Philosophical Heritage Research Articles

Attention to Oneself in an Apologetic Perspective: The Reception of Ancient Philosophical Practices in St. Basil the Great

The purpose of this article is to present Saint Basil’s utilization of the philosophical heritage along with the ancient Greek literature for the benefit of Christianity. Saint Basil’s approach was influenced by a lineage of Christian philosophers, including the St. Justin the Philosopher, Origen, St. Gregory Thaumaturgus and his grandmother St. Macrina the Elder. Initially, early Christians like St. Justin the Philosopher and Clement of Alexandria portrayed Christianity as the true philosophy and the culmination of knowledge in antiquity. Then Origen employed more philosophical methods and practices in his Christian educational program. St. Basil followed this tradition, but infused his teaching with a holistic Christian interpretation. For instance, he emphasized attention to oneself in a Christian perspective. Additionally, his Address to the Young: On how they might derive benefit from Greek literature demonstrates Christianity’s capacity to assimilate and embrace other traditions while interpreting them in a manner that promotes virtue, the moral development of human being and devotion to Christ.

THE ISSUE OF WAHDAT AL-WUJUD IN ALISHER NAVOI ONTOLOGICAL PHILOSOPHY

This article is devoted to the problem of unity, which is the subtlest and mysterious problem related to existence, widespread in Muslim oriental philosophical schools. The problem of Wahdat al-Wujud (the existence of God), along with its pluralistic nature in Eastern philosophy, tried to shed light on the extremely ignorant approaches put forward by extremely fanatical trends and sects, their quality as a weapon of the dominant political ideology. The article reveals a subject in the philosophical heritage of the great thinker Alisher Navoi with very simple examples, with examples from the works of enlightenment, mysticism, and provides scientific and analytical conclusions.

SCOPE AND FLIGHT IN LITERARY IMAGES OF OUR TIME: METAMORPHOSES OF THE IDEA

The article is dedicated to the analysis of the idea of flight in fiction and the scope it provides for the representation of a person’s real vision or the symbolic designation of psychological states and understanding. The interpretation of one’s perspective as a personal quality and a property of space or time is also considered. The comparison of literary works is focused on the expressive approach аin the scholarly heritage of the 20th-century outstanding philosophers and aestheticians M. Bakhtin and A. Losev. The novel Aviator by Evgeny Vodolazkin, a representative of modern Russian prose, is analyzed in detail. The ideas and interpretations of flight in the works of R. Bach, A. de Saint-Exupery, and other famous writers of the past century are compared. The dependence of the destinies of those who strive for flight on the historical turns of their time is demonstrated. The main value of the concept of flight for these authors lies in the breadth of human horizons, in the “vigilance of the heart” and “touch to the soul.”

В.С. Соловьев и современные проблемы историографии и источниковедения русской философии

The article presents answers to the following questions formulated by the editorial board of the journal “Solovyov Studies”: How do you assess the current state of research in this field and, in particular, the heritage of V.S. Solovyov? Is there obvious success in publishing the heritage of Russian philosophers and rather sufficient activity of relevant studies? What are the failures and what, in your opinion, are the reasons for them? In recent years in the community of researchers of the history of Russian philosophy one can hear the opinion that the philosophical heritage of V.S. Solovyov is irrelevant. In your opinion, has Solovyov lost his relevance? What aspects of his philosophical, literary and journalistic legacy have not yet been sufficiently developed, are there prospects for the development of the philosophy of unitotality, or does it belong entirely to history? The significance of V.S. Solovyov's legacy as the first, most developed philosophical system and the relevance of his teachings as the most successful example of philosophical thought in Russian are considered. The contribution of V.S. Solovyov to the development of philosophical terminology in Russia is pointed out. A brief outline of the historiography of Russian philosophy is given. It is noted that there is not a large number of critical editions of the sources of Russian philosophy, that the research of the history of Russian philosophy is not a priority in national science and educational policy, that there is not enough historiographical reflection. Modern researchers of Russian philosophy have not formulated fundamentally new approaches and belong to the same historiographical paradigm as the authors of the early 20th century. The situation can be changed by creating a new historical and philosophical narrative.

