Museum as a Socio-cultural Institute for the Development of Man and Society

Abstract

The paper deals with issues related to the phenomenon of the museum as a socio-cultural institution for the development of man and society. We are talking about the analysis of the nature of collecting, the meanings and values that a person finds when it is necessary to determine the purpose of the existence of himself and his being world, as well as issues affecting the evolution of the birth, formation and development of the museum phenomenon in the human community, its role in the shaping of a reasonable, cultural and spiritual person. The most diverse samples of culture (paintings, sculptures, household items, etc.), created by creative artists, representatives of different national communities, carry a huge educational potential, stimulating the development of the mind, feelings and spiritual qualities of a person, introduce him to the world of beauty. In the aggregate with other social institutions of society (education, family, leisure, etc.), the world of museums constitutes the socio-cultural space of the human being's world, the existence of the whole society, which implements the function of not only preserving the ethical foundations of society, but also its development. The entire multi-thousand-year history of mankind carries in its historical memory the desire to understand the beauty of the surrounding world, to create and preserve such works of culture that may compete with nature itself in their beauty. This desire quite naturally gave rise to the cult of collecting beautiful samples of culture, preserving them and, ultimately, putting them on public display. This is how the birth, formation and development of the museum as a socio-cultural institute of world civilization took place. It is the museum as a social institution that carries a huge historical memory of the creator, intelligent, cultural and spiritual man.