REVISITING THE CONCEPT OF COMPETITIVENESS (COMPETITIVE ABILITY): A SOCIO-PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECT

The study of the concept "competitiveness" is relevant for it has no universal definition despite the fact that it is widely used in transdisciplinary research. On the one hand, the concept "competitiveness" is fixed and common in social practices. On the other hand, the use of two ways of writing this concept (competitiveness and competitive ability) indicates the insufficient degree of research. The classical approach dominates in the existing definitions; it implies only external, quantitative or qualitative indicators of measuring success. This classical approach is radical. Thus, the existing definitions do not reflect the pluralistic nature of the concept, do not consider its two dimensions: external (classical) and internal (non-classical) components. The absence of specific definitions can be explained by the fact that the concept "competitiveness" ("competitive ability") is not an independent category; it often performs the function of an attribute of a person (state, company) and is evaluated solely by the parameter of the success of the result. This assessment of the subject of competitiveness is narrow and does not allow a complete understanding of the nature of the success of the obtained result; therefore, there is no holistic understanding of this phenomenon. The radical classical interpretation of the concept produces a side effect. That is, those who are left behind in the competition fall out of the process of social life and become outsiders. In many ways, victory or defeat in the classical understanding of competitiveness is determined by social standards and expectations. In this regard, the socio-philosophical aspect of competitiveness seems to be very relevant due to the fact that a person and his/her existence appear differently in the context of this perspective. The value of a human decision or deed is self-sufficient and precious, it is not determined by the will of the majority. On the contrary, human uniqueness and individuality are opposed to various social norms. Therefore, from this position, the classical interpretation of competition and competitiveness is unacceptable because it reduces human uniqueness and identity to social norms.