Problems of religion in the sociology and philosophy of Pitirim Sorokin

The article deals with a number of problems of the theory of religion as examined by P.A. Sorokin. It is shown that the scientist considered the methodological problems of science at the philosophical, socio-philosophical and general sociological levels in their unity, that the scientist united into a single explanatory whole different theoretical and methodological principles: idealism - materialism; sociological nominalism - sociological realism; evolutionism - functionalism; insight - quantitative procedures; sensual - ideational - idealistic. The article deals with how P.A. Sorokin understood religion, its influence on various social relations. Scientist's understanding of secularization processes in Western Europe from XII till the beginning of XX century (1900-1920) is also considered. The article examines the issue of how P.A. Sorokin analyzed the current crisis of Western society and culture, and what ways to solve this problem the scientist found out.