Public consciousness and its structure is a reflection of the existing reality in the ideas, characters, thoughts of people. It has certain characteristics and develops according to its own laws. This is a complex structure that can be divided into vertical and horizontal angles. Let's try to consider this issue in more detail.
Public consciousness and its structure in a vertical perspective is divided into two main categories: epistemological and sociological. The first version examines how social consciousness influences being. With the epistemological approach, theoretical and ordinary levels of consciousness are distinguished. In the first case, certain systems of ideas, laws, and views are studied. The everyday level of consciousness involves the consideration of true or false knowledge associated with everyday human activities. This may be prejudice, superstition, error.
In the sociological approach, the main difference between the levels of social consciousness is the way of communication and expression of interests of various social groups and individual classes. Two categories can also be distinguished here: ideology and social psychology. Ideology is a purposefully formed self-awareness of individual classes. Social psychology studies the thoughts, traditions, feelings and moods of certain social groups. It is formed more spontaneously than ideology.
Social consciousness and its structure can also be viewed from a horizontal perspective. Here you can highlight many of its forms. Economic consciousness involves the relations and activities of people in the process of production work and consumption. This level is closely related to the daily life of a person.
Political consciousness can be considered from the point of view of social psychology, as well as ideology. In the first case, it involves the feelings and ideas of people about power and the state. The second implies systematic political views, theories.
Legal public consciousness and its structure are representations and views of people related to existing legal norms. It arises with the advent of the state and social classes.
Religious consciousness is a representation of people about the supernatural. There is a doubling of existing reality. For a religious person, there is both a real and other world.
Moral consciousness is a set of certain principles that determine behavior in society. It was formed in a primitive society. Moral consciousness is maintained, mainly through public opinion and habit. It is considered the basis for the interaction of man and society.
Aesthetic consciousness is a representation of people about perfect and imperfect reality. It is expressed mainly through art.
Scientific consciousness is an objective knowledge of various aspects of reality. It can relate to almost any social and natural phenomena.
We examined the basic forms of consciousness. However, modern scholars single out another - philosophical consciousness. Its purpose is to highlight patterns in nature and society, and based on them draw certain conclusions. Philosophical consciousness is a kind of "frame" of spiritual culture. This discipline studies almost all aspects of being.
In conclusion, it can be noted that social and individual consciousness have many differences among themselves, but they are in constant interaction.
