Social Well-Being as a Factor of Freedom
In connection with the expanding influence of technology on all aspects of life, a sense of anxiety, uncertainty, instability is growing in society. An independent and very important challenge to human development is the growing inequality of people from different countries and domestic inequality. The world community, defining the Millennium Development Goals, focuses on the need to ensure freedom of choice of people based on the development of their abilities and empowerment. The article discusses the objective and subjective conditions under which the realization of human freedom becomes possible. The content of freedom is considered, which includes not only "dropping bonds" and expanding freedom of choice, but also responsibility for choices made. In connection with the development of Internet technologies, there is a risk of losing the humanistic basis of society, and, as a result, humanistic values are relativized, and interactions between people are largely formed independently of people themselves, which, in turn, reduces the possibilities of life choice and human freedom. The uncertainty of life plans (goals) is growing. Goal-setting is dominated by consumption, not by creativity, professional and spiritual growth. Such a bias in life goals reflects objectively unresolved social problems, and not only in Russia. The acquisition and preservation of personal freedom can be ensured by a state of society in which dignity, responsibility, and welfare of society members are basic characteristics, and they determining people's well-being. To ensure social well-being, it is necessary to develop such fundamental aspects of society as culture, education, social welfare. Inequality in incomes, access to high-quality education, healthcare, technology, etc. introduces a deep imbalance in the possibilities of human development and alternatives to people's choice. Moreover, in the third millennium, a generation of talented, educated, healthy, responsible, creative, i.e., free people should become the main wealth. Freedom involves building actions aimed at the well-being of society and man.