Introduction: Anna Sandermoen, Publisher
The conversation touches on the question of the values by which people are guided. Everyone strives to have such guidelines, but rarely asks how they are justified. This question was first clearly posed by David Hume: how is it possible to move from what "is" to what "ought to be"? Why are some values rejected, while others—for example, "traditional" ones—are accepted? Do all traditions deserve the status of value? The book "Stories about Philosophy" traces the development of Western philosophy—the very same philosophy to which modern Russia often views hostility. At the same time, Western philosophy is neither homogeneous nor a closed system, while Russian philosophy is historically closely linked to it and is unthinkable without it.
This is precisely why the concept of “traditional values” is vulnerable: it lacks a rigorous scientific basis and is based more on political interests and ideology than on arguments.
Andreas Buller (Germany), Ph.D., German philosopher, lecturer at the Swiss International School in Germany, author of "The Morality and Language of Totalitarianism: Bolshevism, National Socialism, and Putinism" (2023)