The life and work of the mystical anarchist E.Z. Doli¬nin (a historical and philosophical analysis)
Abstract
The article analyzes the intellectual biography and philosophical-publicistic heritage of Evgeny Z. Dolinin (Moravsky). The author reconstructs the major milestones in the life of the Russian anarcho-mystic based on current research into Russian anarchist emigration and his personal correspondence. Special attention is paid to the thinker’s editorial and political-organizational activities. The ideological uniqueness of his creative legacy is revealed through the comprehensive study of his works (1920–1930s) published in the journal Probuzhdenie (The Awakening) and the newspaper Rassvet (The Dawn). The article argues that Dolinin was arguably the only anarchist theorist of the Russian diaspora who criticized egalitarianism and revolutionism. It demonstrates that, unlike most of his comrades focused on the future, Dolinin linked social progress to a return to the intellectual heritage of antiquity. The potential influence of N.A. Berdyaev and B.P. Vysheslavtsev on the thinker is examined. The paper analyzes the Dolinin’s epistemological, ethical, and aesthetic views, his unique theoretical concepts regarding the existence of proto-anarchism in the era of the development of Gnostic teachings (Carpocrates), his polemics with V.M. Volin, his sharp criticism of P.A. Arshinov’s “Organizational Platform” project, as well as the philosophical reception of the ideas of L.N. Tolstoy and H.G. Wells. The author suggests that through the reevaluation of classical anarchist thought, Dolinin created a specific political-philosophical project conceptually close to early libertarianism (M. Rothbard). Ultimately, it is concluded that the anarcho-mystic was the most erudite Russian anarchist of his time, who, however, failed to formulate his knowledge into lucid and comprehensible writings, which explains the contradictory nature of his publishing activities in the USA.
