The social contract and the legitimate expectations of citizens (reflections on the new monograph by Professor J. T. Toshchenko)

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

In the review offered to the readers, a comprehensive analysis of the new monograph by Professor J. T. Toshchenko “The fate of the social contract in Russia: the evolution of ideas and the lessons of implementation” is carried out. Its theoretical basis is based on existing views on this phenomenon, extensive scientific publications in this field, a wide range of historical information and solid empirical material. It examines in detail the origins of the formation of a social contract in Russia at various stages of its statehood. At various levels of research (philosophical, historical, sociological, etc.), the author analyzes the thorny path of the emergence and evolution of the idea of a social contract, the role of this social contract in strengthening individual rights and freedoms, the development of democracy and the formation of social harmony in society based on mutually acceptable concessions to the government and the people. Another subject of the study is the influence of this regulator of public relations on strengthening the identity of the Russian statehood, the progress of civil society, the deepening of interaction between the state and the people. The book also pays considerable attention to the historical mission of the social contract in the formation of a just society, the preservation and enhancement of the spiritual and moral values of the Russian people, the organic unity of which forms the basis of its Russianness. The reasons for the degeneration of democracy into majority tyranny in some countries, the use of the social contract as a tool for establishing authoritarianism, the suppression of any form of protest by the population, restrictions on human freedom, turning it into a passive participant in the historical process, etc., are also considered in detail. Therefore, in such countries, the legitimate expectations of citizens from the social contract are often not they justify themselves. This is an abstract review of a new multi-vector research by Professor J. Toshchenko shows that it will become a powerful impetus for the further development of both the doctrine of the social contract and philosophical and legal thought in general.

Naturally, within the framework of one publication, it is impossible even to consider the content of all 16 chapters of the reviewed monograph, the total volume of which is 844 pages, and to give a detailed idea of it from various positions. Therefore, the reflections presented to the readers mainly consider the philosophical and legal aspects of the problems of the social contract.