Актуальность философского наследия Владимира Соловьева: вызовы современности и возможные ответы

The study is dedicated to the current problems in the philosophical heritage of Vladimir Solovyov, which are most in demand nowadays. The introduction of the concept of “Russian classical philosophy” in relation to Solovyov and his followers is justified. The thesis about the philosophical groundlessness and politicization of recent attacks on Solovyov’s legacy, about the inclination of his metaphysical opponents to the priority of the multiplicity and ontological dualism is put forward. An assessment of the possibilities of contemporary Russian philosophy is made, it should satisfy two requirements: preserving all the positive aspects of the philosophy of Solovyov and his successors and taking into account the rich experience of foreign thought of the twentieth century, rooted in the same traditions as Russian classical philosophy.

Eurasian Civilization: Conceptual Geo-Economic Framework in the Context of a New World Order

The article is based upon the authors presentation at the All-Russian Conference with international participation “The Concept of the Russian Civilization” held at the School of Public Administration of Lomonosov Moscow State University on January 22–23, 2024. In addition to the basic propositions of the presentation the article contains certain ideas and methodological hypothesis regarding the framework for defining the limits of the Eurasian geopolitical space taking into consideration the on-going global and regional transformations. The successful integration of the geo-economic macro-region “Larger Eurasia” as a part of the economic regionalization in the contemporary political environment of competition of values means considering a wider array of factors beyond geo-economics: history, including the history of economic development, culture as well as the social aspects. The author promotes the position in favor of the integration of the mechanisms that are based upon the Eurasian theory and advanced mechanisms that form the economic and governing basis for the formation of the geoeconomic macro-regions. The trend for the formation of geoeconomic macro-regions was slowed down by the West but non dismantled completely. Those factors are directly involved in the issue of Eurasian frontier and the mechanism of its geo-economic demarcation. Special attention in the article is paid to the issue of the Western border (frontier) of Eurasia. The issue is addressed basing on the authors hypothesis about the existence of “Dnieper proto-fault” that integrates civilizational (socio-cultural) and spatial geo-economic aspects. The fundamental transformations’ potential including the force which lies in this proto-fault has already manifested itself during the Special military operation that Russia has started in February 2022.The effective analysis is needed not only for the interdisciplinary approach but flexible and creative adaptation of the philosophical heritage of founders of the Eurasian theory updating it to the newly emerged reality and relevant to the special, geography-based political and economic architecture.

Kant’s Philosophy and the Idea of the Self-Made-Man

Purpose. The authors of this article set the main purpose of understanding the ideological potential of Kant’s philosophical heritage from the viewpoint of its influence on the spread and legitimization of the self-made man idea in the worldview transformations of the modern world. Theoretical basis. Historical, analytical, and hermeneutic methods became fundamental for achieving the goal. The study is based on Kant’s works, as well as on the works of modern researchers of his ideological heritage. Originality. The analysis shows that the idea of the Self-made-man, which originated in the ancient world and gradually spread in the Western culture of the Middle Ages, early Modernism, and especially the Enlightenment, receives significant additional impulses in the context of Kant’s rethinking of the metaphysical foundations in the theory of knowledge and morality. Perhaps, the systematic theoretical substantiation of people’s abilities to use their own mind, their intellectual, and therefore moral autonomy, and freedom of will as the fundamental principles of personal Self-determination and Self-realization became the most important consequence of this rethinking. This, in turn, became the theoretical and moral-legal basis for further legitimization in the modern and postmodern world of the ideal of a person who creates oneself. Conclusions. The importance of Kant’s philosophy in the context of idea generation of the self-made man is hard to overestimate. It is entirely imbued with a leitmotif appeal to the individual to have the courage to use his/her own mind, to be independent and self-sufficient in assessments, choices, and actions, and therefore also responsible for their consequences, in the end, to be primarily an end, not a means. Thanks to this, a person, according to Hegel, finds an unconditionally strong and stable center in oneself. In fact, by strengthening the position of human-centric philosophy, as well as the moral and legal foundations of liberal humanism, Kant’s ideas provided further ideological legitimation in the orientation of an objectively growing individual towards actively placing Self-reliance and Personal responsibility on one’s own destiny as the key principles of the Self-made-man concept.

