May 04, 2017 cosmism is a school of thought that developed from and in some cases, in opposition to the thought of the russian philosopher nikolai fyodorovich fyodorov 18291903, a man of vast intellect, reading, and influence within russian letters and thought. This interview, machinetranslated from the russian, will be of interest to those who look into the history of transhumanist thought on the defeat of aging and radical life extension. It has deep roots back into the early 20th century, and one thread of these ideas was evolving through the ongoing disaster that was russia of. Cosmism emerged in russia before the october revolution and developed through the 1920s and 1930s. Putins highest priority is to remain in power forever. In the first account in english of this fascinating tradition, george m. A great herald of the cosmist movement, nikolai fedorov 18281903 struck. The russian philosopher who sought immortality in the. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a controversial school of russian thinkers emerged, convinced that humanity was entering an advanced stage of evolution and must assume a new, active, managerial role in the cosmos. Nikolai fedorov founder of the russian cosmism fourth, typical is the manichean opposition of forces of evil to forces of good for fedorov concept. The most famous russian cosmist was konstantin tsiolkovsky, who according to wikipedia believed that colonizing space would lead to the perfection of the human race, with immortality and a carefree existence. Crucial texts, many available in english for the first time, written before and during the bolshevik revolution by the radical biopolitical utopianists of russian cosmism. Cosmism entailed a broad theory of natural philosophy, combining elements of. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers, young 2012, is a very intense mini encyclopedia with a lot of short biographical, literary and philosophical entries about main and lesser known cosmist thinkers, all influenced by fedorovs seminal work.
The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers published by oxford university press in 2012. Putins russia as a revisionist power hudson institute. Russian cosmists, john and the liturgy temple studies group. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a controversial school of russian religious and scientific thinkers emerg. At the end a selective bibliography useful for russian cosmists research is presented. For certain russian thinkers of the era, this loss provided a building opportunity. Mikhail vasilyevich lomonosov, 17111765 and gavriila romanovich derzhavin 17431816. May 29, 2018 the russian philosopher who sought immortality in the cosmos. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers. Dear fratres and sorores, i would like to tell you about the phenomenon which, in scientific literature, is defined as russian cosmism.
Trevor paglen quotes from in the late 19th century, russian cosmists such as nikolai fyodorov believed we need to go to space to collect all the particles of all the people who had ever lived. The cosmist tendency has been clearly legible in postsoviet art beyond. Unlike most established schools of thought, russian cosmism does not present a singular vision, a consistent. Cosmism definition is a philosophy of the cosmos or of cosmic evolution especially as interpreted teleologically by john fiske. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers, in which the scientific cosmists coexisted with the religious thinkers, and the theoretical problems of cosmism as a unified doctrine, embracing a gigantic complex of quite diverse. Russian cosmism, the temple, and the eucharist in the gospel of john. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a controversial school of russian thinkers emerged, convinced that humanity was entering an advanced stage of. Russian cosmism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in russia in the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Cosmism entailed a broad theory of natural philosophy, combining elements of religion and ethics with a history and philosophy of the origin and future existence of the cosmos and humankind, it combined elements from both eastern and western philosophic traditions as well. The names russian federation and russia are equivalent. Young grew up in madison, indiana, in the us and received a b. This book offers a dynamic and wideranging examination of the lives and ideas of the russian cosmists. This was a general tendency in russian religious philosophy in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Although they wrote as scientists, theologians, and.
The term cosmism seems to have originated with the russian cosmists, in the mid1800s. Looking at it today, russian cosmism, although suppressed by official soviet ideology, opens up new perspectives on the russian avantgarde as well as the ideology and politics. Pdf the russian cosmism as a vaccination against post. First part chapter 1 fundamentals of the constitutional system article 1 russian federation the russian federation russia is a democratic federal ruleoflaw state with the republican form of government. Significant contribution to the study of russian intellectual history, the study of the future of technology, and the study of the history of western esotericism. Read the russian cosmists the esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers by george m. Religion, national psyche, and spaceflight article in astropolitics 1112. Jan 29, 2016 russian cosmism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in russia in the early 20th century. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers, oxford university press, 2012. Russian cosmism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in russia in the early 20th century. Cosmism was a unique doctrine that foresees the future ability of human civilization, through. Spiritual foundations of the universe are undeniable for us, as the followers of the rosicrucian studies.
