Alexander Zinoviev Research Articles

Fundamental anthropology of Alexander Zinoviev: on the genesis of Homo Soveticus (cultural context)

The Paper is an attempt to reconstruct the fundamental anthropology of Alexander Zinoviev which was not outlined by him as fully developed theory. But nonetheless his teaching on human being is an organic part of his sociology and is integrated in his study of communism as reality. A key notion of the Zinoviev’s anthropological “doctrine” is “communality”. It describes a specific structure within communist society which determines basic tenets of Homo Sovieticus. Zinoviev for his part creates a new designation for this kind of human species — “gomosos”. This creature comprises all possible contradictions, being Devil under a guise of God, or being God looking like Devil. It does exist and not in Zinoviev’s imagination only, — insists the philosopher.

Tentative People: Alexander Zinoviev on the Issue of Russians Betraying Themselve

This paper is an attempt to fi nd the answer to the question how prominent Russian thinker Alexander Zinoviev treats the problem of the Russian people’s identity as innate communists after they failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union. What really happened to the Russian people and was it an act of self-betrayal? And what was the cause of that betrayal? And fi nally, who is to be blamed for the demise of the USSR and the tragic failure of the Russian Experiment: Russian people, Communist Party leaders or the West? In the article the author also brings up the issue of Zinoviev’s personal responsibility for the collapse of Russian communism which the thinker seemed ready to admit

The Lessons of Alexander Zinoviev’s Attempt to Dissolve the Russian Essence in the Communist One

The article is devoted o the analysis of the works of Alexander Zinoviev, the Russian thinker who, on the one hand, regarded the attempts to build communist society in our country as the supreme mission of Russian people and on the other hand, severely exposed the vices of the Soviet system. According to the author of the article, Zinoviev had anti-Soviet ideas and at the same time was spiritually attached to the communist values, to the world without property and money. The author, who himself shares “Vekhi” principles, sees the explanation of this paradox in the “Russian arbitrariness” phenomenon which the “Vekhi” followers interpreted as the aspiration for accentuating the peculiarity and sovereignty of their personality. Through the prism of this characteristic of Zinoviev’s personality, the author explains the integrity on Zinoviev’s seemingly contradictory position regarding the Soviet system and communism that was differently set forth in the thinker’s books

Достоевский и Александр Зиновьев: параллели и пересечения

Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) got acquainted with Dostoevsky’s work in adolescence, which fell during the period of the formation of the Soviet system in Russia. This circumstance was reflected in the specifics of Zinoviev’s perception of Dostoevsky’s works. He has evolved from skepticism and misunderstanding to acceptance and empathy. Zinoviev’s essay “The Legend of the Great Sufferer” (1981) is dedicated to this experience of comprehending Dostoevsky. Zinoviev was attracted by the experience of Dostoevsky’s spiritual search. Writers of different historical eras and aesthetic systems, Dostoevsky and Zinoviev are close in their relentless search for the solution to the “mystery of the human being”, which attracted both from their youth and did not leave until the end of their lives. For Dostoevsky, it was enclosed in the mystery of personality, for Zinoviev, in the mystery of society as a collective of personalities. Having extensive experience of life in Russia and in the West, both writers unequivocally chose the Russian people and its historical fate as a universal material for their research. Zinoviev’s legacy does not so much develop as complement the discoveries made by Dostoevsky.

Can Alexander Zinoviev Be Considered Nationally Oriented and Conservative? (Critical Notes on the Works by Alexander Zinoviev)

