Contemporary Russian Philosophy – serie

In Theory of Religious Cycles: Tradition, Modernity and the Bahá’í Faith Mikhail Sergeev offers a new interpretation of the Soviet period of Russian history as a phase within the religious evolution of humankind by developing a theory of religious cycles, which he applies to modernity and to all the major world faiths of Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.Sergeev argues that in the course of its evolution religion passes through six common phases—formative, orthodox, classical, reformist, critical, and post-critical. Modernity, which was started by the European Enlightenment, represents the critical phase of Christianity, a systemic crisis that could be overcome with the appearance of new religious movements such as the Bahá’í Faith, which offers a spiritual extension of the modern worldview.

For over a quarter century Russian scholars have operated apart from past ideological constraints and have been discussing in new ways the most acute problems of Russia and of the world community as a whole. Between Past Orthodoxies and the Future of Globalization makes available in English current research by leading thinkers in Russia in philosophy, political theory, and related fields. At the international level, one group of essays articulates Russian perspectives on key global issues. At the national level, another group of essays delivers analyses of the global dimensions in a variety of current issues in Russia. Taken together, the fourteen chapters of this book demonstrate the relevance and vitality of contemporary Russian philosophy to the study of globalization.Contributors are:Akop P. Nazaretyan, Alexander N. Chumakov, Alexander V. Katsura, Anastasia V. Mitrofanova, Ilia V. Ilyin, Ivan A. Aleshkovskiy, Leonid E. Grinin, Olga G. Leonova, Pavel S. Seleznev, Sergey A. Nikolsky, Tatiana A. Alekseeva, Valentina G. Fedotova, Vladimir N. Porus, Vladimir V. Mironov, William C. Gay, Yakov A. Plyais

Publication of the Global Studies Directory represents an unprecedented project in world practice. Based on the professional assessment by a large international team of experts, the Directory offers information on the most well-known scholars, political and public figures who have made outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of global studies or made a fundamental impact on the formation of global world. The Directory also contains comprehensive information about organizations, periodicals and special literature of direct relevance to the theory and practice of globalization and fully demonstrates the state of affairs in the field of study on a global level. This project is a continuation of many years of research which first resulted in the publication of the Global Studies Encyclopedic Dictionary, the companion publication to the Directory.

Russian Philosophy in the Twenty-First Century: An Anthology provides the English-speaking world with access to post-Soviet philosophic thought in Russia for the first time. The Anthology presents the fundamental range of contemporary philosophical problems in the works of prominent Russian thinkers. In contrast to the “single-mindedness” of Soviet-era philosophers and the bias toward Orthodox Christianity of émigré philosophers, it offers to its readers the authors’ plurality of different positions in widely diverse texts. Here one finds strictly academic philosophical works and those in an applied, pragmatic format—secular and religious—that are dedicated to complex social and political matters, to pressing cultural topics or insights into international terrorism, as well as to contemporary science and global challenges.

In this book, Mikhail Epstein offers a systematic theory of modalities (the actual, possible, and necessary), as applied to the discourse of philosophy in its post-Kantian and especially post-Derridean perspectives. He relies on his own experience of living in the USSR and the US, dominated respectively by imperative and possibilist modalities. Possibilism assumes that a thing or event acquires meaning only in the context of its multiple possibilities, inviting counterfactual and conditional modes of description. The author focuses on the creative potentials of possibilistic thinking and its heuristic value. The book demonstrates the range of modal approaches to society, culture, ethics, and language, and outlines potentiology as a new philosophical discipline interacting with ontology and epistemology.

In From Onomatodoxy to Aesthetics: Aleksei Losev’s Concept of Symbol, Teresa Obolevitch analyzes the category of symbol in broad historical and philosophical context, with a focus on Losev’s exploration of symbol over his prolific and tragic career. A survivor of the Stalinist camps, Losev is recognized as the “last classic” of Russian Silver Age philosophy. This book addresses Losev’s critical role within the divisive debate over onomatodoxy (imiaslavie), or the divine name, which occupied the minds of Russian thinkers in the early nineteenth century. Obolevitch presents the ancient and patristic roots of onomatodoxy and elucidates its importance for Losev’s work in a range of fields, including aesthetics, mathematics, philosophy of language, and religion. Losev’s work revolves around the possibility of expressing reality in language and his conception of symbol reflects both the apophatic aspect of Logos, as well as the possibility for new interpretations of reality.

This book is devoted to the philosophical analysis of key problems of world development and prospects for global management. Based on both rich factual material and a holistic understanding of the world, the author shows how modern globalization has shifted the arena of interaction from individual territories and regions to the entire space of the Earth. The global problems resulting from this shift have led to a weakly regulated and unmanaged world, one that gives rise to acute contradictions for the world community. How can we improve this situation? According to the author, we must learn to “think globally and act together.” This study argues that humanity needs a global civilizational revolution aimed at forming a planetary civil society and initiating a shift within international relations, from the “right of power” to the “power of law.”

This volume celebrates the life and philosophical legacy of Nelly Motroshilova (1934–2021), one of Russia’s most original and influential thinkers. Bringing together leading international scholars, it explores her pioneering contributions to philosophy, her role in bridging Russian and Western traditions, and her efforts to reinvigorate philosophical thought in Soviet and post-Soviet Russia. Readers will encounter essays revealing Motroshilova’s profound insights into the history of philosophy and social ontology, alongside personal recollections capturing her warmth, courage, and moral integrity. Combining intellectual depth with heartfelt remembrance, this collection offers both a scholarly tribute and an inspiring portrait of a remarkable thinker, colleague, and friend."This superb volume illustrates and illuminates not only Motroshilova’s own thought but also her pivotal position in the late Soviet philosophical scene and into the post-Soviet period. The essays, all by distinguished scholars in the field, reveal Motroshilova’s expansive interests, her humanism, both theoretical and personal, and her remarkable impact on the continuing conversation that characterizes philosophy today." – Thomas Nemeth, author of Kant in Imperial Russia

Despite their strong leadership presence in Soviet academia, women philosophers have remained largely unrecognized for their original thought, remembered instead as translators, teachers, and caretakers of ideas. Women Philosophers and Russia both situates and analyzes the philosophical contributions of female philosophers – and the significance of women’s issues more broadly – in intellectual history from the imperial to post-Soviet eras. Bringing together an interdisciplinary collective of sixteen scholars, the volume examines the ideas, careers, and lives of thinkers like Zinaida Stolitsa, Vera Volkovich, Ayn Rand, Liubov Akselrod, Olga Tankhilevich, Nelly Motroshilova, Piama Gaidenko, Aleksandra Kollontai, Marie Goldsmith, Myrrha Lot-Borodine, Sofia Gubaidulina, Lidiya Ginzburg, and Zinaida Mirkina, redefining the contours of philosophical inquiry in the process of bringing their ideas to light.

This book examines the changes and challenges to democracy particularly in contemporary Russia. In the first section, Russian and American philosophers scrutinize the virtues and vices facing a country changing to a democratic government. The book, secondly, explores the challenges facing a democratic Russia. Lastly, the book considers carefully issues of social justice arising from the relationship between democracy and the current economic climate of globalization.The series Contemporary Russian Philosophy explores a variety of perspectives in and on philosophy as it is currently being practiced in Russia. Co-sponsored by the Center for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and by the Russian Philosophical Society, this special series features collaborative works between Russians and Americans, collections of essays by Russians, and monographs by Russians. All volumes are published in English.