Prophecy through the past: A.I. Herzen’s Renaissance universalism

Abstract

The article draws attention to the cultural philosophy of A.I. Herzen, a thinker whose legacy is resonant with the astonishing accuracy of his prophecies in My Past and Thoughts. It is shown that Herzen’s firm ideological convictions were matched by a flexible mind, so that his adherence to Westernizers’ teachings did not prevent him from embracing the rational and deeply patriotic elements of Slavophile thought. The author stresses that Herzen’s broad intellectual horizons were harmoniously combined with his dialectical grasp of contemporary ideas, so balanced by reflection and skepticism that they precluded bsoluteism, dogmatism, and orthodoxy in his thinking and judgment. It is argued that the specificity of Herzen’s philosophical position lies in the fact that, on the one hand, he placed a high value on man in his picture of the world, emphasizing the unconditional priority of freedom and individual rights, and on the other hand, he turned to the study of nature, arguing the thesis that its inherent harmony and perfection can serve as a guide for social development and the solution of various problems. The article devotes special attention to the moral, ethical, and aesthetic aspects of the Russian thinker’s work, particularly his views on literature and art. It emphasizes that the aesthetic element was inherent in Herzen’s mental makeup to the same extent that he incorporated philosophy into his aesthetics, journalism, and literary work. It is concluded that the discursive nature of Herzen’s legacy, coupled with the highly artistic language of his philosophical works, represents not only a fascinating monument to Russian literature but also a personally charged, unique way of thinking and speaking, a signature of life – in other words, an invaluable cultural source of the era.