Slavophile and Eurasian socio-psychological subjects of history. Reali-ty, or “arbitrary aspirations and fortune-telling”
Abstract
Different methods of theorizing historical reality are considered in the article in order to interpret the phenomena of Russian culture – Slavophilism and Eurasianism as historical subjects, or historical collective individuals, as well as "collective novels". This theme is explored in three aspects: 1) the dilemma and ambivalence of Slavophilism; 2) Eurasianism as "the true revelation and disclosure of Russia's being"; and 3) Slavophilism and Eurasianism as collective novels. The main approaches to the philosophical interpretation of history are distinguished: regarding history 1) as the development of social and historical subjects (collective, collective, symphonic personalities, cultural-subjects (L.P. Karsavin); 2) as the interaction of different principles: freedom and necessity (A.S. Khomyakov); irrationalism and absolute values (W. Windelband); supreme unity (collective) and personal (L.P. Karsavin); reason and love, idea and person (G.V. Florovsky). These approaches are used in the article to interpret Slavophilism and Eurasianism. The question of what is and should be the universal human history is posed; it is shown that the answer to this question leads to determinism, relativism, or to the affirmation of God-manhood. Eurasianism is presented by the author as the essence, or destiny, of Russia. It is concluded that due to the ambivalence of history, such concepts that represent only one side of historical reality: Europe or Russia, etc., cannot claim integrity even when applying dialectical thinking. Nevertheless, the significance of the teachings of both Slavophiles and Eurasians is obvious and the theoretical heritage of these philosophers is becoming increasingly important in connection with the transformation processes taking place in Russia at present.
