Beyond Modernity: Russian Religious Philosophy and Post-Secularism: 1 (Ex Oriente Lux)

Post-secularism is the fundamental evidence of the end of modernity. Modernity as sleeping reason in Francisco Goyas painting realizes that although it thought that it was awake it was producing monsters. We try to analyze post-secular philosophy from the point of view of Russian religious thought. We believe that such philosophers as Vladimir Soloviev Pavel Florensky Sergey Bulgakov Nikolai Berdyaev Georges Florovsky and Semen Frank may be helpful for understanding and overcoming post-secular order. Their unique views on the relations between religion and philosophy science and social life are apparently missing in the current Western debates. It seems to us that Russian religious philosophy becomes surprisingly up-to-date and attractive in the contemporary world. We hope that the present volume will be a significant step forward in the inclusion of the heritage of Russian religious philosophy in contemporary debates. Presently the phenomenon of post-secularism is at the center of the intellectual debate. The authors of the papers included in this volume reflect on this phenomenon in the context of Russian religious thought which is still not generally known in the West. However already more than century ago Russian thinkers could foresee many of the most painful issues challenging contemporary society. I believe that this book will be interesting not only for the academic milieu but also for all searching for answers to the crucial questions of our day. --Irina Yazykova art historian; vice-rector St. Andrews Biblical Theological Institute This is a highly valuable and most impressive contribution to current discussions on Russian religious philosophy its substance method and relevance. The authors offer several constructive approaches to the heritage of Russian Christian philosophy by means of comparison with the discourse on post-secularism. It is clearly demonstrated how Russian philosophers such as Vladimir Soloviev Sergey Bulgakov Pavel Florensky and others enrich and challenge our philosophical and theological understanding of secularism and secularization. -- Elena Namli professor of theological ethics Uppsala University Maybe Russia is not the home of elephants contrary to the Soviet joke but at least this volume proves convincingly that she is the cradle of post-secularism. The book shows that ages before the term post-secularism was coined Russian thinkers developed a vast array of original models deconstructing the binary opposition of religious vs. secular and established creative dialogue between these two worlds. They were post-secular long before the birth of post-secularism and this surprising Wahlverwandschaft in the history of ideas is displayed here for the first time. I assume it is a good start for a new reception of modern Russian thought. --Sergey Horujy founder and director of Institute of Synergic Anthropology Moscow; honorary professor the Russian Christian Academy of Humanities St. Petersburg Artur Mrowczyński-Van Allen is Professor at the International Center for the Study of the Christian Orient and Instituto de Filosofia Edith Stein Granada Spain. He is the author of Between the Icon and the Idol: The Human Person and the Modern State in Russian Literature and Thought (Cascade 2013). Teresa Obolevitch is Professor at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow Poland. Recently she published in French La philosophie religieuse russe (Cerf 2014). Pawel Rojek is Assistant Lecturer at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow Poland.