This paper examines the question of whether the Russian thinker Alexander Alexandrovich Zinoviev can be reckoned among nationalist conservatives, and provides a reasoned negative answer. One of the reasons for this is Alexander Zinoviev’s sharply negative and even nihilistic attitude towards the Russian Orthodox Church and historical, pre-revolutionary Russia, which was unthinkable for any real Russian conservative. Therefore, his views could be conditionally labeled as Soviet conservatism. But even here there are nuances that complicate matters greatly, which are discussed in this paper. It is also noted that despite the great hype around the name of Alexander Zinoviev, his creative heritage is still very poorly studied at the moment. The paper briefly considers his creative evolution, his propensity for positivism starting from his dissertation. The pros and cons of his concept of communism as the core of all Alexander Zinoviev’s ideas are analyzed in more detail. The poverty of its basic ideological scheme and its weak prognostic abilities are noted. At the end of the paper, three points are highlighted stating why Alexander Zinoviev cannot be considered a real conservative. Firstly, this is his sharply negative attitude towards historical Russia and Orthodoxy. Secondly, this is the ahistoricism of his project on logical sociology and the positivism associated with it. Thirdly, Alexander Zinoviev became an apologist of the Soviet social system only after it left the stage of history, that is post factum. During the active period of the Soviet social system, Alexander Zinoviev always criticized and satirised it sharply.

Heuristic Meaning of the «Cheloveynik» Concept or Conceptualization of the «Society» Category in the Logical Sociology of Alexander Zinoviev

In the article the author analyzes the most important for sociology and social philosophy category of “society” and traces the history of the formation of this concept. He also presents different views on its conceptualization and pays special attention to the interpretation of society offered by Emil Durkheim. The modern view on the defi nition of the concept of “society” and the determination of its characteristics is of particular interest to the author of the article. In this regard, the article highlights the concept of society, where its main feature is self-suffi ciency, that is, ability to create and recreate everything necessary for maintaining and reproducing human existence. This view has been and is shared by many sociologists and social philosophers. However, if we accept the self-suffi ciency of human association as the main feature of society, then even the earliest and primitive social organizations that existed at the dawn of human history, including the primitive human herd, will be considered societies. The logical sociology of Alexander Zinoviev offers a different view. The philosopher interprets society as a rather mature social organization, a product of the activities of the modern type human being. Society is characterized by the presence of such features as statehood, economics and ideology. And the social association intermediate between society and the animal state was determined as “cheloveynik” (at the stage of pre-society) by Alexander Zinoviev, thus distinguishing a complexly organized social system of the societies type from primitive and simple human associations. Alexander Zinoviev also believed that at the contemporary stage there appeared a new form of social organization of people that was more complex and highly organized than society – super-society. Super-society is characterized by its global nature, that is, the tendency to spread to the whole world; and planning, i.e., the ability to predict and control social processes for many decades to come.

The Anti-Communistic Communism of Alexander Zinoviev

In the article the author attempts to study the phenomenon of paradoxical inner contradiction of many texts (both scholarly and literary) written by Alexander Zinoviev – outstanding Russian thinker of the second half of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century. Principal of paradoxical combination of incongruous statements, what could be seen as mere violation of the basic law of formal logic, seems rather astonishing even though A. Zinoviev himself was an outstanding and word-recognized logician. The use of this principal is demonstrated in his public self-presentation that allows to identify him as “an anti-communistic communist”, though he sometimes called himself “romantic communist”. It is important to remember that A. Zinoviev never considered himself to be either denouncer or apologist of the social order that he called “real communism”, having in mind the USSR. He viewed understanding as independent intellectual process equally distanced from emotional approach and moral assessments.

Voice without Choir: on the Letter in Defense of Alexander Zinoviev

After Alexander Zinoviev published his novel “The Yawning Heights” in 1976 there predictably started the acute persecution campaign against him. It didn’t come to fi ling a lawsuit with “Anti-Soviet Propaganda” charges, but the ritual of reading out of the Communist Party at the party meeting in the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where Zinoviev was a senior researcher, was to be followed. It was presumed that the decision would be taken unanimously, however, there happened to be one coworker who lifted up his voice in defense of Zinoviev and sent a letter to the Party bureau of the Institute of Philosophy. Naturally, that lonely voice of David Johadze didn’t manage to change the fate of Alexander Zinoviev. The decision on the deletion from the party and deprivation of degrees and titles was voted for by the Party member philosophers. But not unanimously. The present publication offers not only the text of the letter, but also its facsimile, thus proving the authenticity of that semi-detective story. The problem was that it was not possible to send such a letter by mail, and it was delivered to the Party Bureau of the Institute of Philosophy by one of the stewards of “Tsqaltubo – Moscow” train.

