CIVIL SOCIETY AND GLOBALIZATION: THE HARMONY OF NATIONAL VALUES AND MODERN TRENDS

Introduction. The process of globalization unfolding across the world and the emergence of intense competition in rapidly changing societies require responses formulated by knowledgeable individuals who have mastered science, modern technologies, and innovative achievements. The global digitalization era has had profound impacts on various spheres of human life. Digital technologies, the internet, and social networks play an important role in shaping civil society. This process elevates the activity of civil society, transforms its internal and external relations, and brings people’s social and political participation to a new level. In recent years, the organizational and legal foundations and mechanisms of state support aimed at forming a free and strong civil society, as well as radically enhancing the role and significance of its institutions in public administration, have been improved in our country. The signing of Presidential Decree No. PF-124 of August 24, 2024, by President Sh. Mirziyoyev, “On Measures for Further Improvement of the State Support System for Civil Society Institutions,” can be viewed as a logical continuation of this policy. Main part. Civil society is composed of genuine citizens-individuals interconnected through organic ties, possessing legal and political culture grounded in ethical norms. The earliest conceptions of civil society were expressed in Aristotle’s Politics. According to him, human freedom must be secured through the organization of social life based on justice and the rule of law. Particular attention is given to ensuring that laws are correct and just in governing society. These ideas significantly evolved by the 21st century, particularly advancing in the works of T. Hobbes. During the French Revolution of the 18th century, with the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the concept of civil society began to spread widely. The notion of “citizens”-equal members of society-emerged, and individuals began to understand their personal interests as interconnected with the interests of society and the state. The ideas of Kant, Rousseau, Hegel, and Popper revealed new dimensions of civil society and clarified its essence as a universal human value. In the East, civil society has its own distinct interpretation. It is directly associated with the harmonious unity of ethics, culture, and spirituality with the law, and with codes of conduct and behavioral norms. In the ancient historical-legal monument Avesto, ideas such as communal living, mutual relations based on morality and norms, are emphasized. Principles such as the supremacy of law and the governance of society through legal norms rather than individuals represent the earliest features of civil society. In Farabi’s The Virtuous City, the necessity of just laws in governing a country and the essence of forming an active civil society are deeply analyzed. According to Farabi, if citizens lack virtuous character, the need for authority arises; crime and disorder flourish when laws are weak and the population lacks ethical and spiritual maturity. These ideas were also advanced and practiced by Ibn Sina, Beruni, Khwarizmi, Amir Temur, Alisher Navoi, Babur, and others. Civil society is an open, self-developing society in which the human being occupies a central place. In this sense, such a society stands in contrast to politically ideological or authoritarian systems. The family, property, the individual, freedom, rights, and the law constitute the core values of civil society. Several philosophical perspectives on civil society may be noted: Abu Ali Ibn Sina considered mutual compassion and moral relations among people to be the primary condition for the existence of a just society. In his view, moral excellence can be achieved only through enlightenment. Ibn Sina asserted that the rise of ethical relations is a key factor in ensuring the moral and spiritual stability of society, thereby offering a unique interpretation of the concept of civil society. Abu Nasr Farabi is among the scholars who profoundly studied human society. In his work Views of the People of the Virtuous City, he scientifically substantiates the origins of society: “Every human being is created in such a way that, to live and attain perfection, he needs many things which he cannot acquire alone… Therefore, only through the union of many people who assist each other can man attain the perfection to which he naturally strives.” This “community” is what constitutes human society. The concept of civil society manifests uniquely in the ideas of Amir Temur. In establishing democratic foundations of state governance, he sought to conduct state affairs through councils, consultations, deliberation, caution, and prudence. According to eyewitness accounts, in Samarkand he gathered representatives of various religions and treated them with respect. Other sources state that his son Mironshah was appointed responsible for the needs of Christians and for relations with Christian states-so much so that he was honored in the West as “Patron of the Catholic faith.” Amir Temur’s most significant contribution was the creation and implementation of a national statehood doctrine grounded in the principles of justice. Alisher Navoi’s views on a just society are reflected in his works. He dreamed of constructing an “exalted society,” praised the “just ruler,” and harshly criticized injustice. According to Navoi, only highly moral and enlightened individuals can build a just society. For this reason, he emphasized spiritual upbringing as the foundation for constructing such a society. Among Western thinkers, J. Locke in his Second Treatise of Civil Government argued that the only way for a