Nikolai Berdyaev

Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev (Russian Николай Александрович Бердяев, scientific transliteration Nikolai Aleksandrovich Berdyaev; * 6 Märzjul / March 18 1874greg in Obukhovo, province Kiev, Russian Empire, .. † March 23, 1948 in Clamart in the département of Hauts -de -Seine in Paris) was a Russian philosopher.

Life

Berdyaev was born into a Russian noble family and was educated in a military school before studying at the University of Kiev.

Early on, Berdyaev turned against the values ​​of nobility and became a Marxist. 1898 led his revolutionary activities to a three-year exile in the province of Vologda. After his return, he worked as a freelance journalist and worked in a Marxist journal; Gradually, however, now took Berdyaev's turning away from Marxism and his turn to neo-Kantianism. Inspired primarily by the religious philosopher Vladimir Solovyov he aspired to an association of Marxism and Russian Orthodox Christianity. In 1919 he founded the "Moscow Free Academy of Spiritual Culture ". His critical attitude towards the Soviet ideology led to his expulsion in 1922; Berdyaev went into exile in Berlin, where he founded a " Philosophy of Religion Academy ". There he met Max Scheler, Oswald Spengler and Paul Tillich. With them, a life-long connection that was maintained among others by correspondence developed. In particular, with Tillich whom he had a similar attitude regarding " the critique of positivism, technicality, rationalism, the civility and civilization in total ." Two years later he moved on to Paris, where he founded an academy in turn, gave the religious-philosophical journal The way out, and stood in connection with the renouveau catholique, including with Peter Wust.

After his departure from Germany began a lively discussion on his works, under both Protestant and Catholic theologians and publicists (eg Ernst Michel ). Publications Berdyaev, see, inter alia, to in the journal Highlands Carl Muth. Works such as The New Middle Ages or the meaning of the story met with Hans Scholl and other members of the White Rose on resonance.

From 1929 to 1934 Berdyaev was co-editor of the journal " East and West ".

In the Third Reich Berdyaev's works were " pro-Bolshevik " because of its setting prohibited.

The basic constellation in Berdyaev's philosophy is the juxtaposition of spirit and nature and orientation of people within this framework: The man has the choice between the " objectification ", that is, between the fallenness to the material world and the spirituality and "God humanity." Significantly associated with the realm of the spirit is freedom - Berdyaev, it has in Jacob Boehme about being as " uncreated freedom ", which is based in nothing. Here the proximity to the existentialist philosophy is obvious; rightly has Berdyaev called a Christian existentialist. The target of his spiritual rebirth of man should concern not only the individual but also lead to social transformation of society. In France he was in contact with Emmanuel Mounier and the range of HR managers.

The reception Berdyaev differed significantly according to the respective religious orientation in recipients. Due to the anti-communist efforts of the Catholic Church in the 1920s and 1930s, an attempt was made here in common with Orthodox theologians who emigrated to find. Among other things, the common patristic roots were appreciated. Berdyaev's church view was criticized by the Catholic side, because Berdyaev an autocephalous church organization, that is, an organization of various churches with their own leaders, preferred, as it is characteristic of the Orthodox Churches. The reception was marked by Protestant theologians of the contradiction between similarities and differences. Thus Berdyaev's prediction of a new era marked by greater religiosity of Protestants was well received, his attitude sakramentalphilosophische refused, however, from others.

In an article published in a church periodical until after his death article was clear how much Berdyaev saw connected to the orthodoxy. The editorial praised him as a " loyal son of the Orthodox Church " and " free spirit in his philosophical works."

Works

  • The Philosophy of Freedom, 1911
  • The purpose of creation. Attempt a justification of man, 1916 (Eng. 1927)
  • The philosophy of inequalities, 1918
  • The sense of history. Attempt at a philosophy of human destiny, 1923 (Eng. 1925)
  • The new Middle Ages. Reflections on the fate of Russia and Europe, 1924 (Eng. 1927)
  • The belief Dostoyevsky, dt 1925
  • The philosophy of the free spirit. Issue and apology for Christianity, 1927 (Eng. 1930)
  • The fate of the people in our time, in 1931 (Eng. 1935)
  • Truth and Lies of Communism, dt 1934
  • The threat of Christianity by racial fanaticism and persecution of Jews, dt 1935
  • Christianity and the class struggle, dt 1936
  • The Russian religious idea, Darmstadt 1936 (edited by Paul Tillich )
  • From the dignity of Christianity and the indignity of Christians ', dt 1936
  • The human personality and the supra-personal values ​​, dt 1937
  • Man and technology, dt 1943
  • Spirit and reality, dt 1949
  • Self-knowledge. Attempt at a philosophical autobiography, 1949 (Eng. 1953)
  • The ego and the world of objects. Attempt at a philosophy of solitude and community, dt 1951
  • Existential dialectic of the divine and the human, 1951 ( Russian 1952)
  • The realm of the spirit and the kingdom of Caesar, GV 1952
  • From the human slavery and freedom. Attempt at a personalist philosophy, GV 1954.
Obukhiv Kiev Governorate Pundit Philosophers' ships Hochland (magazine) Personalism Sacrament Courier Integrated Authority File
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