Notes from the “Yellow House”. The Case of A. A. Zinoviev

The outstanding thinker Alexander Zinoviev encountered in his life the unique experience of fi rst losing all his academic degrees and ranks and then their reinstatement. In both cases it was he initiative of the Institute of Philosophy at the Soviet Academy of Sciences (in 1976 and 1990), where Alexander Zinoviev also worked until 1976. The documentary history of those events re-constructed on the basis of the archival materials, allows to add substantial facts to the scientifi c biography of the thinker. This also demonstrates the moral and psychological atmosphere and specifi cs of the scientifi c discussions and decisions in the institute of philosophy in various historical periods. The institute is of interest as a representational organization of academic science, as well as colorful social and cultural phenomenon of the Soviet and post-Soviet society.

Alexander Zinoviev as Soviet Traditionalist

The article examines the phenomenon of A.A. Zinoviev as a Soviet traditionalist. In this respect, the phenomenon of A.A. Zinoviev is of interest as a paradoxical example of both radical criticism of the Soviet system and the attempts at its theoretical rehabilitation in the late, nostalgic period of A.A. Zinoviev’s life. He believed that those periods did not negate one another, but complemented each other, since they refl ected both the negative and positive sides of the Soviet period in history. But those aspects of A.A. Zinoviev are refl ected in a distorted way, since he reasoned “from within” the Soviet reality and generally shared its entire internal mythology. The phenomenon of A.A.Zinoviev in this respect is an important example of how consciousness is “reformatted” by the Soviet myth, but at the same time retains the hidden “archetypes” of Russian consciousness. The article also examines some aspects of A.A. Zinoviev’s philosophy that make his ideas related to existentialism: man as a project, the primacy of existence in relation to the essence; the imperative of becoming a person; sociality as a sphere of alienated being; the inescapable loneliness of man; God as Another and as the original model of personal being. The author distinguishes the stylistic specifi city of A.A. Zinoviev’s philosophizing and its Christian archetypes.

The Experience of Co-authorship. On the Poetry of Alexander Zinoviev

Several years ago the author of this article was offered to write a foreword to the anthology that included all the poetic legacy of A.A. Zinoviev. But the author’s health condition, the introductory poems of Zinoviev in which he, as if on purpose, disqualifi ed himself as a poet, and his many evident “technical” blunders, - all that didn’t favor and help the creation of that foreword. But now the author of the article assesses Zinoviev’s poetry form a different and specifi c point of view: it provides incentive for co-authorship because contains not only the scattering of small masterpieces, but also the untamable vital force.

Party of the Future and Its Ideology Through the Eyes of Alexander Zinoviev

The article examines the main postulates of the book “The Ideology of the Future Party” by A.A. Zinoviev, whose 100th anniversary is celebrated this year. Particular attention is paid to the scientist's debunking of the myths of Western democracy. It is noted that his concept of ideology of the future is based on the imperative to fi nd civilizational alternative to the Western model of the world order.

Enthusiasts or Fanatics? Some Aspects of Zinoviev’s and Hume’s Anthropological Projects

The logical sociology of Alexander Zinoviev represents the attempt to build a defi nitely scientifi c theory of society where human qualities are practically reduced to minimum and the axiological aspect is entirely excluded. Still, when creating such theory Zinoviev uses a particular anthropological concept and in the long run adds an ethical component. And this does not mean any violation of system logic, but constitutes the result of applying theory to the specifi c history of Russian society of the Communist period. It’s interesting to compare the purely theoretical approach of Zinoviev to the problem of society origin to that of the British philosopher David Hume. Hume, representing the enlightened paradigm, was convinced that not the most moral actions of certain individuals can turn around to the public benefi t in general. While examining Russian communism, Zinoviev follows a similar hypothesis. In doing so Zinoviev adds ethnological aspect to the anthropological one of his sociology: in particular, according to him, Communism in Russia appeared due to the specifi c qualities of Russian people. The theory of super-society, developed by Zinoviev, explains the global situation in the 21st century when two anthropological aspects collide:Russian communist and Western. The Russian project has suffered defeat in this collision and Zinoviev sees here the fault not only of the authorities but of the people as well.