person to transcend the “state of nature” and reach the level required by civil society is to join a social union formed by mutual agreement. Rousseau emphasized the need for an association in which collective strength protects each member’s person and property. Montesquieu argued that liberty is based on psychological peace grounded in security, which requires a governance system ensuring that no citizen fears another[4:76]. Kant, in Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose, placed the state at the center of civil society, as only such a society can afford true freedom to its citizens. Hegel viewed private property as the foundation of civil society, which stands between the family and the state. A. Ferguson is considered one of the first to use the concept of civil society in its modern sense, arguing that the happiness of individuals is the main purpose of civil society. He prioritized moral philosophy and criticized extreme egoism as incompatible with social life. Through long historical development, modern understandings of civil society have formed. These emphasize plural and equal forms of ownership, freedom of labor and entrepreneurship, ideological diversity, freedom of information, the inviolability of human rights, developed selfgovernance, and the rule of law. In Uzbekistan, although civil society has historical roots, it is emerging under new conditions as a synthesis of global statehood practices and millennia-old national traditions. Civil society is maintained not only by state compulsion but by the citizens themselves. It is characterized by high self-organization. The state does not dominate civil society; rather, it must be under its oversight, as the state functions by means of taxes collected from citizens and institutions. Not every society can be considered a civil society; it is an advanced indicator of social development. The Presidential Decree “Uzbekistan–2030 Strategy” (2023) approved a 100-point development plan for the next seven years. This document is seen globally as a legal basis for elevating the country to a new stage of development. International observers and major investors examine such indices before investing. Cooperation with international governmental and nongovernmental organizations will allow Uzbekistan to achieve its strategic goals more quickly and transparently[5]. Today, democratic governance, a free-market economy, and the realization of human rights cannot be imagined without a genuine civil society. Civil society is characterized by social activity that is not constrained by state agencies. When the state and political authorities are overseen not by themselves but by society, individual freedoms can be realized. The transition to such a system is a long historical process closely linked to the formation of civil society. Thus, the concept of civil society has become a central research focus in contemporary socio-political sciences. The study analyzes the views of prominent thinkers-from Aristotle, Hegel, and Marx to contemporary scholars-within this conceptual framework. The 1998 World Bank definition of civil society is also examined, describing it as a broad network of organizations engaged in social life and defending the interests and values of their members. Civil society encompasses social, economic, legal, familial, ethnic, religious, and spiritual relations, primarily manifesting in political processes between the individual and the state. Unlike the state, civil society prioritizes horizontal relations based on equality and cooperation. Modern interpretations of civil society go beyond viewing it merely as an opposition to political power. Instead, contemporary democratic concepts require that civil society emerges from societal needs and develops through social partnership among the individual–society–state. Humanity is currently undergoing profound transformations of global scale. Social stratification, shifting centers of power, and the dynamics of socio-political processes require rethinking fundamental concepts such as “civil society,” “democracy,” “core values,” and “rule of law.” New global realities demand understanding an expanded concept of “large civil society” encompassing collective national interests. Globalization is not a utopia or theoretical construct but a real socio-political phenomenon encompassing complex global processes. Understanding these transformations requires not only knowledge of economic and geopolitical contexts but also insight into global social change and civil society development. For this reason, the concept of “global civil society” has gained traction in academic discourse. In Western scholarship, post-liberal and post-Marxist thinkers have advanced the concept of a “post-capitalist civil society,” one built not on economic freedoms but on non-material values. Contemporary approaches to civil society highlight two dominant perspectives: the liberaldemocratic view prioritizing individual freedom and civil society as a structure protecting individuals from the state; the social-democratic view recognizing civil society as central to both social life and political processes. The research analyzes the role of civil society in global governance. According to T. Weiss and R. Thakur in The UN and Global Governance, global governance comprises formal and informal mechanisms and relationships among states, markets, individuals, and organizations through which collective interests are determined and conflicts resolved. There is currently no single model or institutional structure of global governance. Humanity faces the challenge of developing flexible, interactive decision-making mechanisms requiring broader participation of civil society actors. The development of integration processes worldwide increases interest in