Возвращение к богу Хайку / Return to the God Hike

The article analyzes and comments on the thoughts and positions of the publication of the American author Gregory Shaw: "Taking the Shape of Gods. A Theurgic Reading of Hermetic Rebirth" by Gregory Shaw. The continuing interest in the works of Hermes Trismegistus is explained by a certain decline in the level of intellectual activity of the West and the desire to increase it through in-depth study of the ideas of the ancient Egyptian sage. Just as the West's familiarity with his books once gave rise to the Renaissance. These circumstances motivate the turn to the study of the Eastern philosophical heritage, and in particular, to the analysis of the social orders of ancient Egypt.

THE RELEVANCE OF THE THEME OF SELF-EDUCATION IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT

The purpose of the article is to substantiate the relevance of the topic of self-education in diff erent his-torical periods on the basis of comprehension of ideas about the essence, goals, and meanings of self-education in foreign and domestic philosophical thought. It is revealed that the relevance of the theme of self-education is con-nected with the diff erence in the ways (or aspects) of its problematization in diff erent periods of the history of so-ciety and culture. The philosophical heritage diff erently presents the content characteristics of self-education, which act as interrelated and complementary processes of human identity. Thus, the need for self-knowledge, which has arisen since antiquity, is actualized at all times. On this basis, starting from the New Age, the processes of self-de-velopment, self-education, self-determination, etc. are realized. The study of self-education in historical dynamics shows that self-education is aimed at self-improvement, which was understood diff erently in each period of history. It contains the possibilities of sustainable being oneself.

IMMORTAL DRAGON OF THE HEAVENLY. A POWER THREE TIMES TEMPERED BY FORCE OF SPIRIT

The great Chinese power-civilization is the longest in time, its revival is based on a combination of world achievements and local cultural and historical traditions, rich philosophical heritage. China's geopolitical power includes, along with political stability, military, economic, and technological power, the main component - strength of spirit and Great Order in the soul. In this regard, the Celestial Empire is a thrice “tempered” state - tempered by Confucianism, Buddhism and the communist ideology of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Chinese lessons explain success on the path to prosperity by refusing to blindly borrow other people's experience and, especially, in the spiritual sphere.

Концепция души христианских учителей Ранней Церкви

The article is devoted to the teachings about the soul, which were developed in the early Christian tradition before the 4th century. There is no shortage of research on this topic, how-ever, in this article, firstly, no attempt is made to develop a uni-versal patristic teaching, but, on the contrary, an overview of the entire variety of ideas that were formed in the Early Church is give; secondly, the observation is made that the opinion ac-cepted among scientists about the unconditional adherence of Christian authors to one or the other philosophical schools are not supported by the sources. Christian writers argue with their contemporary philosophy, and at the same time rely more on the authority of St. Scriptures and the church tradition, creative-ly reworking the philosophical heritage. Christians use only the general idea of the soul, which was developed by the Greek philosophical schools. Idealistic teaching was spread among the Hellenized Jews of the Diaspora. Christian church teachers used both the «Platonic» immaterial concept of the soul, as well as the «Aristotelian» materialistic one. The author of the article concludes that the choice in favor of one or another model de-pended more on regional specifics. In those provinces of the West and East where the degree of Hellenization was higher, there is a greater attraction to Platonic idealism. On the contra-ry, in Roman North Africa, where Hellenistic culture did not spread, and as the local population as a whole tended to reli-gious literalism and materialism, typical for Punic culture, the materialistic doctrine of the soul also spread. Since it is in Ro-man Africa that Latin Christianity was born, it is in it that Christian materialism would develop. It is precisely caused by cultural specifics of the Mediterranean regions, and not by the difference in Greek and Latin languages, that is usually esti-mated as a core factor of the split between teachings of the soul in the Eastern and Western Christian thought.

