Prohibitions on philosophy in 19th-сentury Russia: causes and results

Annotation

The widely known 1850 prohibition on teaching philosophy in universities was not the only one in 19th-century Russian history. The reasons for such restrictions are usually cited as fear of freethinking and the belief that philosophy lacked practical utility. However, the nature of the prohibitions was more complex, and the restrictions on teaching philosophy were quite specific. Philosophy continued to exist within courses in experimental psychology and logic, and in other “related” humanities fields at universities. Philosophy, including modern philosophy, continued to be taught at the Theological Academies. However, her development at the university was under threat. This article examines which forms of freethinking displeased the Russian authorities, as well as the benefits they expected from philosophy. Particular attention is given to the historiosophy of Russian thought in the second quarter of the 19th century. The central question here is how closely the early “Zapadnic’s” and “Slavophiles” ideas corresponded to Russia’s historical realities and the ruling regime’s understanding of the state’s future and the norms of foreign and domestic policy. It is suggested that both extreme versions of Russia’s future were based on the model of the philosophy of history and the philosophy of law that emerged in German classical philosophy and corresponded to the realities of nationstates, but not to the unique imperial type of state that Russia was. Prohibitions on the teaching of philosophy, as well as attempts of “manual” control of the philosophical knowledge, are undoubtedly negative phenomenas. However, a careful examination of the motives behind these decisions allows us to discern the forms philosophy takes in society, its relationship with society, education, and government.

Keywords

Russian philosophy, Westernism, Slavophilism, prohibitions on the teaching of philosophy, philosophy, and the university

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