Full Text

Restricted Access

About the authors

Ilgam M. Ragimov

Association of Lawyers of the Black Sea–Caspian Region

Author for correspondence.
Email: professorilhamragimov@gmail.com

Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Azerbaijan, President

Azerbaijan, Baku

Azer M. Jafarov

Email: az_jafarov@yahoo.co.uk

Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku

Khanlar J. Alikperov

Email: xan_alikperov@hotmail.com

Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku

References

  1. Alikperov Kh. D. Interbeing as a source of generation of criminal motivation. SPb., 2025 (in Russ.).
  2. Bastrykin A. I. Review of the book by Professor I. M. Ragimov “Religion and punishment” (St. Petersburg, 2020. – 217 pp.) // State and Law. 2021. No. 4. Pp. 81–103 (in Russ.).
  3. Berdyaev N. A. The origins and meaning of Russian communism. M., 2023. P. 74 (in Russ.).
  4. Berdyaev N. A. Self-knowledge (experience of philosophical autobiography). M., 1990 (in Russ.).
  5. Berdyaev N. A. Philosophy of freedom. M., 1998. P. 37 (in Russ.).
  6. The Bible. The Old Testament. Genesis 6:1–8. M., 1993 (in Russ.).
  7. Buldakov V. P., Leontieva T. G. 1917. Elites and crowds: cultural landscapes of the Russian Revolution. M., 2017. P. 321 (in Russ.).
  8. Hobbes T. Leviathan, or the matter, form and power of the state of the church and civil. M., 1983 (in Russ.).
  9. Gorshenkov G. N. Studies on life and criminological creativity. Nizhny Novgorod, 2017. Pp. 163, 174 (in Russ.).
  10. Guseynov A. A. Great prophets and thinkers: moral teachings from Moses to the present day. M., 2008. P. 9 (in Russ.).
  11. Jafarov A. M. Problems of reforming the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Baku, 2007 (in Russ.).
  12. Dubinin N. P., Karpets I. I., Kudryavtsev V. N. Genetics. Behaviour. Responsibility (On the nature of antisocial acts and ways to prevent them). M., 1989 (in Russ.).
  13. Eremichev A. A. On Dostoevsky’s philosophy. Report: “On Dostoevsky’s Philosophy”, made by Professor A. A. Eremichev, PhD, on 19/10/21 at a Conference at the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy in St. Petersburg. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLmHsZR3G1o (accessed: 20.01.2025) (in Russ.).
  14. Jan Terentievich Toshchenko. Bio-bibliographic index. 3rd ed., rev. and add. M., 2024 (in Russ.).
  15. Kaufman A. E. The Apostle of destruction: (On the 40th anniversary of M. A. Bakunin’s death) // Our antiquity. 1916. No. 11. P. 782 (in Russ.).
  16. Mitusova I. A. The Charter of the subject of the Russian Federation as a source of Constitutional Law: abstract … PhD in Law. M., 2009 (in Russ.).
  17. More T. Utopia. URL: https://thelib.ru/books/mor_tomas/utopiya.html (accessed: 09.01.2025) (in Russ.).
  18. Ostrovsky A. B. Russia. The autocracy. Revolution: in 2 vols. M., 2020 (in Russ.).
  19. Pospelov G. The Russian way of transition to socialism and its results // The Economist. 2022. No. 12. P. 69 (in Russ.).
  20. Ragimov I. M. Crime and punishment. M., 2012 (in Russ.).
  21. Rousseau J.-J. On the social contract or the principles of political law. M., 2023. Pp. 20, 24 (in Russ.).
  22. Sorokin P. A. The Long Way. An autobiographical novel / transl. from English by P. P. Krotov, A. V. Lipsky. Syktyvkar, 1991 (in Russ.).
  23. Sorokin P. A. Conditions and prospects of peace without war // Social research. 1999. No. 5. Pp. 3–11 (in Russ.).
  24. Sociology of Law: textbook. / ed. by V. M. Syrykh. M., 2004 (in Russ.).
  25. The theory of the social contract – the history of its origin and authorship. URL: https://mksegment.ru/b/teoriya-obshchestvennogo-dogovora-istoriya-vozniknoveniya-i-avtorstvo (accessed: 15.01.2025) (in Russ.).
  26. Toshchenko J. T. Centaur-a problem (Experience of philosophical and sociological analysis). M., 2011 (in Russ.).
  27. Toshchenko J. T. Society of trauma: Between evolution and revolution (experience of theoretical and empirical analysis). M., 2020. Pp. 38, 39, 47 (in Russ.).
  28. Toshchenko J. T. Paradoxical man. M., 2012. P. 55 (in Russ.).
  29. Toshchenko J. T. Paradoxical man. 2nd ed., rev. and add. M., 2009 (in Russ.).
  30. Toschenko J. T. The precariat: from a proto-class to a new class. M., 2018 (in Russ.).
  31. Toschenko J. T. The fate of the social contract in Russia: the evolution of ideas and the lessons of implementation. M., 2025. Pp. 11–15, 17, 18, 31, 53, 56, 59, 60, 62–65, 67–69, 76, 84, 86, 87, 89–91, 93, 95–97, 105, 106, 108–110, 124–126, 131–134, 146, 147, 151, 159, 354–362 (in Russ.).
  32. Toshchenko J. T. The Phantoms of Russian society. M., 2015 (in Russ.).
  33. Freud S. Psychology of the unconscious. M., 2008. P. 11 (in Russ.).
  34. Chernovol K. A. The concept of legitimate expectations: European and Russian experience // Jurisprudence. 2019. Vol. 63. No. 1. Pp. 181–191 (in Russ.).
  35. Chubais I. If it weren’t for the revolution, America would be jealous of us now // Komsomolskaya Pravda. 2017. November 16–23 (in Russ.).
  36. Shestakov D. A. Theory of crime and fundamentals of branch criminology. SPb., 2015. P. 17 (in Russ.).

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2025 Russian Academy of Sciences