Among the conditions for building legal democratic states and open societies a special place is held by the improvement of the cultural-creative atmosphere. The Republic of Uzbekistan needs continued development of the cultural level and of the spiritual character of all levels of the population. In this process of the spiritual renewal of society the social aspect of man is enriched, which includes spirituality along with other characteristics.

Aesthetic culture is the most important part of spiritual culture, and is especially creative in character. The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, I.A. Karimov, in the ninth meeting of Oliy Majlis (the Uzbek Parliament) said: "It is no secret that every state, every nation, has its strength not just under and above ground in natural richness, military forces or industrial potential, but above all in its higher culture and spirit" (I.A. Karimov, "Development of an Harmonious Generation Is the Bases for the Progress of Uzbekistan").

Interest in developing the highest culture and spirit of the Republic of Uzbekistan increases year by year because there is increasing need in society for knowledge, tradition, world outlook and the creative potential of man. The Legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan supports the cultural development in the Republic by affirming the educational system as a priority in the sphere of social development: reformation of the schools and of professional and higher education, the humanization of the educational system and the increase of creative activity by the citizens of Uzbekistan. Aesthetic culture is one of the factors increasing human spiritual activity. Reformation of professional and higher school is directed at improving human spiritual activity, which requires the formation of aesthetic culture at all levels of the population.

Aesthetic culture is not just "creative activity according to the laws and norms of beauty", but a relation of these activities to the environment in a way that reflects the humanistic ideal. That is to say, aesthetic culture is the purposeful, gradual and consistent realization of the best spiritual traditions of the nation, an intelligent relation to nature, and the resurrection of the spiritual values of other nations. That is why, aesthetic culture is becoming for man not just an ideal and spiritual requirement of creative activity, but a source of purpose and direction for creative activity.

Aesthetic culture is a complicated system of human needs. It consists of the experience, knowledge and convictions of man. In aesthetic culture the senses regulate the creative and common activity; a world outlook is stipulated by human knowledge and so on.

Hence, the aesthetic culture of a society has many functions: informational, axiological, communicative, regulative, educational and predictive. All functions of aesthetic culture are closely connected and inseparable one from another, but some distinguish between the aesthetic culture of society and that of the person. The aesthetic culture of society includes: aesthetic values and knowledge about their nature and functions; aesthetic consciousness, activity and relations between the people; relations on the bases of aesthetic values; and aesthetic education for transferring to the new generation the aesthetic cultural foundations, the method for aesthetic transformation of the environment, and also the shaping of the aesthetic consciousness.

The aesthetic culture of the person includes knowledge as aesthetic experience, will and awareness of the aesthetic and artistic values not only of the nation, but of all humanity. The ability of reason regarding art has a creative relation to work and respect for nature. The aesthetic culture of the person manifests itself in all kinds and forms of activity where it is reflected as a common level of the spiritual culture of man, as concrete individual aesthetic notions, relations, aesthetic consciousness, behavior, mentality, language, organization of life and work, international contacts and so on.

As noted above, one important moment of aesthetic culture is a creative assimilation of the spiritual values of the past. For the Soviet Union this did not transpire because the Communist Party ignored past spiritual culture. For example, from the spiritual culture of the nations of Central Asia such schools as Sophism, Ismailism, Kalam, Judaism and others were not considered. Also the creative works of such representatives as Ansory Sanoy, Attor, Rumy, Bachouddin Nakshband, Nazmitdin Kurbo, Chodga Akhror, Abdukhalic Gishduvaniy, Chodga Aly Romitany, Amir Culol and many others were considered unnecessary for the new generation. Not just the philosophical, religious, political heritage of the past of the nations of Central Asia, but many works of art-painting, calligraphy and applied arts were ignored. Such masterpieces of the Uzbek people as "Alpomish", "Gurughly", "Rustamchon" were declared reactionary. Aesthetic culture in the period of the domination of Communist ideology was formatted and developed in a lop-sided manner, without the spiritual experience of humankind. This necessary component of the Communistic ideology led to breaking the connections between man and history, between personality and society, and created indifference to the spiritual culture of the past. As a result, social apathy was high at that time. This situation was described in the novel by Ch. Auytmatov, Blizzard’s Halt.

