«Ռեալիստներ և հերոսներ» - Հրաչյա ԱՐԶՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆ, Կարեն ԱՂԵԿՅԱՆ

The article "Realists and Heroes" by Rachya Arzumanyan and Karen Aghekyan is devoted to analyzing the phenomenon of Armenian "realism" as a destructive archetype of national consciousness rooted in the deep historical trauma of the Armenian World, and its opposition to the heroic, spiritual principle embodied in the national epic.

Introduction and Methodology
The authors rely on a synthetic method combining data from historical science, mythology, epic tradition, and military-strategic thought (in particular, E. Smith's concept of network-centric warfare). The starting point is provided by quotations from Garegin Nzhdeh and Hayk Asatryan on the primacy of "spirit" over the material logic of things, which sets up the key antithesis of the work: strength of spirit versus pragmatic "realism."

Key Proposition: The Primordial Catastrophe of the Armenian World
The authors advance the thesis of the existence of an original catastrophe, not recorded in historical sources, that split apart what was once a unified Armenian World. Its traces are discerned:
• in the myth of hAyk's return from Babylon to the Highlands;
• in Armenia's loss of its status as a self-sufficient "Center" and its transformation into a periphery;
• in the transition from legendary, timeless existence to linear historical time;
• in lapses of collective memory (the attribution of Van's construction to Semiramis).

The Epic "David of Sasun" as a Model of the Archetype
Central to the article is an analysis of the images of David's uncles — Ovan and Tsran Vergo — as embodiments of a "realistic" strategy of survival through concessions, concealment of the truth, and postponement of struggle. Counterbalancing them is the old woman of Sasun ("nane"), linked to the cult of the goddess Nane, who three times reveals to David the truth of his father's legacy, symbolizing the voice of the people's spiritual memory.

The Mechanism of "Realism": Positive Feedback
The authors describe a self-sustaining cycle: the weakening and dependence of Armenia give rise to "realism," which in turn deepens this weakening. Several varieties of the phenomenon are distinguished:
• everyday "realism" — limited solidarity within the bounds of family, clan, or region;
• "realism for oneself" — the overvaluation of the material at the expense of the spiritual;
• "realism before others" — mimicry of the values of the dominant milieu, including in the scholarly sphere (the revision by scholars of Armenian origin of the reliability of the sources of Khorenatsi, Yeghishe, and Buzand).

Political "Realism" and Critique of Ideological Illusion
Political "realism" is examined separately as a disbelief in the people's own potential and a tendency toward post-factum justification of accomplished facts (in particular, the phenomenon of the spyurk). A persistent illusion is noted, one that identifies strength with truth, leading to sincere infatuation with foreign ideologies — from socialism to imperial doctrines.

Conclusion
The article's key conclusion is that Armenian "realism" is not an organic national defect but a historically conditioned consequence of the rupture of the people's spiritual and natural bond with the Highlands; overcoming this archetype is possible only through a return to the heroic, spiritual foundation of being, symbolically manifested in the figure of David of Sasun.