Musical Aesthetics of Silence: Nilus of Sora in the Context of the Singing Culture of his Era

The article is devoted to the consideration of the philosophical (hesychast) heritage of Nilus of Sora in the context of the church singing culture of his time based on the material of surviving notated manuscripts of the late 15th – early 16th centuries. His essay “The Tradition and Rules of Living in the Hermitage” contains ideas of a musical and aesthetic nature, some evidence about the singing culture of that era and a value assessment of a number of phenomena of musical and church life.

The philosophy of Stanislaw Lem through the eyes of Professor Okolovsky. Review of the book “Stanislaw Lem and reason. Philosophical studies"

The article is a review of the publication: Okolovsky P. Stanislav Lem and reason. Philosophical studies. Minsk: Galiafi, 2022. 224 p. The author is a professor at the University of Warsaw, researching the philosophical legacy of Stanislaw Lem. The book is a collection of essays and interviews that reveal Lem's vision of resolving ontological, epistemological and axiological questions. The Russian-speaking reader is offered an analysis of the philosophy of the mature Lem: it is little known and does not fit into the canonical approaches expressing the history of philosophy of the 20th century. This publication makes a significant contribution to Lemology, allowing one to get an idea of the principles and approaches of Lem as a philosopher, and to look at his philosophical heritage against the background of the ancient classics.

Integrating Contradictory Perspectives in Latin American Philosophy: A MultiAlism Approach

This study explores the integration of indigenous philosophies and postcolonial modernist theories within the framework of MultiAlism, highlighting the potential for dialogue and synthesis between these diverse philosophical traditions in Latin America. MultiAlism, a concept developed by Florentin Smarandache, is utilized to bridge the gaps and contradictions between these systems by focusing on areas of neutrality such as cultural diversity and power structure critiques. The research emphasizes the importance of incorporating both ancestral wisdom and modern critiques to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Latin America’s rich philosophical heritage. This integrative approach offers practical insights for developing inclusive policies and advancing social justice efforts within the region. Looking ahead, the potential expansion of MultiAlism’s application to other global contexts suggests its broader relevance for addressing contemporary challenges through a flexible and holistic philosophical approach.

Relevance of Lev Karsavin’s Ideas on State Cultural Policy

The article substantiates the expediency of using domestic philosophical heritage in the development of concepts and other normative documents of Russia’s cultural policy in the current situation. At present, Russian society has gained an understanding of the need to abandon the strategy of catch-up modernization and to implement socio-cultural development on the ways of deepening the country’s traditional spiritual values and its own historical vision of the multipolarity of the world. The ideas of the Russian religious philosopher L.P. Karsavin concerning such fundamental aspects of cultural policy as the peculiarities of the development of state ideology, the design of culture and state cultural programmes, the vocabulary and language of cultural studies are considered. Special attention is paid to Karsavin’s understanding of Russian culture as having Orthodox origins and developing on the basis of Orthodoxy. Attention is drawn to the importance of ensuring the unifying and living, creative character of Russian culture, the conditions of equality of different cultures and, at the same time, the presence of a hierarchy of interpenetrating cultural spheres. The development of some of L.P. Karsavin’s ideas by his followers is outlined, including the need to clarify the Christian meaning of atheism and to overcome the “irreconcilable” antagonism between religious and atheistic worldviews. The study outlines a line of enrichment of cultural theory with little-known works by L.P. Karsavin and A.A. Vaneev, which, according to the authors of the article, opens prospects for further development of new approaches to understanding the essence of cultural policy.

