Strategies in Digital Media: a Cognitive-Discursive Framework

Olena Hudzenko — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article provides a comprehensive socio-philosophical and cognitive-discursive con-ceptualization of manipulative strategies within the contemporary digital media space, examined through the lens of developing individual epistemic resilience and safeguarding the mental integrity of society. The relevance of the study stems from the rapid intensification of information flows in the digital age and amidst global sociocultural crises, where manipula-tive technologies are increasingly instrumentalized as tools of hybrid influence to artificially construct simulacra of reality. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach that integrates a socio-philosophical framework of media resistance, religious media ethics, and a cognitive-pragmatic perspective on discourse. Drawing on contemporary Ukrainian and global theoretical models, the author examines the key cognitive-linguistic tools of covert pressure on hu-man consciousness (specifically, complex metaphors, euphemisms, directives, affective words, and emotionally charged vocabulary) while systematizing multidisciplinary strategies for countering disinformation. Particular attention is devoted to how modern manipulative technologies exploit the psychological and mental vulnerabilities of human cognition under conditions of digital overload. The article explores the operational specifics of manipulative models within political and media discourses, where covert pressure relies on linguistic im-plicitness designed to bypass critical processing. The pragmatic aspects of implementing communicative tactics—such as discrediting, re-emphasizing, engineering communication barriers, and artificial polarization (“us vs. them”)—are evaluated within a broader theoretical framework. Furthermore, the study places special emphasis on the threats of quasi-religious manipulation associated with the instrumentalization of sacred meanings and the deploy-ment of pseudo-sacred ideologemes in media texts. It is argued that assessing manipulative pressure and fostering systematic epistemic resistance fall within the domains of practical philosophy and social epistemology. Cultivating critical thinking and independent text-decoding skills is interpreted not merely as an applied educational objective, but as a funda-mental manifestation of an individual’s epistemic responsibility and ethical choice. Ultimately, by synthesizing these insights into a cognitive-discursive framework, the study proposes a three-level theoretical and methodological toolkit for analyzing destructive media content and actualizing collective epistemic resistance to preserve society’s worldview identity.

THE RELIGIOSITY OF MODERN YOUTH: TRANSITION FROM INSTITUTIONAL DEPENDENCE TO INDIVIDUALIZED AND SYNCRETIC SPIRITUALITY

Олена Газізова

The analysis, based on international sociological research (Pew, Springtide) and domestic Ukrainian studies, identifies the core drivers of this change: a profound demand for authenticity, a low tolerance for institutional hypocrisy, and the prioritizing of social justice and ethical action over rigid dogma. Young people utilize digital platforms to construct their own «Disaggregated Faith,» adopting practices and beliefs from diverse traditions.

The conclusion emphasizes that to remain relevant, religious institutions must fundamentally transform their communication and mission, moving away from a focus on doctrine to addressing real-life existential issues, demonstrating genuine inclusivity, and adopting a «service community» model. The future of faith lies in personal choice, ethical transparency, and active social impact.

The African Inversion of Global Christianity: Religious Studies and Philosophical-Historical Aspects

Yurii Omelchenko, Andrii Vitov — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This study is interdisciplinary in nature, integrating religious studies, political philosophy, and African studies. Drawing on Louis Hartz's concepts of the "transplanted ideology" and the "freezing of ideological fragments," the article analyses the African "fragment" of Christianity that emerged free from European feudal traditions, the church-state conflict, and the secular critique of the Enlightenment. These conditions gave rise to an epistemologically autonomous religious system representing a distinct type of Christian modernity. Unlike European Christianity, which underwent a millennium of institutionalisation, the Reformation, and secularisation, African Christianity developed in conditions where these processes either did not occur at all or unfolded in a radically different sequence and configuration, producing the conditions for inversion — a new and syncretic variety of Christianity. Similar processes have taken place in other regions of the world, giving rise to Asian-syncretic, sub-Saharan, and Latin American variants of global Christianity. While Christianity is experiencing a crisis in Europe that is reflected in political processes, interest in the religion is, on the contrary, growing beyond the European continent, albeit in its autonomous and polycentric form. This shift marks a displacement of the centre of Christianity from Europe to the Global South, where approximately 70% of all Christians now reside. The most rapid growth in the number of Christians across all denominations is occurring in Africa. These findings were presented at the General Assembly of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), held in Seoul in October 2025. The study establishes that among the key reasons for the rapid growth of Christianity in Africa are its decentralisation, polycentrism, its separation from the historical memory shaped within the framework of European collective memory, and its paradoxical combination of tradition and modernity.

