The Theme of Cultural Crisis by Representatives of Russian Religious Thought of the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries (on the Example of the Works of S.N. Bulgakov and N.A. Berdyaev)
Authors: Kovaleva M.V. 
Published: May 2023

Dynamic changes in Russian social life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the elimination of its rigid ideological framework influenced the development of our society. The turning points were not limited to economic and political changes. There was a radical change in the worldview paradigm, which, accordingly, influenced the content of ideals, values, life-sense attitudes, and rules of social interaction. The rearrangement of the components of the spiritual and semantic core of culture at the end of the 1990s testified to a crisis in this area. It was the crisis processes in culture that predetermined the further search for its adequate interpretation and, in this regard, aroused tremendous research interest in its genesis, structure, driving forces and internal potential. Undoubtedly, attention to this phenomenon is also connected with the fact that culture in modern conditions is becoming the dominant social force. No social phenomenon can take place outside of culture and independently of it. This means that cardinal changes in society entail changes in the system of its norms and values, i.e. cultural change, and conversely, change in culture is necessarily accompanied by a shift in the social field. Regulating interpersonal interactions, cultural systems, first of all, semantic complexes (ideas, norms, values) constitute any social phenomenon. Accordingly, in modern philosophy, interest in culture as a factor in creative life and social development is becoming more acute. At the beginning of the 20th century, in the extremely specific conditions of “Russian life”, representatives of Russian religious philosophy directed their creative search to comprehending the essence of culture and determining ways out of the crisis. In this regard, it seems relevant to appeal to the ideas of such philosophers as S.N. Bulgakov, N.A. Berdyaev, who comprehend the fate of Russian culture and put forward a number of provisions that determine the understanding of this phenomenon. In line with the assessment of culture as a factor in social life order, the topic is relevant, which highlights the problematic field of analysis outlined by representatives of Russian religious philosophy of the late XIX - early XX centuries. This is the understanding of culture as a specific holistic organism, as a way of familiarizing a person with the spiritual essence of the world, as a value space oriented towards ideals. This is a deep faith in culture, its interpretation as a means of spiritual life, in which the personal beginning of a person is revealed. At the beginning of the 20th century, the selfdetermination of Russian religious philosophy took place in the context of an appeal to the spiritual heritage, including the religious one. And already self-determined as such, Russian religious thought reflects on the state of national culture. One of the most popular problems of the beginning of the 20th century is the problem of the cultural crisis. The religious concept of culture is inherent in the desire to comprehend the essence of culture in order to open the way from a crisis state to renewal and cultural revival. The Russian thought of this period is distinguished by the breadth of its consideration of the theme of the crisis: from theoretical and historical-cultural analysis to sharp socio-philosophical journalism. The concept of the crisis of culture, developed by Russian religious philosophers, is the basis of their own philosophy of culture. Representatives of this trend focus their creative search on determining ways out of the crisis, therefore, addressing this issue in the presence of a tendency to overcome the cultural crisis that began in Russian society at the end of the 19th century is also relevant. It should be noted that the identified problems, the topics developed by Russian religious philosophers of the late XIX - early XX century are polemical both in theoretical terms and in the context of the realities of modern Russian culture. Is culture a space of absolute values? Is it possible to truly understand culture in detachment from social pragmatics? Why should human activity necessarily be associated with ideals and values? Should a philosophical approach to understanding culture be based on historical realities? Is it possible to identify the concept of culture as a whole with spiritual culture? What is a crisis - cultural exhaustion or being without cultural orientation? The answers to these and many other questions, one way or another touched upon by representatives of this trend, no doubt introduce new aspects into the philosophical vision of culture, enrich modern cultural and philosophical knowledge and, which is very important, contribute to an in-depth understanding of Russian cultural processes of the new millennium.