Metaphysics of identity against the backdrop of the "Iron Curtain". Philosophers and politicians about the fate of Europe in the 20th century

Brosova Natalia Zinovievna

The article analyzes the problem of European social and cultural identity in the 20th century; The phenomenon of the «Iron Curtain» is considered as the context of the problem. The «Iron Curtain» is a famous metaphor for a unique political situation, a characteristic of a historical period, and an effective factor in the (self-)determination of post-war Europe and the Western world. The concepts of M. Heidegger and W. Churchill demonstrate the complex dialectic of the relationship between philosophical understanding and political analysis of the situation. The author of the article shows that the perspectives of the democratic foundations of the West are implicitly substantiated by the universality of the metaphysical question regarding its own essence. It is also noted that the discourse of the identity of the Iron Curtain era remains relevant in the context of modern sociocultural conflicts.

Keywords:«Iron Curtain», social and cultural identity, the Western World, W. Churchill, M. Heidegger.