p The people who are building the communist society are also changing in the process. "A great project—the building of communism—cannot be advanced without the harmonious development of man himself,” said Leonid Brezhnev. "Communism is inconceivable without a high level of culture, education, sense of civic duty and inner maturity of people, just as it is inconceivable without the appropriate material and technical basis.”  [80•1 

p The final stage of the cultural revolution in the USSR has as its goal the harmonious development of the individual. This, as we know, implies development of spiritual wealth, moral purity and physical perfection. It is therefore incorrect to put an equation mark between the individual’s spiritual wealth and his harmonious development. The relation between them is as between the part and the whole. Spiritual wealth is the cardinal component of the harmoniously developed individual; but there are many other things besides that go to make the personality.

p The phrase "intellectual culture" is often used instead of "spiritual wealth" of the personality. We believe that the two phrases are synonymous. Intellectual culture, as we see it, does not imply affiliation with a specific social group—the intelligentsia; rather, it is the endowment of great intellect and spiritual wealth. Any man—worker, peasant—endowed with these high qualities can be considered an intellectually cultured person. The intellectual culture of Soviet people is constantly advancing.

p Active interest in political problems and participation in production, social and political activities. Contrary to bourgeois “culturologists” who place culture outside the sphere of politics, we regard political activity as the essential component of the spiritual wealth of any individual who regards himself as a builder of communism. By political activity we imply, of course, not only regular newspaper reading and absorption of information from lectures, radio, television and other mass media, not only profound study of Marxist-Leninist theory and its components, 81 but also active and personal participation in implementing the policy of the CPSU—building communism. Political activity can be embodied in various forms—from work in elective bodies to regular social assignments. Man’s cultural development is inherently connected with the intensification of his public and political activities and his participation in responsible social affairs. The new economic reform provides all workers, including young men, with ample opportunities to help manage the economic and social affairs of their enterprises.

p Young people are widely represented in the elective bodies of industrial enterprises. According to the versatile data collected at 62 enterprises in all branches of industry in Chelyabinsk Region, young people under 30 account for 10.6 per cent of elected Party functionaries, 24.2 per cent of trade union functionaries, 98.9 per cent of Komsomol functionaries, and 23.7 per cent of functionaries on Soviets.

p Schools also encourage social activities among their pupils.

p Komsomol organisations encourage juveniles to participate in social activities and teach them concern for the interests of society.

p It has been proved in practice that social and political activity is conducive to success in work, and in all social fields, including that of cultural advancement.

p Scientific Marxist ideology. A spiritually endowed man is one who adheres to a consistent scientific ideology, a staunch propagator of Marxism-Leninism in whatever sphere he works. By ideology we do not mean a spontaneous world outlook resulting from objective conditions of life, but a conscientious and systematised world outlook which comes from a deep understanding of the Marxist-Leninist classics and becomes a man’s firm conviction.

p This scientific outlook is worked out on the basis of all the components of Marxism-Leninism, the quintessence of which is given in dialectical and historical materialism—the science of the most general laws of the universe and the prevalent methodology in the study of natural and social phenomena.

p Bourgeois theories on culture draw a dividing line between culture and world outlook, between culture and ideology. Some bourgeois “culturologists” even exclude 82 ideology from the very concept culture. Marxism, on the other hand, avers that it is ideology that determines the character of the individual’s spiritual values. It is not a question of acquiring a bookish knowledge of MarxismLeninism, one must learn how to apply its principles in practice. The practical implementation of Marxist theory is shown by an irreconcilable attitude to bourgeois ideology in politics, philosophy, the arts, and so on.

p The essential source of spiritual values in socialist society is a consistent scientific ideology.

p High level of general and special education, continual self-education and acquisition of new knowledge. We have already stressed the role of education in culture. The individual cannot accumulate spiritual values without education, nor does this harmonious development run counter to specialisation. Division of labour according to professions will remain even in advanced communist society when labour has become socially homogeneous. The spiritually endowed man, therefore, is always a specialist with a profound special knowledge. But this specialisation is combined with general development and knowledge in allied and relatively remote fields of science, arts and engineering. General development and specialisation are not antipodes, but merely different aspects of the individual’s spiritual development. Regrettably some specialists in different fields of natural science and technology are completely ignorant of various fields in the arts, and those in the humanities are ignorant of the natural sciences. This does not mean, of course, that a chemist should simultaneously be an art critic or that a teacher, say, of literature should be equally versed in physics and mathematics. We are speaking about man’s general outlook, a range of his knowledge. A man spiritually endowed should, irrespective of his particular specialisation, show interest in the latest achievements of the natural and humanitarian sciences. This is precisely what we mean by the general development and outlook of the individual.

p The man spiritually endowed is always dissatisfied with his stock of knowledge. This dissatisfaction prompts him to continue his self-education. In his address to young people, the great Russian physiologist, I. P. Pavlov, said, "Never assume that you have learned everything there is to learn. 83 However highly people appreciate you, always find courage to say: I am an ignoramus.”  [83•1 

p Emotional tact. Culture of emotions. In addition to comprehensive knowledge, spiritual values also incorporate the great world of the individual’s emotions. It would be extremely difficult to enumerate all human emotions; love of nature and its beauty, feelings of friendship, love, paternal care, admiration for human genius, anger, hatred, scorn, disdain for sycophants, hypocrites and cowards. The more is a man endowed spiritually, the richer is his emotional life.

