Values that can help shape positive scenarios for the world's future discussed at the "Inventing the Future" Symposium
Experts discussed why values are essential to any vision of the future and how the government puts them into practice at a time of global social change. The discussion was held on 12 November at the III International Symposium "Inventing the Future" at the National Centre RUSSIA. The presentation session "Values of the Future: From Definition to Actualisation" was one of the key events in the "Human and Values" track.
Alexander Kharichev, Head of the Presidential Directorate for Monitoring and Analysis of Social Processes, noted that the future is ours to shape. He said that imagining the future we want is only the first step. We also need to think through how to make it a reality.
"The world isn't fixed. You can change it. The future isn't set. You can build it. But if you're building the future, you have to be a dreamer who takes responsibility for what you build. If you're a real architect, work out how many bricks you need in the wall so that what you build doesn't collapse at the first gust of wind," said Alexander Kharichev.
Valery Fedorov, Director General of the VCIOM Analytical Centre and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Mass Communications at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, outlined five key traditional values in Russia. He said the core values for Russians are patriotism, service to the Motherland and responsibility for its future, strong families, social justice, and mutual support and respect. The key to success, he said, is to work systematically to put these values into practice in everyday life, identify the practices that best serve the country's goals and extend their use.
Andrei Betin, Director General of the presidential platform "Russia — Land of Opportunity", explained how values had become an effective basis for project work, helped by Presidential Decree No. 809 "On Approving the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values". The presidential platform now brings together more than 60 projects, contests, olympiads and programmes built around specific values, with 25 million people taking part from Russia and 195 other countries.
Sergei Volodenkov, Director of the Institute of Social Architecture of the presidential platform "Russia — Land of Opportunity" and Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University, stressed that a vision of the future is a pillar of social architecture. The future is shaped through dialogue, by finding out what values people want to see reflected in it and by designing it together, so that each person can help write their own story.
Denis Arapov, Director General of the joint LIFE and SHOT editorial office and Deputy Director General for Information Policy at News Media Holding, shared his experience of shaping a vision of the future as a media executive. He noted the need to maintain a shared understanding of values across the media and stressed the importance of communication and trust.
"Newsrooms today cannot remain neutral observers. They build communities around shared values and give people a say in shaping the agenda. An important part of their job is to listen to their audiences and help them play an active role in bringing about change. The media's role in social architecture has three key aspects. It involves fostering a shared understanding of values, building trust and encouraging responsible communication, and involving audiences in the constructive work of shaping social change. The media today need to provide a channel for two-way communication. People want information, and they also want to be part of something bigger and have a say in their own lives and in what happens around them," said Denis Arapov.
Summing up, the session's moderator, Nikita Setov, Deputy Director General for
Government Relations at Polylog Consulting Group, stressed how important it is
for people to dream and choose a path in life that reflects the values they
hold dear. Russia offers opportunities for people to put their plans into
practice, and the country is ready to share those opportunities with the world.
By working together, he said, we can build a shared future in which everyone
can find the path that suits them best.
The III International Symposium "Inventing the Future" is being held on 12–13 November at the National Centre RUSSIA and brings together more than 8,000 participants from 109 countries. The event was organised on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, under the auspices of the Decade of Science and Technology, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Event photobank
The January Expert Meetings will continue the international discussion on global trends.
The most compelling essays by authors from different countries will form the basis of the forthcoming expert report.
The large-scale two-day programme has brought together more than 8,000 participants from 109 countries to develop positive scenarios for the future together.
