Historical Analogies as a Tool of Social Architecture: Problem Statement

The article is devoted to assessing the potential applicability of historical analogies as a tool for constructing and legitimizing social architecture. Defining social architecture as the activity of designing and ensuring the development of socio-political systems and communities in a prosocial strategic direction, the authors identify three aspects in it — ideological, institutional and dynamic. In turn, historical analogies are interpreted as a mechanism often found in political discourse. Consistently considering the functions of historical analogies using concrete examples, the authors identify six of them that can be applied in the construction of social architecture. First, the preservation and reproduction of national and cultural identity and the adaptation of various innovations to tradition. Secondly, the “grounding” of futurological projects to a specific historical context. Thirdly, the legitimization of power-management decisions based on “precedent” situations. Fourth, providing decision makers with missing information in situations of uncertainty. Fifth, assistance in the ethical attribution of specific methods of political action. Sixth, securitization of individual areas and even specific problems in order to translate their solutions into the category of long-term goals.