Positivist Philosophy
Postitivism was developed by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher born in 1798. Many educated Russians embraced Comte’s mode of thought, and it was likely the line the Solyony chose to follow. Positive philosophy involves the law of the three stages, based on the understanding that the human mind travels through three stages: the theological, the metaphysical, and the positive. The goal is that humans will embrace a “positivist” understanding of the universe, based on scientific empirical evidence to provide answers.
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu
Slavophilia
Pitted against Positivism was the Slavophile movement. Slavophiles rejected Western thought and philosophy, and sought to create a system of values that was deeply rooted in the traditions of Russian culture and the Orthodox church. Tuzenbach, who twice cites himself and his father as “good Orthodox Christians,” likely would have embraced this movement.
For deeper understanding: http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.temple.edu/stable/2679578
For deeper understanding: http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.temple.edu/stable/2679578
The Russian Orthodox Church
It is important to understand the deep connections that the Russian people, even those who were non-religious, had to the Orthodox Church. Chekov himself, while he did not claim to be part of the faith that he was raised in, was said to have an aesthetic relationship with the church, its icons, hymns, and bells. In many ways, to be Russian was to be Orthodox. This understanding is instrumental in understanding the contradiction that presents itself when trying to reconcile the traditional with the progressive. The church did not provide a concrete theology, or system of belief for its members, but rather left things such as the resurrection shrouded in mystery. The divine was not knowable by earthly beings, and was not meant to be known-- to know the divine would immediately discount its power. When we consider Russian intellectuals who wished to investigate and philosophize, we can consider the Orthodox church as a person’s traditional roots, a yearning and nostalgia for the past, a voice that keeps insisting that knowledge is sinful.
For illumination: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.temple.edu/docview/867674318
For illumination: http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.temple.edu/docview/867674318
the_eternal_stranger_the_superfluous_man.pdf | |
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Vladimir Solovev (1853-1900)
Solovev was considered to be Russia’s first systematic philosopher. He embraced the idea of sobornost-- the unification of religion, philosophy, science and art as the clearest path to finding God. His system was largely lauded by Slavophiles, and rejected by Positivists.
For further reading: http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.temple.edu/ps/pdfViewerinPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=temple_main&docId=GALE|CX3424502904&contentSegment=&navContext=none
For further reading: http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.temple.edu/ps/pdfViewerinPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=temple_main&docId=GALE|CX3424502904&contentSegment=&navContext=none