Aesthetic culture is one of the main components of social progress. It is the best contribution to the realization and affirmation of human existence; at the same time it is a process of humanization of social life. The aesthetic culture of the Uzbek people has deep historical roots and contributed to the Uzbek survival of many social and historical shocks. Different aspects of the history of the Uzbek people are expressed in its cultural monuments.

Aesthetic culture, though the most important element of the spiritual life of society and of humans, is not exhausted by spiritual things, but is preserved in objects of the material world and in a social contacts, in social experience and so on. That is to say, the content of aesthetic culture includes the experience of humankind, which can be preserved in the social consciousness, social relations, social-psychological phenomena and others.

Aesthetic culture itself is communicated from generation to generation by art (architecture, poetry, music, dance and so on), because only art has given people a chance to listen through the centuries to the tragic or happy stories of preceding generations. Art is an historical experience, the social memory of humankind, and at the same time an image, purpose and ideal for the development of humankind. Aesthetic culture is a force which has consolidated the people of the world into one humanity. Such architectural masterpieces as "Shakhy-Zinda", "Gur-Emir", "Bibi-Khanum" in Samarkand, Ismail Samoniy’s mausoleum in

and others not only fix attention upon the socio-historical life of the past generations, but transmit patriotism, humanism and diligence to present and future generations. There is similar significance to the poem "Shachnome" by Firdousy, which is one of the most interesting items of world literature. In the 11th century this poem expounded all the principles of patriotism and humanism. Hence, for independent Uzbekistan in its present profound reformation of the educational sphere, it is necessary to include the aesthetic culture of the past.

However, formation in aesthetic culture is a complicated and contradictory process. Humans need time to come to realize the changes of consciousness taking place under the influence of circumstances or through self-development, self-education and self-improvement. The aesthetic culture of the person has a higher stability, which is why its change proceeds very slowly and with great difficulty. In social practice we encounter a conservative mentality, which slows down the process of progressive social change, because people do not want to do without their stereotypes, old norms and principles of action.

The new social activity in Uzbekistan changes all the forms of social life, and this reorganization of social consciousness needs a new spiritual culture. In that process aesthetic culture could play an important role because its appeals directly to each person, speaks to him or her in an emotional language and is addressed at the same time to both mind and soul.

Each person through aesthetic culture learns common and natural values and then develops one’s own system of ideals, tastes and notions. Aesthetic culture is the strong regulator of the real behavior of people. It is both comprehension of the meaning of life and manifestation of the social essence of humans, especially of connections between man and society. Value orientations, which are aesthetic culture, give man a program for self-realization.

At the present time, it is necessary to develop an ecological culture, because there is need for a new relationship between nature and humankind. That is why, in the content of aesthetic culture aesthetic relations to nature hold a special place. Nature always has a very great influence on the human. The spiritual culture of the Uzbek people in the past as in the present contains many examples of understanding the importance of such relations. Abdurahmon Ghamy and Alisher Navoy called for man to live in accord with nature. In unity with nature Ghamy saw the meaning and destiny of man. In our time, such understanding of the relationships between nature and humanity is reviving. Hence, one purpose of aesthetic culture must be a deep awareness by people of their responsibility for natural conditions. Aesthetic culture must promote the forming of ecological culture, i.e., awareness of the ecological unity between nature and man. Such awareness is now becoming important because the ecological situation is worsening, especially in the Central Asian region (the tragedy of the Aral Sea, Central Asian plants and animals). In other words aesthetic culture must be given a new ecological direction.

Aesthetic culture is not an inherent quality of personality, but is formed in the process of education throughout one’s entire life and at different levels.