An examination of Russia's philosophical heritage. It extends from the Slavophiles to the philosophers of the Silver Age, from emigre religious thinkers to Losev and Bakhtin and assesses the meaning for Russian culture as a whole.

An examination of Russia's philosophical heritage. It extends from the Slavophiles to the philosophers of the Silver Age, from emigre religious thinkers to Losev and Bakhtin and assesses the meaning for Russian culture as a whole.

Although scholars have devoted much attention to the impact of technology on society, they have tended to slight the question of how technology is affected by social systems. The authors of this volume take precisely this approach in their examination of the "Soviet model" of development. The book surveys the history and current state of science and technology in the USSR and its former satellites. It then looks at the economic environment for technological innovation and examines the impact of the "energy shock" in the transitional economies of the region. Finally, it discusses the ecological devastation of the USSR and Eastern Europe, its connection with the "Soviet model" and the prospects for remediation. The central argument of the book is that the cultural and social factors and the legacy of the Soviet model will inevitable figure in the reconstruction of the East.

Although scholars have devoted much attention to the impact of technology on society, they have tended to slight the question of how technology is affected by social systems. The authors of this volume take precisely this approach in their examination of the "Soviet model" of development. The book surveys the history and current state of science and technology in the USSR and its former satellites. It then looks at the economic environment for technological innovation and examines the impact of the "energy shock" in the transitional economies of the region. Finally, it discusses the ecological devastation of the USSR and Eastern Europe, its connection with the "Soviet model" and the prospects for remediation. The central argument of the book is that the cultural and social factors and the legacy of the Soviet model will inevitable figure in the reconstruction of the East.

For all his distance from formal philosophy, Fyodor Dostoevsky was one of the most philosophical of writers. In works from fictional masterpieces to little-known nonfiction prose, he grappled with the ultimate questions about the nature of humankind. His novels are peopled by characters who dramatize the fierce debates that preoccupied the Russian intelligentsia during the second half of the nineteenth century.

What was the philosophy of Dostoevsky? How does reading this literary giant from a new perspective add to our understanding of him and of Russian culture? In this remarkable book, a leading authority on Russian thought presents the first comprehensive account of Dostoevsky's philosophical outlook.

Drawing on the writer's novels and, more so than other scholars, on his essays, letters, and notebooks, James P. Scanlan examines Dostoevsky's beliefs. The nonfiction pieces make possible new interpretations of some of the author's most controversial works of fiction, including Notes from Underground.

Dostoevsky's thought, Scanlan explains, was shaped above all by its anthropocentrism, its struggle to define the essence of humanity. All of the subjects the writer addressed -- including religion, ethics, aesthetics, history, the state, and the Russian nation -- provided clues to the mystery of what it means to be human. Scanlan demonstrates conclusively that Dostoevsky's philosophical views were more solidly grounded and systematic than has been imagined, and cannot be dismissed as the notions of an irrationalist.

Scanlan also discusses the flaws and weaknesses in Dostoevsky's thought, in particular his controversial notion that Russia is the one "God-bearing" nation. This belief-- that Russia has a messianic role to play in world history -- has gained renewed popularity among its citizens, for whom Dostoevsky has long been regarded as a thinker of supreme importance.

Russian philosophy begins through the impregnation of the ancient Byzantine tradition of Old Russia by the Western thought of the French Enlightenment, and then by German Romanticism. The first original Russian philosopher, Gregory Skovoroda, the "Russian Socrates," was followed by the early philosophy of history and culture, Alexander Radishchev and Peter Chasadayev. The fateful break of Russian philosophiers into two opposed camps of the Slavophiles was accomplished by the middle of the nineteenth century.

The second half of the 19th century in Russian philosophy sees the more or less definitive triumph of Westernizing currents over the Slavophiles. There is no doubt that both Nihilism and Populism, as successive schools of Russian philosophy, are the authentic progeny of the senior Westernizers- though in the development of their philosophical doctrine they owe much less to German Romantacism than to British utilitarianism, French positivism, and the socialism of the left-wing Hegelians. Toward the end of the century these philosophers come increasingly under the influence of the scientific socialism of Karl Marx. Their non-Westernizing contemporaries, such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Leontyev, and Rozanov, devote themselves to a searing and negative critique of Western culture in general and begin to despair of a Russia which would accept salvation from the superficialities of Western European thought and culture. This is one of three volumes of the first historical anthology of Russian philosophical thought from its origins to the present day, with critical and interpretive commentary. The work includes 68 selections from 27 philosophers, with new translations or retranslations especially for these volumes.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.

For all his distance from formal philosophy, Fyodor Dostoevsky was one of the most philosophical of writers. In works from fictional masterpieces to little-known nonfiction prose, he grappled with the ultimate questions about the nature of humankind. His novels are peopled by characters who dramatize the fierce debates that preoccupied the Russian intelligentsia during the second half of the nineteenth century. What was the philosophy of Dostoevsky? How does reading this literary giant from a new perspective add to our understanding of him and of Russian culture?

In this remarkable book, a leading authority on Russian thought presents the first comprehensive account of Dostoevsky's philosophical outlook. Drawing on the writer's novels and, more so than other scholars, on his essays, letters, and notebooks, James P. Scanlan examines Dostoevsky's beliefs. The nonfiction pieces make possible new interpretations of some of the author's most controversial works of fiction, including Notes from Underground. Dostoevsky's thought, Scanlan explains, was shaped above all by its anthropocentrism, its struggle to define the essence of humanity. All of the subjects the writer addressed including religion, ethics, aesthetics, history, the state, and the Russian nation provided clues to the mystery of what it means to be human. Scanlan demonstrates conclusively that Dostoevsky's philosophical views were more solidly grounded and systematic than have been imagined and cannot be dismissed as the notions of an irrationalist.

Scanlan also discusses the flaws and weaknesses in Dostoevsky's thought, in particular his controversial notion that Russia is the one "God-bearing" nation. This belief that Russia has a messianic role to play in world history has gained renewed popularity among its citizens, for whom Dostoevsky has long been regarded as a thinker of supreme importance."

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.