Philosophical and religious aspects of the commodity fetishism (based on the digital economy)

Roman Vorobei — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article is devoted to a philosophical and religious analysis of the phenomenon of commodity fetishism in the digital economy. It draws on Georg Simmel's philosophy of money, Karl Marx's concept of commodity fetishism, Max Weber's idea of the “disenchantment of the world,” Mircea Eliade's dichotomy of the sacred and the profane, Walter Benjamin's concept of the “aura” of art, and critical approaches. Max Weber's concept of commodity fetishism, the idea of “disenchantment of the world,” Mircea Eliade's dichotomy of the sacred and the profane, Walter Benjamin's concept of the “aura” of art, as well as the critical approaches of Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard to the mythologies of mass culture, this article explores how market relations reproduce the structures of religious consciousness. It is demonstrated that the fetishization of goods in the digital environment is associated with the sacralization of value, which is based on a collective belief in the “magical” power of money, brands, and digital objects. Particular attention is paid to NFTs as a prime example of a digital fetish that combines economic, cultural, and quasi-religious dimensions. It is demonstrated that in 2020–2021, NFTs functioned as an economic, cultural, and technological fetish. Digital code and artificial scarcity endowed tokens with an “aura” of uniqueness and the promise of belonging to elite communities. At the same time, mass replication, speculative expectations, and imitation practices of cargo cult induced oversupply and a crisis of trust. Declining trade volumes and a sharp drop in prices demonstrate the process of demythologization. The magical status of the token is fading, and NFTs are returning to the status of an ordinary risky asset.

The Paradox of Hope in Liquid Modernity: Social Transformations and the Value Space of Contemporary Europe

Ronny Klose — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article examines Ernst Bloch's radical transformation of hope from its theological to its secular-utopian form through a distinctly socio-philosophical lens. Beginning with an analysis of how Augustinian-Thomistic hope functioned as an ideological mechanism that deferred justice to an otherworldly realm while stabilizing earthly hierarchies, the article traces the crisis of transcendent hope in modernity and identifies Martin Luther's dialectic of the hidden God (deus absconditus) as the crucial conceptual bridge to Bloch's philosophy. Bloch's ontology of the Not-Yet relocates hope within immanent, material processes, distinguishing between anticipatory "waking dreams" (Tagträume) that orient toward real possibilities and compensatory fantasies that defer transformation. The article explores Bloch's concept of concrete utopia – grounded in actual historical tendencies through docta spes (educated hope) – and its influence on liberation theology and social movements of the 1960s-70s. Critical examination reveals three fundamental challenges: the fragmentation of the revolutionary subject after 1989, the totalitarian dangers when utopian hope hardens into ideology, and the theodicy problem of sustaining hope without metaphysical guarantees. Contemporary analysis demonstrates how late capitalism colonizes futurity itself, yet new movements – from climate justice to solidarity economies – practice prefigurative politics that embody Blochian hope as democratic praxis. The article argues that Bloch is not simply overcoming but radically inheriting Christian eschatology's messianic structure, relocating it from transcendence to immanence, from divine grace to collective human agency, creating a hope adequate to our post-religious yet deeply utopian-needing age.

