Dmitry Ivanovich Chizhevsky and his studies in the history of philosophy

(Towards Chizhevsky’s 120th anniversary)

Abstract

The present paper examines the work in the history of philosophy produced by Dmitry Chizhevsky (1894–1977), an important Russian-Ukrainian émigré natural scientist, philosopher, Slavonic scholar and historian of culture. Considering the philosophical influences which determined Chizhevsky's views, it would be fair to name him a “philosopher of spirit”, or Hegelian in the broader sense of the word. On the other hand, his studies in Husserlian paradigm and his writings on comparativism and the problems of interpretation make him a representative of philosophical hermeneutics. While on the whole Chizhevsky accepts the Hegelian scheme of the progress of philosophy, he brings into it a new element, that of nationality which he believes to affect considerably the “building blocks” of philosophical ideas: not only does the spirit of a nation affect its history, but, moreover, the nation as such can become what it is only by living through a historic drama of national destiny. Such modifications introduced into the Hegelian system were later to become an important element in Chizhevsky's studies of Slavonic, and especially Ukrainian thought. Particular attention is given the Prague period in Chizhevsky's life (1924–1932), during which he developed a close relationship with Prague linguistic circle and made history of philosophy, notably that of the Slavonic nations, the main point of his interests. Through his involvement with the work on comparative history of Slavic literatures, Slavic lexicology, history of the Church and Germanoslavica (the study of influence exerted by German thinkers on the spiritual life of the Slavs), Chizhevsky discovers his lifetime mission, i.e., the study of the spiritual history of the Slavs.