The concept of Russian Enlightenment in Andrzej Walicki’s legacy

Abstract

The article examines the ideas of a prominent thinker Andrzej Walicki on the concept of Enlightenment in Russia. His work “The History of Russian Thought: From Enlighten­ment to Marxism” serves as a basic source for the research, but other manuscripts written by him are also used. The concept developed by Walicki and perceived by him differently from other historians of philosophy, constitutes a thorough and multifaceted analysis of semantic-forming phenomena of the whole Russian intellectual history. Fundamental works of this foreign investigator illuminate the origin of Enlightenment ideas and the impact of the values of that period on subsequent development and transformation of the following philosophical tradition in Russia. During this research the diversity of Russian philosophy since the Age of Enlightenment is demonstrated and it is proved it to be an inherent element of world philosophy, being closely interconnected with the Wes­tern European philosophical thought, which is studied in the context of this time frame. It highlights specific socio-political issues of the period, the political choices made during this time, and the role played by intellectuals in shaping important philosophical move­ments and associations. The Polish scholar, A. Walicki, has analyzed the evolution of phi­losophy in Russia. His analysis begins with the Age of Enlightenment, which exemplified the rational nature of thought. Walicki argues that Russian thought forms an integral part of global philosophy and is closely linked to Western European thinking. While not deny­ing the originality of Russian thought, Walicki emphasizes the unique ideas expressed by Russian philosophers. Rather than focusing on individual figures or movements, his re­search explores the trends of Russian thinking as a unified whole. Through his work, Walicki contributes to a deeper comprehension of the Enlightenment in Russia and its in­fluence on philosophical traditions that extend beyond its historical boundaries.