Deconstruction vs. Actualization: S.S. Khoruzhiy and L.A. Gogotishvili on V.S. Solovyov and the “Solovyovian” Tradition in Russian philosophy

The features of the hidden polemics between S.S. Khoruzhiy and L.A. Gogotishvili concerning the ideas of V.S. Solovyov and representatives of the “Solovyov line” in Russian philosophy in the 90s of the XX century are considered. It is shown that Khoruzhego's critical approach was not limited to theological evaluations from dogmatic and ascetic positions and was oriented towards revealing the specificity of the Solovyov's philosophy reception in the Russian culture. Khoruzhiy's philosophical and scientific works presupposed a critical deconstruction of Solovyov's philosophy and the ideas of his followers in the perspective of their rethinking and overcoming their conceptual content. It is shown that, unlike Khoruzhiy, Gogotishvili fundamentally avoided dogmatic assessments of philosophers of Solovyov's line and focused research attention on the conceptual dimension of the relevant ideas and intuitions in order to identify their philosophical and methodological potential. The nature of Gogotishvili's disagreement with Khoruzhiy 's assessments in her several works is examined, and individual judgments from her commentary on Khoruzhiy's report “The Heritage of Vladimir Solovyov: One Hundred Years Later” (2000), preserved in her personal archive and unpublished, are also cited. It is concluded that for Gogotishvili the All-unity philosophy turned out to be not a static “metaphysics” requiring overcoming, but a creative anticipation of the most important philosophical discussions of the XX-XXI centuries. The fundamental difference between the Khoruzhiy's and Gogotishvili's approaches was their basic intention. While the first strived for critical deconstruction and the search for new “paths of Russian philosophy”, the second sought apologetic reactualization of the most meaningful “Solovyov's Line” concepts in the field of contemporary philosophy.