Reflection on Traditional Values in Russian Pre- and Post-Revolutionary Philosophy

   Aim. To analyze and systematize the experience of understanding traditional values in Russian pre-revolutionary philosophy and the philosophical conceptions of post-revolutionary emigration. To highlight the concepts and ideas that are substantively correlated with the list of traditional spiritual and moral values officially recognized in modern Russia. To present the experience of Russian philosophers’ interpretation of values as a worldview foundation for their modern interpretations, which greatly contributes to understand their meaning and significance.

   Methodology. The most important aspects of Russian pre- and post-revolutionary philosophy related to the reflection of traditional values are consistently revealed, including such ideas as the recognition of the fundamental role of patriotism and a sense of homeland in shaping the national mentality and mature self-awareness (I. A. Ilyin), the primacy of the spiritual over the material (N. A. Berdyaev), the unprecedented significance of universal human solidarity (A. S. Khomyakov), and the collectivist principles of community, conciliarity (I. V. Kireyevsky), and all-unity (V. S. Solovyov). The study uses analysis and synthesis methods to identify values relevant to the modern list in the tradition of Russian philosophy; a comparative method to compare modern interpretations of traditional values and their reflection in the works of Russian philosophers; and historical, systemic, and dialectical methods to present the identified values in their unity, diversity, interdependence, and historical evolution.

   Results. The study shows that the traditional values that have been established in modern Russia have a long history of formation, including within the framework of the tradition of Russian pre- and post-revolutionary philosophy, in which traditional values have undergone their own philosophical testing long before their modern actualization. The analysis of the reflection of value issues presented in the concepts of Russian philosophers made it possible to identify a number of key concepts that fully coincide with the formulations of the legally established list of traditional values (patriotism, the primacy of the spiritual over the material), as well as those that are closely related to them (Motherland, conciliarity, community, all-unity, and solidarity). These concepts were analyzed considering the philosophical heritage of I. A. Ilyin, N. A. Berdyaev, V. S. Solovyov, A. S. Khomyakov, and I. V. Kireyevsky.

   Research implications. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that it identifies those traditional spiritual and moral values that have their own worldview foundation in the conceptions of Russian pre- and post-revolutionary philosophy. Based on the ideas of famous Russian philosophers, the study analyzes patriotism, collectivism, and the primacy of the spiritual over the material. The practical significance of the study consists in the fact that it addresses issues that are closely related to the implementation of strategic national priorities in modern Russia. The philosophical understanding of the traditional values analyzed in this study contributes to the strengthening of civil unity and the spiritual, historical, and cultural development of Russia’s multinational people.