Russian Political Philosophy

Abstract

Covering tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet Russia, this book traces how Russian thinkers have, in the course of history, been thinking about the political (defined, in this book, as the possibility of both conflict and concord about, in principle, anything). Employing the concept of philosophical culture, it explains how political philosophy in Russia has been the work both of academic philosophers and unaffiliated thinkers, including writers like Dostoevsky and Tolstoy. It examines the past and present state of political philosophy in Russia, both chronologically and conceptually, to highlight its distinctive character, importance and universal relevance. Chronologically, the focus is on the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Conceptually, is focuses on the way in which concepts like state, law, socialism, democracy, justice, and community have obtained specific colours and shades due to Russia’s political history. The book presents original interpretations of major figures such as Vladimir I. Lenin and Vladimir S. Solov’ëv, highlights the Russian roots of Ayn Rand and Alexandre Kojève and introduces less well-known thinkers like Semën L. Frank and m. Maria (Skobtsova). Drawing from primary sources in the original language, but pointing to translations where possible, the book provides access to a world of thought and brings to life the rich history of political philosophy in Russia. A glossary of Russian terms, a timeline, and an extensive index make the book easy to navigate.