L.E. Gabrilovich’s work “On Mathematical Thinking and the Concept of Actual Form” in the context of his theory of knowledge

Abstract

The introductory article to the publication below of the continuation of the central work by the Russian philosopher and logician Evgeny L. Gabrilovich (1878–1953), titled On Mathematical Thinking and the Concept of Actual Form (for the beginning, see: Philosophical Polylogue, 2024, iss. 1–2), demonstrates the conceptual importance of Wilhelm Schuppe’s immanent philosophy for Gabrilovich’s development of the theory of knowledge within the context of the logical-epistemological trend in Russian thought. It is noted that the published text by Gabrilovich holds undeniable significance for the historical-philosophical study of the developmental logic of epistemology and the theory of knowledge in Russian philosophy. As evidenced by the text, the Russian thinker was thoroughly acquainted with the latest philosophical trends of the early 20^th century (phenomenology, Marburg neo-Kantianism) and meticulously studied the works of W. Schuppe, E. Husserl, H. Cohen, P. Natorp, E. Cassirer, and others. Gabrilovich paid special attention to the development of methods of cognition in philosophy, striving toward the ideal of precision and mathematical thinking. The article emphasizes the importance of the ideas of such Russian philosophers as M.I. Karinsky, A.I. Vve­densky, and I.I. Lapshin for Gabrilovich. It also examines a 1915 review of Gabrilovich’s work by the Berlin mathematician L. Löwenheim, in which he argued that this short book offers the reader an interesting perspective on philosophy, mathe­matics, and the theory of knowledge. It is concluded that reading Gabrilovich’s work within the context Russian neo-Kantianism is of great interest for historians of Russian philosophy.