F.M. Dostoevsky on the Reasons for "Remarkable Dislike" Europe to Russia

• Published in: Vestnik Rossiĭskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Serii͡a︡ Filosofii͡a Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 25 - 33
• Main Authors: Lagunov, Aleksey A., Smirnov, Andrey Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; German
• Published: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University) 15.12.2021
• Subjects: "the god-bearing people"; f.m. dostoevsky; nation-building; post-secular society; relativization of morality; religious enlightenment; social utopias
• ISSN: 2313-2302; 2408-8900
• DOI: 10.22363/2313-2302-2020-25-1-25-33

The relevance of the article is due to the authors attempt to apply some of the philosophical concepts of F.M. Dostoevsky to the comprehension of contemporary sociocultural reality. The purpose of this study is to clarify the reasons for the historically unfriendly attitude of Europe towards Russia by analyzing the works of F.M. Dostoevsky dedicated to this problem. In the process of writing the article, the published Diaries of the writer were used; diary entries unpublished during the writer's life; philosophical reflections contained in works of art, as well as applied modern scientific and popular science literature dedicated to the work of F.M. Dostoevsky. In the course of the analysis, it was found that the writer considered historical, confessional and moral reasons to be the main factors in the rejection of Russia by Europe, while he especially singled out disinterestedness incomprehensible to Europe as a characteristic of the Russian people. The authors draws attention to the fact that all the reasons for Europe's "remarkable dislike" for Russia, about which F.M. Dostoevsky, directly or indirectly associated with the Orthodox faith. Therefore, an attempt to actualize the worldview heritage of the great writer will certainly lead us to a dilemma: either to move from thoughts and words to actions, to religiously enlighten both ourselves and Europe; or to enclose our Orthodox heritage in a historical and cultural framework, eliminating the source of the reasons for our rejection by the European public, with all the ensuing consequences.