“price” of progress in philosophical views of P. L. Lavrov

The semantic role of the conceptual dominant of the journalistic works of one of the leaders of populism P. L. Lavrov is considered. It is argued that the conceptual content of the question of the moral costs of progress determines the method of analyzing social phenomena - at the junction of positivism and Marxism. It is proved that such a solution to the socio-philosophical problem - the combination of the preaching of ”rational egoism” with the universal moral ideal interpreted in the spirit of “practical” materialism - should be considered not as eclecticism, but as an attempt to develop an “organic” teaching. It is stated that this substantiation of the “critical look” both at the very object of research (unjust social system) and at outdated philosophical systems (ways of “curing” social ailments) is an optimal combination of theory and practice. The conclusion is made that the Narodnik understanding of the driving forces of the historical process emphasized the axiological side of the issue: the duty and moral choice of any “fighter for progress”.