The Russian Idea: Concept, Problem Field, Modern Interpretations

The article is devoted to the concept of Russian idea and its interpretations in the works of Russian thinkers of the late 19th – early 21st century. At first, the author of the article analyzes the concepts of V.S. Solovyov and V.I. Ivanov, their main theses in works on the Russian idea. Then he proceeds to consider the book by N.A. Berdyaev “Russian idea”, which covers all ideological diver­sity in the works of Russian thinkers of the 19th – early 20th century. For N.A. Berdyaev “Russian idea” is the idea of community (“commonality”), “brotherhood of people and peoples”, turned to future universal salvation. On the example of the works of V.S. Solovyov, V.I. Ivanov and N.A. Berdyaev, the author of the article shows general problem field, which includes various as­pects of research in connection with the “Russian idea”. From Russian thinkers of the late 19th – first half of the 20th century the author of the article goes on to analyze works on the Russian idea of the beginning of the 21st century. In these studies, the authors not only follow the tradition established by their pre­decessors in understanding Russian idea, but try to make additions and offer their own interpretations (A.V. Gulyga, V.I. Gidirinsky, S.N. Kocherov, O.V. Pa­rilov, V.Yu. Kondratyev). An exception to the general direction is A.G. Dugin, proposing not just to explore Russian idea, but to reveal on the basis of M. Hei­degger’s philosophy the “Russian Beginning”, which will become the leading idea for philosophizing in Russia, will create conditions for the “possibility of Russian philosophy”. Modern interest in the topic of “Russian idea” shows its relevance and the need for further philosophical research