The Legacy of Traditional Chinese Taiji Philosophy as a Factor in Harmonizing the Contradictions of Socio-cultural Reality (using the example of Chinese Neorealist Art)

The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of the ancient Chinese philosophy of Taiji on artistic creativity and the development of the internal evolution of artistic culture. Taoist philosophy of nature and Confucian ethics synthesized the philosophical core of the traditional Chinese worldview with its emphasis on the simplicity and naturalness of the world order, and formed the fundamental principles of Taiji. Fundamental to Taiji, the concept of Yin and Yang emphasizes the dual nature of the existence of movement and variability as a balance of opposing forces of development. The Taiji philosophy of dialectical development is supplemented by the idea of ​​the genesis of renewal energy - Qi. The main research method is the method of revitalizing traditional systems on a new intellectual basis. The method of diachronic analysis of the social situation that influenced the development of Chinese neorealism in art was used. As a result of the study, the functional significance of the influence of the principles and philosophical ideas of taiji on the evolution of neorealism is described. Using the example of the work of Chinese neorealist artists Xin Dongwan and Zheng Yi, the authors come to the conclusion that there are three driving factors of artistic motivation for creativity: internal, external and subjective. The basic principles of Taiji philosophy and ethics, such as: the naturalness of change without the use of force (Wu Wei), change as the only constant in the existence of the world and its stability, gentleness - help develop the creative power of renewal. The idea is shown that in the ancient Chinese philosophical heritage, Confucianism and Taoism became two full-fledged directions, functionally complementing each other in explaining differences in cultural, political, philosophical and social environments.

The Struggle for the Publication of Nikolai Fedorov’s “Works” in the “Philosophical Heritage” Series: Documentary History (1979–1981)

In the present article, which is the second in the “Philosophical Heritage” thematic series (library) in 1982 and the attending events, the author examines the history and formation of a new concept of the “Philosophical Heritage” series with a project to include in it the works of Russian idealists and religious thinkers; on a documented basis, he reconstructs the chronology of publication of Fedorov’s book in the series, the activities of supporters and opponents of this endeavor, the practical methods and theoretical arguments they used

“Stop the Offensive of the Activated Conservative Forces”: The Political Background of the Anti- Fedorov Campaign of 1982–1983

This is the fourth and fi nal article of the thematic series devoted to the publication in 1982 of Nikolai Fedorov’s “Works” as part of the “Philosophical Heritage” academic series (library). In this article the author, on the basis of the socio-historical context reconstruction, attempts to identify political fi gures who could have been the initiators of the campaign to discredit the project associated with the popularization of the ideological heritage of Nikolai Fedorov and the publication of his “Works” in the “Philosophical Heritage” series.

“Creating Sensation”: Public Background of Nikolai Fedorov’s “Works” Publication in the “Philosophical Heritage” Series (1970–1980)

The publication of “Works” by Nikolai Fedorov as part of the academic series (library) “Philosophical Heritage” in 1982 and the processes accompanying it was one of the mysterious pages in the history of domestic philosophical book publishing, as well as a landmark and resonant event of science and culture, society and state of the late Soviet period. One can single out three main stages in the history of Fedorov’s book: preliminary information campaign in scientifi c and literary publications (1970–1980); organization of publication, behind-the-scenes struggle to get the book out of print and its subsequent public promotion (1979–1981); the public response caused by the book, the reaction to its appearance of the policymakers and higher academic authorities (1982–1983). This article is the fi rst in a thematic series and examines the information campaign of 1970–1980, aimed at popularizing and updating of Fedorov’s legacy in Soviet society: its socio-political and spiritual-cultural context, periodization, meaningful ideological orientation, theoretical inspirers and participants, the main results achieved.

“A Random Exception or the First Sign?”. How the Book “Works” by Nikolai Fedorov was Published and Received: New Materials (1982–1983)

This is the third article in the thematic series devoted to th4e publication in 1982 of the “Works” by Nikolai Fedorov as part of the academic series (library) “Philosophical Heritage”. It is devoted to the public outcry caused by the book publication, the reaction to its appearance on the part of policymakers and higher academic authorities (1982–1983). In the article the author examines the circumstances of the book’s publication, including the fi nal editing of the text, due to group political and ideological motives; organizational events carried out after the publication of the book by party and scientifi c governing bodies, as well as the anti-Fedorov campaign launched in the press during this period, its content and participants.