The dispute between N. A. Berdyaev and I. A. Ilyin about non-resistance to evil by force

Abstract

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the dispute that took place between N. A. Berdyaev and I. A. Ilyin on the problem of the permissibility or inadmissibility of resisting evil by force. The purpose of the study is to analyze, within the framework of historical and philosophical research, the specifics of the views of both thinkers on this issue. The polemic launched by I. Ilyin and N. A. Berdyaev has received a lively response from many thinkers, and the relevance of their ideas has been significantly increasing in recent decades. Materials and Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the scientific article is a whole range of methodological principles: system-activity (V. A. Lazutkin); personality-oriented (A. I. Vakulinskaya); task-oriented (K. B. Martynenko, K. E. Troitsky); complex (A. P. Belyaeva). The following methods were used in the article: system and philosophical analysis, comparison and synthesis. Results. The article discusses the dispute that took place between N. A. Berdyaev and I. A. Ilyin about «non-resistance to evil by force». It is emphasized that the publication of the controversial work of I. A. Ilyin «On resistance to evil by force» as a response to the teachings of L. N. Tolstoy caused widespread controversy in scientific circles, especially among representatives of Russian emigration. It is emphasized that I. A. Ilyin and N. A. Berdyaev, being patriots, Orthodox Christians and critics of Tolstoy's non-resistance proceed from different attitudes on the issue of the resistance to evil by force and come to the opposite conclusions. Discussion and Conclusions. The dispute that unfolded between N. A. Berdyaev and I. A. Ilyin was predetermined not only by the discrepancy in the personal philosophical attitudes of the thinkers, but also by the historical and socio-political context of that time. N. A. Berdyaev allows the use of "resistance" only in extraordinary cases, following the rules of "spiritual hygiene". I. A. Ilyin he offered an extremely extensive interpretation of "resistance". Having expanded the boundaries and possibilities of resisting evil by force, I. A. Ilyin's teaching became the subject of criticism and reproaches for justifying almost any violence by him, both from the state and from the Church.