p Sometimes people wrongly oppose emotions to wisdom and knowledge. We see in practice that the development of the intellect and the acquirement of new knowledge have a direct effect on man’s emotional life. Just think of the great joy and aesthetic pleasure which, for instance, a scientist feels when he succeeds in proving a theorem which has been a stumbling block for many generations of mathematicians!

p His knowledge of the subject enables the scientist to gain aesthetic pleasure from his discoveries.

p Spiritual culture represents a single whole; all its elements are inseparably linked together. In the same way science, as well as other creative activities, is also inseparably connected with man’s emotions. This is why creative work gives such pleasure and produces emotions. When labour becomes a vital need, it enhances the aesthetic pleasure which a man derives from work.

p What do we understand by "culture of feelings"? The prominent Soviet dramatist V. Rozov aptly compared our feelings to a steed "which all of a sudden defies its rider’s control, rears up and dashes away headlong”. The ability to govern oneself, bridle one’s emotions and subject them to reason is essential to culture of feelings, which implies besides tact, wealth of colour, and spontaneous and immediate emotional reaction.

p The 20th century is often called the age of reason, the age of science. But it is also the age of rich emotions, the age of intense emotional life. This is why culture of feelings 84 is an inalienable attribute of the spiritually endowed personality.

p Aesthetic development of the individual. It would be wrong to limit aesthetic breeding to the sphere of human emotions. Aesthetic breeding makes a tangible impact on the mind and fashions of the individual as an integral whole. Aesthetic education and its primary component—education in the arts—is a complicated process which includes three basic elements: 

p a) a study of aesthetics, the theory and history of art and its components; 

p b) absorption of the aesthetic values of life and art; 

p c) independent participation in the creation of aesthetic values.

p All these components of aesthetic education are closely intertwined; no single one of them can on its own ensure the efficient aesthetic development of the individual. As far back as the end of the 18th century Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher, pointed out that art (and other forms of aesthetic perception) cannot be put in terms of conceptions. Just try, for instance, to retell Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata! On the other hand, however, we cannot talk about art without the help of conceptions and words. Hence aesthetic perception is no substitute for theoretical analysis, and vice versa. In this age of radio, television, cinema, the press, records, and painting reproductions it is probably impossible to find anyone who remains uninfluenced by art in some way or other.

p But does art merely provide the background of man’s dayto-day activities or is it an important component of his intimate world, his everyday spiritual life? To put it another way: how deeply does man absorb what is provided by art?

p A comparison of various research results obtained in different towns and through different methods indicates that the great majority of young workers are highly interested in the arts.

p So now it is not a question of bringing the arts within the reach of Soviet youth; the task is rather to cultivate their ability to perceive the aesthetic information contained in different arts and to develop aesthetic taste. Socialist art, 85 and for that matter, socialist spiritual culture as a whole, preserves everything great, progressive and valuable that has been created by world culture going right back to the ancient past. This cultural heritage is not consigned to museums; it is an actual living component of contemporary socialist culture. The great works of art, both past and present, are meant not for the elite or a group of “connoisseurs”, but for the broad masses of the people, particularly young people, embarking upon life. Aesthetic education arms young people with an understanding of Russian and foreign classics, teaches them to admire great ideas and feelings. This means raising aesthetic requirements and deepening their content.

p Culture of behaviour. Culture of behaviour is a significant aspect of man’s spiritual wealth.

p It cannot be reduced to observing the rules of etiquette. Its essence is conscious discipline and self-discipline in work and everyday life.

p A distinctive feature of socialist labour discipline lies in the fact that it is founded not on external coercion or oppression but on the conviction that one must comply with the demands of the collective and the rules of the enterprise where one works, that one must fulfil one’s duty both as a worker and a citizen. This conviction is an essential component of the spiritual wealth of Soviet youth.

p Discipline, responsibility and sense of duty are essential features of the moral framework of young people.

p A morally upright man is one who strictly adheres to the principles and norms of communist morality in his contacts with others and in everyday work and life. Only then do the moral norms express the man’s spiritual wealth.

p Morals are the control valve which regulates the manifestation of man’s individual traits in his relations with other people. It is not by chance that moral qualities like discipline, modesty, lack of conceit and complacency, helpfulness, high sense of duty, collectivism, are usually outward signs of an individual’s spiritual wealth. A man’s moral convictions are closely connected with his legal consciousness, his respect for socialist laws and constant readiness to fight against the violators of those laws.

p Such, in our opinion, are the main components which constitute the individual’s spiritual wealth. In actual life 86 they are naturally interlinked, all working together and influencing one another.

Our analysis of the individual’s spiritual wealth would be incomplete were we to ignore the creative activity of the young man and his participation in the creation of socialist cultural values. This topic deserves to be discussed under a separate heading.