Religious-Philosophical and Anthropological Dimensions of Dialogue between Maxim Gorky and Immanuel Kant: A Study of Gorky’s Text “The Peasant”
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2024-13-8-305-323
Abstract
This article addresses the influence of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on the works of Maxim Gorky. The study aims to explore how Kant’s philosophical ideas shaped Gorky’s worldview and contributed to the development of his prose. The primary material for this research is Gorky’s unfinished work “The Peasant,” written between 1899 and the early 1900s. It is demonstrated that the text serves as a unique “epistolary dialogue” between Gorky and Kant, in which the writer engages in a polemic with the philosopher regarding human nature, social organization, justice, and morality. The article posits that Gorky’s harsh critiques of Kant, expressed in letters and within the aforementioned text, stem from his general aversion to the deliberate complexity and analytical nature of Kant’s language, as well as the philosopher’s excessively rationalist approach to interpreting the incomprehensible and understanding humanity’s place and purpose in the world, along with the laws of existence. It is argued that Gorky did not share Kant’s absolute rationalism but instead advocated for a harmony between reason and emotion in human beings. Furthermore, it is shown that Gorky resonated with the moral and ethical principles of Kantian philosophy. Thus, this study offers a fresh perspective on the religious-philosophical and anthropological aspects of Gorky’s oeuvre.
Keywords
Supporting agencies: The study is supported by Russian Science Foundation, project number 23-28-00421 “Maxim Gorky in the Circle of Arts”
About the Author
M. M. Ozhigova
Lomonosov Moscow State University; А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Maria M. Ozhigova - PhD of Philology, Lecturer, Department of Literary Theory, Lomonosov Moscow State University; junior research scientist, А.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Ozhigova M.M. Religious-Philosophical and Anthropological Dimensions of Dialogue between Maxim Gorky and Immanuel Kant: A Study of Gorky’s Text “The Peasant”. Nauchnyi dialog. 2024;13(8):305-323. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2024-13-8-305-323
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