Digital Inclusion and Social Justice in the Modern Society: the Role of Public-Private Partnerships

Maryna Dielini, Kateryna Alekseieva, Anna Dergach — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article examines the prerequisites and relevance of the emergence of digital inclusion and social equality. The main opportunities that digitalization provides for various interested groups including society in general are indicated creating the basis for digital inclusion in society. Digital inclusion is considered as the ability to consume digital services due to their accessibility and the corresponding level of digital literacy. It is noted that the reverse process of digital inclusion is the digital divide which is characterized as uneven access to the Internet and digital tools, differences in digital literacy and infrastructural limitations in access to various digital opportunities. All this causes a digital divide, social inequality, and does not allow creating conditions for social justice. While digital inclusion provides opportunities for different segments of the population to fully participate in the labor market, gain knowledge and master skills, regardless of age and profession, increase the efficiency of production, business and management processes through their automation and robotization, etc. The development of digital inclusion and social justice is facilitated by the creation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) which we define as cooperation between public and private bodies to improve the quality of life of the population and increase the level of well-being. The directions of PPP digitalization and the consequences that it has for the population and the state as a whole are identified. It is noted that PPP plays a significant role in the development of an inclusive society and social justice as it achieves a significant social effect for society. This is justified, among other things, by the opportunities that PPP provides in the development of digital public infrastructure, namely the expansion of Internet accessibility, the development of payment systems, personal identification, etc. PPPs can also focus on the implementation of public services that become possible for implementation with financial, technical or expert support from the private sector. One of the greatest values of PPPs is in the development of digital educational projects or providing remote access to educational platforms. This increases digital inclusion and contributes to a more equitable social distribution.

Institutional Strategies for Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: A Comparative Analysis of Ukrainian Experience

Olga Sarajeva, Larysa Kokhan — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article examines the process of integrating generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into Ukraine’s educational ecosystem during 2025–2026. Drawing on a comparative analysis of regulatory frameworks and academic integrity codes at leading universities – including Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University, and O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv, the study identifies four key institutional strategies for AI regulation: from strict control and ethical barriers to practical utility and full academic freedom.
The analysis reveals a sociological phenomenon of “dual reality,” characterised by a gap between the latent mass use of technology by over 80% of students and the official discourse of higher education institutions, where only 26% of respondents are willing to openly declare their use of AI. At the same time, the study presents the GAIDeT methodological model (Generative AI, Author, Input, Declaration, Ethics, Transparency) as a validated instrument for ensuring academic integrity and legitimising the use of AI in the research process.
The study establishes that shifting from a paradigm of “strict oversight” to a model of transparent partnership ensures the sustainable development of Ukrainian higher education in the context of global digital competition and the renewal of the educational environment. The research concludes that this approach becomes a catalyst for transforming the role of the teacher – from a transmitter of knowledge to a moderator of intellectual inquiry, while preserving the uniqueness and inviolability of human creative agency.

Soft skills in social and humanities education of the digital age: philosophical and educational dimension

Olena Krasilnikova — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article offers a philosophical and educational analysis of the phenomenon of soft skills within the context of socio-humanitarian education in the digital age. The relevance of the study is determined by the profound transformations of the contemporary educational space driven by digitalization, globalization processes, and changes in the nature of social and professional interaction. The paper substantiates the thesis that soft skills cannot be reduced to a set of applied or purely instrumental competencies oriented exclusively toward labor market demands. Instead, they are conceptualized as a multidimensional socio-cultural phenomenon associated with the formation of humanitarian rationality, value-based reflection, ethical responsibility, and the capacity for reflective communication. The study demonstrates that under conditions of the digital transformation of education, there is a growing need to reconsider the role of socio-humanitarian knowledge as a space for the development of critical thinking, communicative competence, emotional intelligence, empathy, and moral sensitivity. Socio-humanitarian disciplines are viewed as a key resource for shaping responsible agency among higher education students, enabling reflexive interaction in contexts of digital communication, information overload, and increasing ethical challenges. The methodological framework of the research is grounded in philosophical and educational analysis, interdisciplinary and axiological approaches, as well as empirical research methods aimed at identifying the potential of socio-humanitarian disciplines in fostering soft skills among higher education students. Based on theoretical reflection and empirical findings, the article substantiates the significance of socio-humanitarian education as a determining factor in the development of social maturity, professional adaptability, and the capacity for responsible participation in public life within a digital society. The study concludes by emphasizing the necessity of integrating a philosophical and value-oriented dimension into contemporary higher education practices of soft skills development.

