The Soviet (Philosophical and Scientific) Anthropological Paradigm as a Project for the “New Human”: A Historical and Philosophical Analysis
https://doi.org/10.18384/2949-5148-2026-2-6-13
Abstract
Aim. To conduct a historical and philosophical analysis of the Soviet anthropological paradigm, viewed as a large-scale project for constructing the “new human”, and to identify its philosophical origins in Marxism, Russian cosmism, and revolutionary utopianism.
Methodology. A periodization method was used to identify key stages in the development of the Soviet anthropological paradigm (the early Soviet period with its radical projecting, the Stalinist period with its emphasis on education, and the post-Stalinist turn to a scientific approach). A comparative analysis revealed the essence of the contradiction between utopian goals and actual practices.
Results. The article traces the evolution of the Soviet anthropological paradigm from the radical constructivist models of the 1920s through the dogmatization and “educational” pathos of Stalinism to the late Soviet scientific-materialist stage. Analyzing the internal tension between utopian design and scientific (biological, psychological, and pedagogical) studies of humankind, the authors conclude that Soviet anthropology represented a unique synthesis of the educational belief in the infinite plasticity of human nature and total social engineering, leaving behind a legacy of unresolved problems regarding the limits of human constructibility.
Research implications. The results of the study can be used to improve the historical and philosophical competencies of both teachers and students of philosophy.
About the Authors
Ya. V. Bondareva
Federal State University of Education
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Yana V. Bondareva – Dr. Sci. (Philosophy), Prof., Head of the Department of Philosophy
Moscow
S. Lutovinov
Federal State University of Education
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Sergey B. Lutovinov – Postgraduate Student, Department of Philosophy
Moscow
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