The Crisis of Western Philosophy

by Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov

This book is the seminal work in which Solovyov developed his religious philosophy. In it, he undertakes a stunning critique of positivism, by which he understands the entire philosophy of Western rationalism, which he sees as setting up a conflict between reason and faith, and reason and nature. In the modern period, he finds abundant evidence for reason's war against nature in Western philosophy from Descartes to Hegel. "Positivism," the leading philosophy in his time, Solovyov also finds repugnant. In its place, he proposes his great theme of total unity--which was to become the dominant theme in Russian philosophy. This is the work that launched Russian religious philosophy and is a must for anyone interested in the subject.

Genres: Philosophy

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov (Russian: Владимир Сергеевич Соловьёв) was a Russian philosopher, theologian, poet, pamphleteer and literary critic, who played a significant role in the development of Russian philosophy and poetry at the end of the 19th century and in the spiritual renaissance of the early 20th century.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solovyov expounds on his idea of "what if Hegel, but deeper and with Jesus?" for 150 pages and is pretty persuasive I'm not gonna to lie.

Most of the book consists of him bringing up various strains of philosophical thought in the last five centuries and explaining why he thinks they are just various overly wordy ways of drifting back into nominalism, positivism, empiricism in an elaborate race to the bottom of hollowing out meaning.

He jumps pretty quickly from strain to strain, so this could be quite a difficult read if you aren't at least passingly familiar with Descartes, Kant, Schopenhauer and Hegel. He then jumps into a synthesis of some the ideas he's expounded on and that he does agree with but reorientates them towards Christianity.

Book ends with him taking 20 pages to dunk on Auguste Comte. 10/10, would read again.

[noblethumos · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Crisis of Western Philosophy" is a book by Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov, first published in 1899. The book is a critical analysis of the history and nature of Western philosophy, and argues for the importance of a holistic approach to philosophical inquiry.

Solovyov suggests that Western philosophy has been characterized by a tendency towards fragmentation and specialization, and that this has led to a crisis of meaning and understanding in modern society. He argues that a more holistic approach to philosophical inquiry is needed, one that recognizes the interdependence of different areas of knowledge and seeks to integrate them into a coherent whole.

Solovyov also emphasizes the importance of ethics and spirituality in philosophical inquiry, and suggests that philosophy should be seen as a means of achieving a deeper understanding of the human condition and our place in the world.

Overall, "The Crisis of Western Philosophy" is an important contribution to the study of philosophy, and has had a significant impact on the development of Russian philosophy and intellectual history. The book has also contributed to ongoing debates about the nature of philosophy and its role in contemporary society.

GPT