The Reception of A. I. Herzen's Philosophical Heritage in Russian and European Thought from the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century to the First Part of the Twentieth Century

Farewell! - unwashed, indigent Russia The land of slaves, the state of lords, And you, its navy-coated marshals, And you, their dedicated herds. (M. U. Lermontov, 1841) A. I. Herzen plays an important role in the history of Russian philosophy and the political history of Russia. Revolutionary, philosopher, writer, he had a great influence not only on the development of social thought in Russia, but also on the thinking of Western philosophers, their understanding of the course of history. For now, there’s not many researches based on Herzen’s works because he’s usually perceived as philosopher with works without actuality. This position is not exactly correct.The aim of this study is to identify the uniqueness and content of socio-political ideas of A. I. Herzen, the rationale for their relevance to the development of modern society and culture.To reveal the multiplicity of the personality of Herzen, the importance of his heritage it is not enough to perform only social and political ideas and writings of the author. Also it is necessary consider the perception of Herzen's works by his contemporaries (Florovsky, Rozanov, Leontiev), which different estimate the person and the works of Herzen. If Florovsky perceives A. Herzen as his mirror, through the prism of which comes his creative evolution of Florovsky, Rozanov, on the contrary, it is highly critical of Herzen, believing him to be the harbinger of nihilism. It is equally important the understanding of the personality of Herzen by modern Western (I. Berlin, M., Malia) and Russian philosophical thinkers (O. Zhukova, VL. Kantor, A. Kara-Murza). The study of the concepts of these authors in their perception of the works of A. Herzen will contribute to reveal the outstanding personality of A. Herzen most fully from diferent sides.