The Dialectic «The Decline of the West»: Reception of the Intellectual Heritage of Oswald Spengler in Soviet Humanitarian Thought
Диалектика «Заката Европы»: восприятие интеллектуального наследия Освальда Шпенглера в советской гуманитарной мысли
2023-04-21
SCID: 54.1/fgxc6g5w
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Oswald SpenglerSoviet humanitarian thoughtThe Decline of the Westcultural-historical concepthistorical materialism
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Abstract (AI)
В статье рассматривается восприятие интеллектуального наследия философа истории и культуролога XX века Освальда Шпенглера в советской гуманитарной мысли. Авторы отмечают, что интерес к культурно-исторической и политической концепции Шпенглера возник у советских гуманитариев практически с момента выхода первого тома его главного труда «Закат Европы». Оппонирование идеям Шпенглера и его сторонникам в Советской России с точки зрения исторического материализма повлияло, по мнению авторов, на становление теоретико-методологических основ советской гуманитарной мысли. Однако, как подчеркивают авторы, несмотря на критическую оценку интеллектуального наследия автора «Заката Европы» в целом, советская гуманитарная мысль воспринимала Шпенглера как одного из значительных представителей западной «буржуазной» мысли XX века. The article examines the perception of the intellectual heritage of the famous German philosopher of history and cultural critic of the XX century Oswald Spengler in Soviet humanitarian thought. The authors note that the interest in the cultural-historical and political concept of Spengler arose among Soviet humanitarians almost from the moment the first volume of his main work «The Decline of Europe» was published. The rigid opposition to the ideas of Spengler and his supporters in Soviet Russia from the point of view of historical materialism influenced, according to the authors, the formation of the theoretical and methodological foundations of Soviet humanitarian thought. However, as the authors emphasize, despite the critical assessment of the intellectual heritage of the author of «The Decline of Europe», Soviet humanitarian thought perceived Spengler as one of the significant representatives of Western «bourgeois» thought of the XX century.
Key Findings
1
Despite broadly criticizing Spengler’s intellectual legacy, Soviet humanitarian thought regarded him as a significant representative of twentieth-century Western “bourgeois” thought.
2
Opposition to Spengler and his supporters from a historical-materialist perspective contributed to the formation of Soviet humanitarian thought’s theoretical and methodological foundations.
3
Soviet humanitarians engaged with Spengler’s cultural-historical and political concepts almost immediately after the first volume of The Decline of the West appeared.
4
The reception of Spengler in Soviet scholarship combined ideological rejection of his ideas with recognition of their intellectual significance.
Research Object
The reception/perception of Oswald Spengler's intellectual heritage in Soviet humanitarian thought
Research Subject
The reception, critical evaluation, and influence of Spengler’s cultural-historical and political concepts on the theoretical and methodological foundations of Soviet humanitarian thought
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2023-04-21
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