262 Neo-Idealist Philosophy in the Russian Liberation Movement: the Moscow Psychological Society and Its Symposium, "Problems of Idealism" by Randall A
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#262 Neo-Idealist Philosophy in the Russian Liberation Movement: The Moscow Psychological Society and Its Symposium, "Problems of Idealism" by Randall A. Poole Randall A. Poole has been a research scholar (May-August 1996) and a short-term scholar Guly-August 1992) at the Kennan Institute. An earlier version of this paper was delivered as a Kennan Institute seminar, March 1993, for which Professor Caryl Emerson was the discussant. The author gratefully acknowledges her assistance, as well as Professor Andrzej Walicki's. The Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars The Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies is a division of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Through its programs of residential scholarships, meetings, and publications, the Institute encourages scholarship on Russia and the former Soviet Union, embracing a broad range of fields in the social sciences and humanities. 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The views expressed in Kennan Institute Occasional Papers are those of the authors. © April1996 Woodrow Wtlson International Center for Scholars TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction. The Moscow Psychological Society and Russian Liberalism 1 I. Four Neo-Idealist Professors in the liberation Movement 3 Common Experience and Ideas in the Psychological Society 3 From the Beseda Circle to the State Duma 10 II. Problems ofIdealism . Conception and History 18 Zemstvo Constitutionalists and New Uberals 18 P. B. Stuve and Neo-Idelaism 22 Freedom of Conscience 25 Progressive Idealism 31 ill. Problems ofIdealism. Central Ideas 33 Ethical Idealism, the Irreducibility of the Self, and 33 the Critique of Positivism "Contraband" 37 Progress and Natural Law 41 The Autonomy of Philosophy and Value of Its History 45 N. Continuations and Differentiations 48 Notes 51 NEO-IDEALIST PHILOSOPHY IN THE RUSSIAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT: THE MOSCOW PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND ITS SYMPOSIUM, "PROBLEMS OF IDEALISM" Introduction: The Moscow Psychological Society and Russian Liberalism The Moscow Psychological Society, a an integral part of the European learned society founded in 1885 at fin-de-siecle, neo-idealist philosophy in Moscow University, was the philosophic the Psychological Society was distinctive center of the revolt against positivism in in the theoretical depth of its critique. As the Russian Silver Age. By the end of its a general outlook, positivism was activity in 1922, the Society had attracted remarkably pervasive in Russia from the most of the country's outstanding middle of the nineteenth century. In philosophers and had played the major ethics, epistemology, ontology, and role in the growth of _Erofessional social philosophy, neo-idealism emerged philosophy in Russia.l The Psycho as a response to the several characteristics logical Society was founded by fifteen of this positivist background.4 For the Moscow University professors headed leading philosophers in the Society, by M.M. Troitskii (1835-1899), an neo-idealism was a compelling defense ·empiricist psychologist whose of the self against positivist l'educti.onism specialization accounts for the Society's and naturalism, a defense that took the name. The founders, most of whom form, moreover, of a modernized, were, ironically, inclined toward theoretically explicit theism, in which positivism, took little role in the Society the value of the person is seen as rooted after its initial establishment. Rather, its in transcendent being (personalism). direction was taken over by another An integral part of the importance of group led b}': Nikolai Ia. Grot the Psychological Society was its (1852-1899),2 who became chairman in advancement of the theoretical 1888. Among Grot's main colleagues foundations of liberalism. Neo-idealism were Vladimir S. Solov'ev (185~1900), provided a sound basis not only for the SergeiN. Trubetskoi (1862-1905), and autonomization and professionalization Lev M. Lopatin (1855-1920). By the of Russian philosophy, but also for the 1890s the Society had about 200 defense of rule-of-law liberalism. It is no members, a number which remained exaggeration to claim that the fairly constant throughout its existence. Psychological Society was the theory In 1889 the Psychological Society began center behind Russian liberalism. Three publication of the first regular classic works of Russian liberalism, for professional journal devoted to example, were first serialized on the philosophy in Russia, Questions of pages of Voprosy ftlosofii: BN. Olicherin's Philosophy and Psychology (Voprosy Philosophy ofLaw (1898-1899) and P.l. filosofii i psikhologit). Its peak circulation Novgorodtsev's The Crisis in Modern was over 2000, although for most of its Legal Consciousness (1906-1908) and On history (i.e., unti.l1918) circulation the Social Ideal (1911-1917). Moreover, the ranged between 1100 and 1500. In the large number of journal articles and second year of its existence Grot books written by Psychological Society characterized the journal's prevailing philosophers in explication primarily of direction as idealist or, "in respect to neo-idealist epistemology, ethics, and method, metaphysical."3 ontology can be seen, at the same time, While the Silver Age revival as laying the philosophic groundwork mounted a broad-based revolt against for the development of Russian positivism, in which respect Russia was liberalism. This connection between 1 neo-idealism in theoretical philosophy professors, in helping to shape public and liberalism in social philosophy was opinion. The significance of the clear and logically compelling, even Psychological Society in the theoretical inevitable, for Society philosophers. development of Russian liberalism, More than anything else, it consisted in, apart from the liberation Movement, on the one hand, the philosophers' also stands out in its connection with the conviction in the substantiality of the "Moscow school" of the philosophy of self, a conviction which inspired the law, headed by Novgorodtsev and distinctively ontological character of made up of his students, including I.A. neo-idealism in the Societ}'t and, on the ll'in, the last president of the other hand, in the special claims Psychological Society.8 liberalism makes for the dignity of the The four former "legal marxists" individual, or in liberal personalism. who had come to embrace idealism Three of the six philosophers P.B. Struve, S.N. Bulgakov, N.A. Andrzej Walicki treats in his Legal Berdiaev, and S.L. Frank-were more Philosophies ofRussian Liberalism were loosely associated with the among the most influential members of Psychological Societ}'t although all the Society: Vladimir Solov'ev, Boris became formal members, sooner or later. Chicherin, and Pavel Novgorodtsev.S They, too, actively participated in the Chicherin and Solov'ev were formally liberation Movement This is especially distinguished members.6 Solov'ev died true of Struve, who, together with on the eve of the Russian liberation Novgorodtsev, organized the Society's Movement, underway from the very important programmatic symposium, beginning of the century and Problems ofIdealism (Problemy ideillizma). culminating in the Revolution of 1905, The large volume appeared in late 1902 and Chicherin was too old to take an and helped publicize the connection active part in it,7 although their frequent between neo-idealism and liberalism contributions to Voprosy filosofii in the 1890s, and their intellectual legacy more that the Psychological Society had generally, inspired the four neo-idealist advanced for fifteen years. In l..eszek professors from the Psychological Kolakowski's judgment, "Problems of Society who did have leading roles in Idealism was an important event in the liberation Movement S.N. Russian cultural history."9 The Trubetskoi, E.N. Trubetskoi, P.I. symposium was conceived in the first Novgorodtsev, and S.A. Kotliarevskii. stages of the liberation Movement, V.I. Vernadskii, the well-known Russian when the liberationists (osvobozhdentsy) scientist and another major figure in the saw in the zemstvo milieu the most liberation Movement, was also a promising social support for Russian member of the Society. His philosophic liberalism. In this way it comprises the interests offered valuable support for theoretical counterpart to the first issues neo-idealism from within the natural of Struve's Osvobozhdenie (liberation), sciences. Through the neo-idealist which began publication earlier the critique of positivism, including, same year (1902). Both were concurrent specifically, the promotion of projects organized by zemstvo neo-idealism as a far better theoretical constitutionalists