Concept of «will» in the reflections of A. Block on the revolution

Abstract

The question of the meaning of the concept of «will,» to which A. Block actively addresses in the pre-revolutionary and revolutionary years, is under consideration. The material for the study was Notebooks and diary records of the Block, mainly related to 1917. Particular attention is paid to the task of clarifying the range of meanings, the concept of «will» within the framework of the philosophical ideas of the Block. The development and transformation of the Block idea of will, which took place at different periods under various philosophical influence, is being investigated. It is shown that in the period under review the formation of the Block worldview was greatly influenced by the philosophy of A. Schopenhauer. Significant changes are revealed in the metaphysical views of the Block of the revolutionary era compared to its early creative period. As part of the comparative approach, a comparison was made between the concepts of «World Will,» Music «and» Elements «in Block, Schopenhauer, Nietzsch and Wagner. It has been concluded that the Block in 1917 - 1918 agrees with Schopenhauer 's definition of the ambivalence of the World Will, which includes both a destructive and creative beginning, but at the same time in describing and characterizing the revolution he wants to overcome Schopenhauer 's pessimism by adjusting it with Wagner 's representation of the spirit of music as a manifestation of the World Will as a force organizing a new order of life.