Антропология А. А. Зиновьева: гомо советикус

The article discusses the anthropology of Alexander Zinoviev. The concept of homo soveticus introduced by the thinker is analyzed. Zinoviev's pamphlet "Homo soveticus" is being investigated. The interrelation of the anthropological type with the modern philosophical world is noted, as well as the relevance of the problem, especially in the context of geopolitical reality. The philosophical, cultural, social and historical phenomenon of homo soveticus, its relationship with the collective, reality, and democratic society are considered. The article concludes that Zinoviev's philosophy carries scientific insight, although the concept of man is not fully considered by the thinker. The authors claim that for the Russian person, the issues of being have never been secondary and alien to his consciousness.

Личность и вклад в науку Александра Зиновьева (размышления, навеянные чтением его интервью журналу «Личность. Культура. Общество»)

The article attempts to comprehend the personality of Alexander Zinoviev and his contribution to philosophy. At the same time, the author relied on his own acquaintance with Zinoviev, observations of his life and actions, as well as on an interview that he gave in 2003, to Chef editor of the journal “Personality. Culture. Society” Yu.M. Reznik. The circumstances (war, family, atmosphere in the country, unique abilities) that shaped Zinoviev's personality are considered; with some degree of conditionality, it can be called esoteric and obviously talented. The contribution of Zinoviev to philosophy, self-consciousness by a sociologist, who discovered the deep laws of social life, the use of which, he believes, will allow further social development and, possibly, a real revolution, is analyzed. The author recognizes the importance of Zinoviev and encourages readers to think about his life.

Preserving the soviet heritage. Pro et contra

2022 has been declared the year of cultural heritage in Russia. This is an important announcement for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and for Russia as a whole, as many cultural heritage sites require urgent attention. Also, 2022 is the year of the centenary of Alexander Zinoviev, a logician and (in the late period of his life) a brilliant anti-globalist publicist. Globalization presupposes a certain unification of the world heritage, bringing the Russian heritage under the global denominator. Such a unique phenomenon as socialism does not fit into the world heritage, the manifestations of which include almost 60 % of objects. Included in the security register of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.Having lived 20 years under capitalism, Zinoviev experienced a belated insight that the socialist order (already defeated by that time) was an order of magnitude (that is, ten times) more moral than Western democracy (and whether there is democracy there). Zinoviev wrote: "Globalization is a new world war", understanding it as a cunning immoral technology, an absolute evil.According to M. McLuhan, communication technologies have made the whole world a "global theater". The adherents of globalism, apart from computer scientists, who are its main beneficiaries, are concentrated in the sphere of politics and economics (its concentrated expression). By changing the nature of work, information technology has imperceptibly changed the way its results are appropriated. With them, morality and the culture that arises on its basis (including art) imperceptibly change.The problems of preserving the Soviet historical and cultural heritage in the article offered to the reader are covered from the standpoint of value dualism. Both the arguments of the supporters of conservation and the arguments of its opponents are given.

