Russian Religious Philosophy

Selected Aspects

Frederick C. Copleston, S.J.

“An excellent introduction to the central concerns of Russian religious thought in the late 19th and the 20th centuries.” —_Theological Book Review_

In 1986 Frederick C. Copleston, S.J., published Philosophy in Russia: From Herzen to Lenin and Berdyaev. Although it was not formally a part of his distinguished nine-volume A History of Philosophy, it was nonetheless a complementary work to that series and a major, pioneering study in itself.

Here, Professor Copleston has developed further one important strand of that book by studying “selected aspects” of Russian religious philosophy. His emphasis is on Vladimir Solovyev (1853–1900), Russia’s first systematic philosopher, and on the thinkers of the first half of the twentieth century who are regarded as his heirs, such as Semyon Frank and N. O. Lossky.

Central to Russian Religious Philosophy are the chapters on “Godmanhood” and its reflection on the doctrine of the Incarnation, a characteristic theme, according to Berdyaev, of creative religious philosophy in Russia; and on the theory of “Sophia,” or Wisdom, which was offered as a means of explaining the relationship between God and the world.

In all his thought, Solovyev was always trying to develop a wide-reaching Christian world-view. As Copleston expresses it, “It was his conviction that a really adequate philosophy would harmonize with Christian belief, support it, and form part of a general religious vision.” This idea was shared by Frank and Lossky but challenged by Leon Shestov, who saw speculative philosophy and religious faith as sharply opposed to one another.

In his final chapter Copleston asks if the religiously inspired thought of these men was simply “a passing phase in Russia’s intellectual life” or whether the movement continues.

Frederick C. Copleston, S.J., was professor of the history of philosophy at the University of London and the author of numerous books, including the classic nine-volume A History of Philosophy.