ABSTRACT
Soviet writers observe that bourgeois ideology has abandoned its youthful optimism and replaced it with "gloomy prophecies about the allegedly inevitable demise of civilization as a result of the uncontrollable development of production, technology and science". In the Soviet interpretation, the principal obstacle to mankind's ethical development is capitalism, which prevents the world from entering a new era free from the old irrationalities, injustices and irresponsibilities. This chapter proposes various opinions and concepts under three headings: "Propaganda Optimism", "Historical Optimism" and "Cautious Optimism". Soviet philosophers claim that the separation of human consciousness, into the two distinct spheres of science and morality, began with the appearance of class-divided societies and has continued ever since. The optimism of the Marxist-Leninist world-view is founded on the morality and creativity of the working people; and on this foundation Soviet philosophers propose a radical transformation of social relations and anticipate that social planning will effect a reunification of human consciousness and human praxis.