the role of civil society at the regional level. The experience of European civil society organizations, particularly within the European Union, demonstrates their significant role. In many integration models, NGOs function as channels for securing public support for complex governance structures. Various indices measure aspects of civil society such as living standards, public health, freedoms, citizen participation in policymaking, trust in political institutions, social activism, civic engagement, social capital, and political competition. While these indices are often based on probabilistic or predictive methodologies, they allow for comparative analysis of civil society across countries. The Decree of the President of Uzbekistan dated May 4, 2018, “On Measures to Fundamentally Enhance the Role of Civil Society Institutions in the Process of Democratic Renewal,” called for creating criteria to assess the development of civil society, the level of cooperation between civil society institutions and state bodies, and their contributions to socioeconomic development. However, sufficient methodological and organizational frameworks have not yet been established. Therefore, the development of national indicators based on clear and constructive principles is necessary. This requires studying international experience, creating think-tank-style research institutions, and applying innovative methods in socio-political research. The article argues that civil society is a lawful stage in the self-realization of individuals-its highest form. It matures in parallel with a country’s economic and political development, the prosperity of its people, their cultural advancement, and deepening self-awareness. Civil society emerged historically when rigid feudal hierarchies collapsed, legal states began to form, and private property rights expanded. The elimination of class privileges and the rise of the individual-now equal before the lawbecame key conditions for the emergence of civil society. The legal state, which guarantees personal rights and freedoms, is the political foundation of civil society. Under such conditions, individual behavior is guided by personal interests coupled with respect for the legitimate interests of others. As Hegel wrote, “In civil society each person is an end to himself; others mean nothing to him. Yet, without interacting with others, he cannot attain his goals”. Justice and freedom are the fundamental normative principles of civil society. These principles regulate social activity and guide individuals toward an internalized recognition of freedom as a necessary value. The study also examines the theories of major scholars of civilizations such as O. Spengler, A. Toynbee, N. Danilevsky, P. Sorokin, and S. Huntington-each of whom viewed social development as a succession of civilizations characterized by cultural and spiritual transformation. Civilizations such as the “European civilization” and “Islamic civilization” unite diverse peoples differing in virtually all aspects except religion. Moreover, civilizations encompass long historical durations, marked by periods of florescence and stagnation-for example, the preRenaissance conditions and later stagnation of the Islamic world. Globalization is examined as a multifaceted phenomenon involving economic, geopolitical, cultural, ecological, informational, linguistic, and communicative dimensions. Its manifestations have become intrinsic attributes of all social processes. By the early 21st century, globalization has grown more dynamic, forceful, and increasingly artificial in character. While offering immense opportunities to some nations, it has marginalized others and exacerbated global inequalities. Philosophically studying globalization does not mean simply examining global problems; rather, it involves analyzing its essence and characteristics from epistemological, ontological, and axiological perspectives. This issue is inherently closer to the philosophical sciences. Globalization is highly dynamic, unpredictable, and contradictory; its contemporary form differs even from that of a decade ago. The challenges of global governance, the emergence of regional forms of globalization, and the need for innovative methodologies justify treating globalization as an open, synergetic system. Conclusion. According to the research, a philosophical approach to globalization must recognize: that it is a continuous and inevitable geopolitical process; that all nations will eventually fall under its influence; that it is rooted in diverse histories, cultures, and values; that it simultaneously encourages both homogeneity and diversity; that global problems are manifestations of globalization; and that the process fosters dialogue among societies. During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, civil society in Uzbekistan faced challenges in defending citizens’ rights, establishing effective cooperation between state and societal institutions, and creating viable models of interaction. Early theories of civil society aimed to free society from state domination, later evolving toward identifying the most effective institutions-ethnic, ecological, professional, cultural, scientific, religious, youth, volunteer associations, and independent media. Current debates on civil society revolve around several key dilemmas: individual freedom vs. social responsibility; rights vs. obligations; cooperation vs. opposition to the state; participation vs. protest; public oversight vs. political opposition; dialogue vs. monologue. From this perspective, democracy and freedom must be reconsidered. An individual must be intellectually and civically free-independent from state pressure, ideology, or external conditions-and guided solely by the “inner force of conscience”.