Revolutionary Changes in the University of the Information Society: Cultural Strategies for Equal Opportunities

Maryna Kolinko, Alla Kravchenko — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article provides a socio-philosophical analysis of the transformation of the university as an open scientific and educational space in the context of liquid modernity and digitalization. It is substantiated that contemporary changes represent not merely a crisis of the classical Humboldtian model, but its historical transformation into forms of networked and multidisciplinary knowledge organization. The author proves that the digitalization of education takes on the features of an epistemological and cultural-communicative revolution, which fundamentally alters the culture of cognition, the roles of teachers and students, and the very ontology of the university space. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the human lifeworld (Lebenswelt): the study analyzes how digitalization reshapes the structures of experience, communication, and meaning-making, creating a hybrid educational reality. The ambivalent nature of these changes is revealed: from new opportunities for democratization and inclusion (based on the experience of leading world universities) to the risks of "techno-systemic colonization," the deepening digital divide, and the instrumentalization of knowledge through efficiency metrics. The concept of academic freedom is reimagined as a dynamic balance between autonomy and responsibility. The article concludes with the necessity of forming new educational strategies capable of ensuring the existential integrity of the individual in a situation of ontological instability within the information society.

Spirituality, Justice, and Humanism in Human Existence: the Digital Discourse of War

Olga Dobrodum — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article offers a comprehensive socio-philosophical analysis of the transformation of the discourse of spirituality, justice, and humanism in Ukraine under the influence of full-scale war and digitalization. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to understand how the fundamental values of human existence are being reinterpreted in the context of an existential crisis and "liquid modernity" (Z. Bauman), where traditional hierarchies give way to networked forms of communication, a defining feature of the information society. The research hypothesis is that war acts as a catalyst, shifting the discourse of spirituality, justice, and humanism from static hierarchical models to dynamic networked practices, where linguistic means, metaphorical models, and rhetorical strategies become key tools for constructing collective identity, legitimizing resistance, and forming an inclusive value space. The theoretical framework synthesizes Z. Bauman's concept of "liquid modernity," M. Castells' theory of the network society, J. Habermas' post-secular approach, and critical discourse analysis (N. Fairclough, T. van Dijk). The methodology combines secondary analysis of sociological data with discourse analysis of the digital content of Ukrainian denominations, as presented in authoritative media and scholarly research. The results reveal profound transformations: a shift from hierarchical to networked communication models, a reinterpretation of key values, the activation of metaphorical arsenals, and the emergence of inclusive linguistic strategies. Significant risks are identified: the digital divide, the tension between the universalism of humanism and the demonization of the enemy, and the threat of politicizing value discourse. The conclusions argue that the prospects for post-war development will depend on the ability of public institutions to develop inclusive dialogue strategies, preserving value pluralism in the conditions of the information society. The Ukrainian experience emerges as a representative model of the transformation of the discourse of fundamental values in the context of global instability.

Religion as a Field of Civilizational Conflict: Ukrainian National Self-Identification and the Ideology of the ‘Russian World’ in the Context of War

Olena Alekseienko — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

This article analyses religion as a field of civilisational conflict in the context of the confrontation between Ukrainian national self-identification and the ideology of the ‘russian world’ against the backdrop of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The study focuses on the interplay of religious narratives, geopolitical strategies and nation-building processes that shape the contemporary transformation of Ukraine’s religious landscape. It is pointed out that religion acts not only as a spiritual phenomenon, but also as an important factor in symbolic mobilisation, the legitimisation of political claims, and the formation of collective identity.

