The Problem of Man in I.A. Ilyin’s Philosophy

Abstract

Anthropological issues occupy a special place in Russian religious philosophy. This article examines the problem of man in the later works of prominent Russian thinker I.A. Ilyin (1883–1954). The paper aimed to demonstrate the characteristic features of humans in Ilyin’s philosophy. The methods used in the paper are: historical-genetic, hermeneutic, and comparative, as well as the methods of analysis, synthesis, and generalization. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Russia experienced three revolutions and two wars, which could not but affect the thinking of Russian philosophers. Thus, a question was raised about man as a subject of the changing points in history. Since every revolution brings a transformation in moral attitudes, providing the essential definitions of man was rather difficult. One thing was clear, however: humans are in the deepest crisis, and the only way out of it is through intensified spiritual work. A semantic gap appeared between the human proper as the bearer of revolutionary consciousness and a certain imperative of the essence of man, which must be brought to light and implemented in reality. A special place in the article is given to the problem of spirituality, which is a key component of humans if viewed in the context of revolutionary transformations. The crisis of spirituality is proposed to be considered as an indicator of the universal human crisis, which must be corrected on the path to spiritual renewal. The study suggests a point of view according to which spirituality is a fundamental quality of a person experiencing a crisis; it is the basis of human rebirth from revolutionary captivity and of the formation of man’s new image that is able to bring existence to full-fledged characteristics.