Kant in Russia: Lavrov in the 1860S ? A new beginning?

Abstract

Philosophy neither as a discipline nor as a profession fared well under the regime of Nicholas I. Virtually immediately upon assuming power Nicholas faced a military insurrection, if not an attempted coup d'?tat, historians now refer to as the Decembrist revolt. The impact of this event on Nicholas's psyche is difficult to gauge precisely, but the practical effect, it would seem, was devastating for Russian philosophy. It is not a gross overstatement to say that there was no creative philoso phy, in the Western sense, during the years of Nicholas's reign.1 Thus if we were to step back and portray these years in a broad generalization, we could speak metaphorically of a great "black hole" in Russian philosophy extending at a minimum from the beginning of his reign to shortly after his death in 1855. The intellectual repression and the strengthening of the state censorship authority had its intended effect. Free thinking was hampered, discouraged and suppressed. The intro duction of foreign ideas was tantamount to treason. Access to Russia's institutions of higher education for those from non-noble families was increasingly restricted ? this a protective measure to inhibit the spread of even potentially seditious ideas. Students were forbidden to attend Western universities; the hiring of foreign professors was prohibited; tuition was dramatically increased. Teachers had to submit detailed outlines for each course, which in turn the authorities had to approve. Deviation was not tolerated, and student monitoring of the adherence was encouraged.2 Yet does this portrayal of the Russian situation ? holding state institutions and government policies, indeed the Tsar himself, as pri marily responsible ? adequately account for the dearth of original philosophy during the years in question? Obviously we cannot pin the