Aesthetic needs of the Russian middle class and the problem of "cultural integration" of society
The article is devoted to the aesthetic needs of the modern Russian middle class and the possibility of its becoming a trendsetter of aesthetic behaviour for the whole society. Philistine aesthetic norms have been decried by the Russian tradition. The middle class is often identified with philistinism, and so the aesthetic behaviour of the middle class cannot set a pattern to follow. The middle class in modern Russia tries to imitate other social classes.