THE PHENOMEN OF FANATICISM: THERE ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE?
In the article, religious fanaticism is regarded as a cultural phenomenon, as well as a social phenomenon that is reflected in everyday consciousness. The authors draw attention to the "fuzziness", multifacetedness and excessive politicization of the phenomenon of religious fanaticism. The paper reviews foreign and domestic studies in which religious fanaticism is presented as a version of addiction, a deformation of the mind or a kind of faith. It is shown that most of the studies of religious fanaticism proceed from the assumption that its essence lies in the "carriers" - a person or group: in their typical qualities, factors that determine or influence them, etc. At the same time, a label "fanatic" or "fanatical" marks individuals and communities whose values and methods are blamed by the society. Therefore, the authors suggest a new logic for defining fanaticism, paying attention not to the religious fanatic himself, but to those who attribute this characteristic to him. Such a change of focus allows one to assess the productive role of fanaticism in the functioning of society.