Abstract

The subject of the research is the values of solidarity. The basis for the discussion is their position in the World Values Survey. This perspective involves analyzing changes in the value structures of human individual and collective existence. The potential of cultural philosophy and research directions in social and cultural dynamics is engaged for the study of this subject. The research aims to identify key positions of values by which one can judge both the content of the phenomenon of solidarity and the processes of transformation of specific value structures, in this case, referring to the values of solidarity, namely the value of equality and the value of unity (community). Assessing their solidarity potential is the primary task of the undertaken research and implies not only a theoretical outcome but also an empirical one. The data from all waves of the World Values Survey are used for research, allowing for a comprehensive coverage of the main values of solidarity and their position in the World Values Survey. For this purpose, axiological and sociocultural approaches are applied, which are fundamental and/or preferable for analyzing transformations of value structures. Ultimately, the comprehensive methodology provides a high heuristic potential for the conducted research. The novelty of the study lies not only in substantiating the possibilities of using the World Values Survey database to identify the positions of specific values, but also in summarizing various processes occurring in the value world of subjects. Attention to the values of solidarity led to the following scientific results: first, at the theoretical level, the concept of solidarity has been elaborated in terms of its value-semantic definiteness; second, using the Inglehart-Welzel principle, the position of solidarity values in the World Values Survey has been demonstrated, reflecting the specifics of various political, economic, and other changes in modern traditional societies. Third, the heuristic significance of utilizing the World Values Survey for generalizing value changes has been assessed, not under the influence of various external factors, but due to internal changes within the value system itself.