This article analyses the concept of the ‘russian world’ as an ethno-ideological model of religious nationalism, combining imperial, messianic and civilisational narratives aimed at undermining Ukrainian statehood and cultural and spiritual agency. At the same time, it examines the role of Ukrainian churches in the processes of social consolidation, strengthening humanitarian security and the formation of a modern civic nation. Particular attention is paid to the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, its rivalry with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, and the transformations of religious identity in the context of war.

It is emphasised that the religious sphere has become an important arena for rethinking historical narratives, social solidarity and moral responsibility. The events of the war have acted as a catalyst for institutional and ideological changes of a long-term nature. The conclusions note that religion is increasingly being integrated into security and humanitarian discourse, playing a key role in strengthening national identity and the resilience of Ukrainian society.

Transformation of Historical Memory and Identity: the Reception of Paul Ricoeur’s Philosophy

Vira Okorokova — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

The article is devoted to the study of the interaction between memory and identity in the philosophy of P. Ricoeur. It clarifies the content of the concepts of "memory," "identity," "narrative," and "narrative identity," which are fundamental to the philosopher's original conceptual framework. Within the scope of investigating the outlined issues, the author analyzes the interpretation of memory and the mechanisms of memorization, and examines historical knowledge and its representation in consciousness as a tool for analyzing the interconnection between memory and history. The study also considers the concept of "narrative identity" introduced into scientific discourse and the role of narrative in P. Ricoeur's oeuvre. The author emphasizes that if memory is a representation of history, then narrative identity emerges as a foundational property of self-knowledge and the self-determination of the individual. From this follows the main characteristic of historical memory: it is the result of a complex dialectical interaction between individual and collective narratives, shared memory, and personal experiences. The contradictory nature of such interaction lies in the fact that this process creates both opportunities for self-awareness and a basis for distor-tions. Since memory is subjective, it can serve as both a source of continuity and a cause of the disruption of self-consciousness, where traumatic memories destroy the integrity of narrative and identity.

Artificial intelligence as a factor in the transformation of contemporary cognitive practices in the digital age

Oleksii Kreze — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0200

In the present article, a philosophical analysis is carried out of the transformation of epistemic practices in the contemporary digital age, driven by the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The study explains the need for philosophical inquiry “in advance,” since the pace of technological improvement of AI systems is so rapid that philosophical reflection on these processes often occurs with a certain delay. Moreover, the question of the role of AI in cognitive activity cannot be considered separately from the philosophical problem of its potential epistemic agency. The article analyzes the main contemporary approaches to the possibility of reducing thinking to computational functions, which brings artificial intelligent systems closer to “natural intelligence”.
The theoretical basis of the study includes a wide range of conceptual developments, from the ideas of A. Turing to the phenomenological realism of T. Nagel, the biological naturalism of John Searle, and the Dennett’s functionalism. In addition, through the perspective of epistemic structural realism, the study distinguishes the problem of “AI self-consciousness” from its role in the production of new knowledge through the detection of stable correlational patterns that can be identified by AI systems independently, without the participation of a human researcher.
The article also examines models of “human–AI” interaction, both purely instrumental ones and those in which AI systems are delegated a leading role in the research process. Furthermore, the study highlights risks, associated with the “epistemic opacity” of complex neural networks (the black-box problem), as well as the possibility of generating “chimeric entities” that may potentially distort research results. At the same time, the article emphasizes that the identification of correlations in large data sets is not sufficient for the formation of a full scientific theory. This requires a complex path from the intuitive formulation of a hypothesis to its support by empirical data, as well as recognition by the scientific community. The study concludes that despite their high computational power, AI systems cannot replace the human researcher in matters of goal-setting, creative inquiry, and the acceptance of epistemic responsibility for the results of knowledge production.