Preserving the soviet heritage. Pro et contra

2022 has been declared the year of cultural heritage in Russia. This is an important announcement for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and for Russia as a whole, as many cultural heritage sites require urgent attention. Also, 2022 is the year of the centenary of Alexander Zinoviev, a logician and (in the late period of his life) a brilliant anti-globalist publicist. Globalization presupposes a certain unification of the world heritage, bringing the Russian heritage under the global denominator. Such a unique phenomenon as socialism does not fit into the world heritage, the manifestations of which include almost 60 % of objects. Included in the security register of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.Having lived 20 years under capitalism, Zinoviev experienced a belated insight that the socialist order (already defeated by that time) was an order of magnitude (that is, ten times) more moral than Western democracy (and whether there is democracy there). Zinoviev wrote: "Globalization is a new world war", understanding it as a cunning immoral technology, an absolute evil.According to M. McLuhan, communication technologies have made the whole world a "global theater". The adherents of globalism, apart from computer scientists, who are its main beneficiaries, are concentrated in the sphere of politics and economics (its concentrated expression). By changing the nature of work, information technology has imperceptibly changed the way its results are appropriated. With them, morality and the culture that arises on its basis (including art) imperceptibly change.The problems of preserving the Soviet historical and cultural heritage in the article offered to the reader are covered from the standpoint of value dualism. Both the arguments of the supporters of conservation and the arguments of its opponents are given.

A.A. Zinoviev: philosopher, publicist, prophet of the Russian land

The article is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Zinoviev, a worldclass humanist: logician, famous writer, prominent researcher-sociologist, political scientist, artist. The author shares his memories of personal meetings with this outstanding personality, who became the personification of the greatness and drama of the Soviet era. A.А. Zinoviev sharply criticized the policy of “denigrating” the history of the Soviet period, he opposed the thoughtless borrowing of Western models of law, economics, culture, which is detrimental to Russia, predicted with pain the inevitability of future trials that would fall to the lot of our Motherland. The highest relevance of the works of A.A. Zinoviev in the context of the current situation is noted, when questions about the place of Russia in the global world, about the supreme duty and the meaning of existence of the Russian people are raised with unprecedented acuteness. Today, not only the ideas of Alexander Zinoviev are gaining relevance, but also the height of his moral example: by his scientific destiny, the humanist has shown that true knowledge should be “involved in being”, and only in this case does the scientist become commensurate with the challenges of the time.

How I See my Generation's Contribution to Philosophy

In the article, the author, on the one hand, recalls the representatives of the generation of the sixties, with whom he dealt, entering philosophy, more precisely, the Moscow Methodological Circle, on the other hand, he undertakes an analysis of well-known figures of the methodological movement (Alexander Zinoviev, Merab Mamardashvili, Georgy Shchedrovitsky), as well as the important contribution of this group of talented thinkers to the development of Russian philosophy. He shows that, as a rule, the listed thinkers were major personalities and original thinkers, and time and its ups and downs played a big role in this. If we talk about the contribution to the development of philosophy, the author considers such points as interest in the thinking of K. Marx, historical and semiotic turns, an active approach, a sociotechnical view of the role of philosophical knowledge, and finally, the formation and development of methodology. A certain place in the article is occupied by the presentation of two author's concepts (semiotic and methodological), the beginning of the creation of which refers precisely to the 1960s.

The Philosophy of Generation of 1960s as a Social Phenomenon

In its main part, the article is devoted to the Soviet philosophy of generation of the 1960s. It begins with a preface, which regards belonging to a generation as a sign of fate, and ends with an afterword, according to which the past is not judged. Belonging to a generation is the seal of time on individual destinies. The author belongs to the generation of Soviet philosophers who directly followed the sixties and got lost in their shadow. It shows how they are seen from this close distance. They personified the renewal of philosophy in the Soviet Union in the second half of the 20th century. It is shown that it began at the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University in the form of opposition of young researchers to the dogmatically minded professors, that its origins were two outstanding thinkers – Evald Ilyenkov and Alexander Zinoviev, who set the speculative-dialectical and scientific-analytical lines of development of philosophical research with their work. The philosophy of the sixties was humanistically oriented and emerged as a decisive break with the philosophical dogmatism of the 1930s and 1940s; it was the theoretical justification for the process of de-Stalinization that had begun in the country. It was represented by many original theories of thought and action, inspired by the ideas of the sovereignty of the human mind and the individually responsible existence of the individual. The philosophy of the generation of the 1960s remained loyal to the teachings of Marx and the socialist ideal, existed, as it were, in parallel with official orthodoxy, with its internal rejection.