St Philaret’s Institute Discusses Ivan Iljin’s Uninhibited Conservatism
In Russia, where his 33-volume collected works have been published, Iljin is known as a scholar of Hegel, a major philosopher of law, and an author of creatively distinct spiritual prose. Few, however, focus on revealing more about his truly uninhibited brand of conservatism.
As Konstantin Oboznyj, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of History at SFI reminded attendees, people hold contradictory opinions about the ideas expressed in Ilyin’s books; his ideas have sparked numerous debates, necessitating a more detailed examination of the philosopher’s works.
In his presentation entitled "Ten Theses on Ivan Iljin," Candidate in Philosophy Viktor Granovskij provided a thorough critical analysis of the various stereotypes that emerged in the 20th century’s challenging conditions for pursuing philosophical thought.
"Iljin was less fortunate than other passengers on the "Philosopher's Ship": to this day, his legacy remains mired in the context of the most absurd and sometimes aggressive clichés. Yet, he was undoubtedly a philosopher of freedom, of voluntarily chosen Christian culture, of legal consciousness, and a categorical opponent of any form of totalitarianism." Granovskij emphasized that "Iljin considered the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the ideocratic communism that arose from it to be the greatest calamity and the ‘most shameful failure in world history.'"
"If Iljin is not a liberal, as is often claimed - and we have established that he was not — then that means he’s a conservative," says Viktor Granovskij. "To understand what conservatism meant to him, we would need to synthesize nearly all the material from his 33-volume collection, so I’ll summarize. Iljin asserts that true conservatism rests on just four cornerstones: faith in God, the free and proactive human person, family, and private property. He characterizes his conservatism as proprietary and rooted in the soil."
Granovskij also touched on the specifics of Iljin’s monarchist understanding with its "strong aristocratic element," the significance of the "knightly-noble tradition of a solidarity-based social movement" which was tragically lost after 1917, the philosopher’s stance on fascism, Nazism, and racism, and cited some of his most striking statements about Hitler.
"At the same time, if we are to analyse Iljin’s anti-communist legacy, we must comprehend his central idea vis-a-vis communism. None of his positive spiritual-social prescriptions will work in Russia unless there is a complete and final dismantling of the communist system," Granovskij concluded.
Professor Kirill Alexandrov, an SFI Candidate in History, expanded on the topic in his presentation "The Causes and Consequences of Bolshevism in Russia: the Experience of Ivan Iljin’s Worldview", which detailed specific ideological aspects of Ilyin’s critique of Bolshevism.
As the historian noted, the allure of Bolshevism was twofold: the fascination of a minority of the population with this doctrine and the lack of resistance to it from the vast majority during the Civil War years.
"Iljin sought the roots of Bolshevism in the cultural-historical peculiarities of the Russian people," explains Kirill Alexandrov. "Given that private property is one of the chief sources of civil freedom, Ilyin believed that the weakness of this institution was the primary foundation on which Bolshevism emerged."
Iljin writes that "a deeply essential flaw in Russian legal consciousness over history is its diseased perception of property and the economic process... Herein lie the roots of the age-old Russian ‘disorder’: princely feuds; Tatar raids; systemic ‘feeding’ and land distribution; serfdom and peasant communes; impaired legal consciousness, extensive farming practices, uprising and unrest. For the Russian masses, all of this has undermined faith in normal economic labour as a source of material and cultural well-being and displaced a normal inclination toward intensive, hardworking investment in the economic process."
Among other causes of Bolshevism outlined by Iljin are autocracy which renders the Russian people "politically incapacitated," a weak sense of personal spiritual dignity, and the immaturity, openness and laxity of the Russian national character.
"Before the revolution, Russia was not impoverished in spirituality or kindness, but in its strength of spirit and goodness. There were many good and kind people in Russia, but "the good" were lacking in character and "the kind" had little will and resolve. There were many people of honour and honesty in Russia, but these were scattered and not linked with each other – they were disorganized. Spiritual culture in Russia was growing and multiplying, science was gaining strength, the arts were flourishing, and a renewal of the Church was emerging and maturing. But all of this displayed little effective strength, lacked a constant and anchoring idea, was bereft of confident and mature self-awareness, and had no consolidated power. There was a lack of national upbringing and character. Youthful ferment and vague temptations abounded; what was missing was mature focus and energy for self-assertion," read Alexandrov, quoting from Iljin's assessment of the state of the Russian people on the eve of the Revolution of 1917.
Among the most destructive consequences of Bolshevism and its traumas inflicted on the entire Russian people in the 20th century, Iljin highlights the materialistic upbringing of entire generations. This materialism was rooted in a fanatical rejection of everything non-material, including the human soul with its freedom and immortality, human spirituality and any culture arising from it, all higher goals inherent to humanity, any ultimate meaning…and especially God, faith in Him, in religion, and in the Church. This led to the trampling of the image of God in man and fostered hatred in people.
"Christianity, as previously stated, appeals to the spirit in man and calls it to perfection in all areas of life. Bolshevism, on the contrary, appeals to the sensual impulses and passions in man, promising him pleasures and enjoyments. Christianity appeals to the heart; it seeks love for God and neighbour. Bolshevism preaches hatred," said Alexandrov, quoting Iljin. "In summary," he continued, "according to Iljin, the consequences of Bolshevism in the form of godlessness inevitably lead to slavery. People who lose faith in God also lose independent thinking."
The roundtable was organized by the Department of Church and Social History at SFI.
