The era of Alexander I: The first philosophical crystallization – Factors of folding the community of Russian intellectuals

Abstract

The authors discuss the factors and forms of the formation of the intellectual community people inclined to philosophical reflections and having a common space of intellectual attention in Russia in the early 19th century. We use memorial evidence and conceptual insights of philosophers, historians, and cultural scientists as research materials. They apply, as a methodology, the techniques of the «sociology of philosophies» of R. Collins. Researchers identify the composition of socio-political and spiritual conditions that create a united thematic field of intellectual attention. They believe that regarding socio-political conditions, it can be said that this is a weakening of centralization and control, a devaluation of previous prevailing beliefs, the emergence of relatively independent economic groups. If we talk about spiritual circumstances, then this is the import and development of new attractive ideas, their discussion in resonant or «focal» discussions. The authors indicate that the discussion platforms at which the community of Russian intellectuals took shape were heterogeneous, namely, underground congresses of half-secret societies, aristocratic salons, editorial boards of magazines, literary societies, and lectures by university professors. It can be said that during the «focal» discussions, the «construction of national identity» took place and it was an emancipation format. The authors believe that in the 10-20s of the XIX century in the philosophical preferences of Russians there was a reorientation to the philosophical thought of Germany. The Russian intelligentsia has mastered the most advanced technologies of critical and systems thinking. Therefore, it can be argued that by the middle of the XIX century we are seeing a new generation in Russia that has intellectually stood on a par with its European peers.