The nineteenth and early twentieth century saw the emergence of a controversial school of russian thinkers, led by the philosopher nikolai fedorov and united in the conviction that humanity was entering a new stage of evolution in which it must assume a new, active, managerial role in the cosmos. Enlightenment project that merged instrumental views about science and. Russian cosmism is a lively and still productive tendency in the history of russian esoteric thought, important but little known outside russia. Russian cosmism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emerged in russia in the turn. It built on the ideas of early church fathers like origen, gregory of nyssa, irenaeus of lyons and maximus the confessor concerning. The russian cosmists the esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers george m.
Federov 18291903, father of the russian cosmism, are possibly of a greater interest. Young charts in detail the influences that shaped an unusual coterie of thinkers, and explores how the mystical and scientific offspring of this movement to conquer death and traverse the cosmos have reverberated from the late nineteenth century to the dawn of the twentyfirst. As a result, the vast majority of cosmists were jailed, sent to labor camps, silenced, or executed after stalins victory. It entailed a broad theory of natural philosophy, combining elements of religion and. Cosmism entailed a broad theory of natural philosophy, combining elements of religion and ethics with a history and philosophy of the origin. First englishlanguage study of the russian cosmists. The cosmist worldview, combining exoteric and esoteric.
Russian cosmisms embrace of big ideas is especially noteworthy at a time that society, especially in the early phases of the 21st century seems. The russian cosmism as a vaccination against posthumanism. The key to russian foreign policy, its strategy, its set of motivations and interests, all of it comes from this one particular person. Many ideas of the russian cosmists were later developed by those in the transhumanist movement. Suppressed during the soviet period and little noticed in the west, the ideas of the cosmists have in recent decades been rediscovered and embraced by many russian intellectuals and are now recognized as essential to a native russian cultural and intellectual tradition. The russian cosmists quotes showing 12 of 2 one of his favorite examples, repeated several times in the thousands of pages of his writings, is of american experiments to bring rain in time of drought by shooting cannons into the air. The nineteenth and early twentieth century saw the emergence of. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers is a fascinating, mind expanding, highly informative magical mystery tour of a distinctive school of new age thinking. Trevor paglen in the late 19th century, russian cosmists. Since then, the utopian, science fictionlike thinking of the cosmists had a great influence on art, science, and politics in both prerevolutionary and soviet russia. Jan 23, 2018 well, to be woefully succinct and therefore inaccurate about it, the russian cosmists were intellectuals that emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century, who viewed technology as being a means to live out and achieve in culture and society certain doctrines of russian orthodoxy. Introduction an organisms life is a part of the universe.
Editorial russian cosmism some time around 1882, god was pronounced dead. Recent definitions of cosmism forerunners of russian cosmism. Introduction in this talk, i would like to approach the gospel of john from two angles. If you would like to participate, you can edit this article, or visit the project page for more details. Russian cosmism is part of wikiproject transhumanism, which aims to organize, expand, clean up, and guide transhumanism related articles on wikipedia. He has completely devoted himself to working for the order since 1998. One common feature of all subsequent russian cosmists is their debt to the thought of. The russian philosopher who sought immortality in the cosmos. Young published a fullfledged historical study, the russian cosmists. Russian cosmism is a lively and still productive tendency in the history of russian esoteric.
Cosmism belongs to those nonconventional spiritual traditions, combining. Russian cosmism first, i should define the term russian cosmism. He saw what happened to mubarak and especially what happened to gaddafi when they had lost power, and he became determined never to leave the kremlin. The esoteric futurism of nikolai fedorov and his followers in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.
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