Papers by Vladislav Razdyakonov
Божественные законы и чудеса природы: естественная теология русского спиритуализма конца XIX -начала XX в // Философия религии: аналитические исследования. 2021. Т.5. №2. С.65-84., 2021
Цель статьи-раскрыть представления русских спиритуалистов об отношении Бога и природы, рассмотрев... more Цель статьи-раскрыть представления русских спиритуалистов об отношении Бога и природы, рассмотрев их понимание природы «чуда» и «закона»; интерпретацию эволюции как телеологического процесса; оценку разных божественных атрибутов и их значения как основания для критики теологии, а также решение проблемы зла и страдания. Естественная теология спиритуализма рассматривается как часть общего интеллектуального движения второй половины XIX столетия, нацеленного на гармонизацию научной и религиозной картин мира. При помощи примеров из сочинений зарубежных и отечественных спиритуалистов продемонстрировано, что сакрализация законов и «натурализация» чудесного служили спиритуалистам средствами сохранения религиозного взгляда на устройство и происхождения природы в эпоху утверждения монизма как центральной онтологической и эволюционизма как главной исторической программ в естествознании. Ключевые слова: спиритуализм, естественная теология, эволюция, телеология, натурализм, монизм, интервенционизм, чудо Ссылка для цитирования: Раздъяконов В.С. Божественные законы и чудеса природы: естественная теология русского спиритуализма конца XIX-начала XX в. // Философия религии: аналит. исслед. / Philosophy of Religion: Analytic Researches. 2021. Т. 5. № 2. С. 65-84.
New religious anthropology and transformation of science in the second half of the 19th century. Studia Religiosa Rossica: Russian Journal of Religion. 2020;(4):18-39. (In Russ.), 2020
Аннотация. Новая религиозная антропология определяется как совокупность учений и практик, постули... more Аннотация. Новая религиозная антропология определяется как совокупность учений и практик, постулировавших существование особого, отличного от признанного во второй половине XIX в. соответствующим научному, устройства человека, а также возможности обретения человеком сверхспособностей. В фокусе внимания статьи -влияние научных концептов и идей на содержание учений новой религиозной антропологии. Показано, что ключевую роль в становлении новой религиозной антропологии сыграли процессы, определявшие развитие науки -институционализации, специализации и медиатизации научного знания. В статье предложена эвристическая типология новой религиозной антропологии -«христианская», «научная», «ориенталистская» и «оккультная». Новая религиозная антропология рассматривается как средство преодоления характерного для дискурса второй половины XIX в. представления о конфликте между наукой и религией.
Революция духов для духовного братства: социальные идеалы русского спиритуализма // Государство, религия, церковь в России и за рубежом. 2020. №38(4). С. 318-342., 2020
The article offers a reconstruction of the social ideals of Russian spiritualists. Main sources i... more The article offers a reconstruction of the social ideals of Russian spiritualists. Main sources include texts revealing spiritualists' ideas about the structure of the spiritual world; structure and characteristics of spiritual circles; and literary works by spiritualists reflecting their social ideals. Although the social and political views of Russian spiritualists were mostly conservative, their ontological views contained elements of social radicalism. The author distinguishes between the two types of spiritualists -rationalists and traditionalists -depending on their attitude towards the Orthodox Church, Christian theology and their specific views about the spiritual world. All spiritualists viewed the society critically as gripped with disease. Rationalist spiritualism was critical towards Christian dogmatic and practice, and although its supporters advocated the preservation of the social and political status quo, they hoped for both gradual social and political transformation and the realization of social ideals in the spiritual world. The traditionalists, despite their commitment to monarchy and the Church institution, expected a millenarian overturn and thus challenged the social and political order. Overall, the spiritualist social ideals are close to communitarian social projects based upon the idea of Christian brotherhood.
Понятие о «религии» в отечественном эзотеризме конца XIX – начала XX века (по материалам Московского спиритического кружка) // Вестник ПСТГУ. Серия I: Богословие. Философия. Религиоведение. 2020. Вып. 89. С. 129-148, 2020
Representatives of modern spiritualism had their own ideas about “religion” as a specific phenome... more Representatives of modern spiritualism had their own ideas about “religion” as a specific phenomenon and were familiar with discussions of theologians, philosophers, and scientists about its nature. This article uses historical sources pertaining to the activity of a large association of Russian spiritualists of the early 20th century, i.e. Moscow Spiritualist Circle (later Russian Spiritualist Society). The primary materials (Doctrine of spirits and Immortality according to Asian Rosicrucians’ traditions) reveal spiritualists’ understanding of the genesis, essence, classification, and future of religion. Spiritualists defined “religion” as the result of spirits’ activity, divided religions into more and less perfect, and argued that the best religion is Christianity. Spiritualists associated the evolution of religion with the destiny of nations and assumed that national religions, as well as polytheistic religions, represented its early forms. German idealistic philosophy influenced the views of the members of Moscow Spiritualist Circle on the nature of religion. Similar to those historians of religion who adhere theism, they regarded history of religion as a teleological process and thought that the comparative method would allow one to approach the understanding of the essence of religion. Spiritualists’ ontology may be defined as a spiritualistic monism; this being said, spiritualists regularly underlined their own adherence to theism. Members of Moscow Spiritualist Circle were familiar with contemporary psychological and anthropological theories of religion and considered mediumistic phenomena to be an empirical proof of certain theories. Spiritualists criticized Edward Taylor’s theory of religion and believed that it unreasonably reduced naturalism to materialism, denying the existence of the spiritual world and reducing religion to a false ideology. Spiritualists appealed to the works of William James and other scholars who devoted themselves to studying the diversity of mystical experiences. The ontology of the spiritualists can be characterized as religious naturalism which allowed one to define religion as both a theological and anthropological phenomenon. Spiritualists’ views of the nature of “religion” help us expand our knowledge of the formation of the idea of religion in the late 19th — early 20th centuries.
Между молотом и любовью: женский спиритуализм в России конца XIX - начала XX столетия // Религиоведческие исследования. М., 2020. №1 (21). С.56-72.
The article is devoted to defining the specifics of the attitude of Russian spiritualists to the ... more The article is devoted to defining the specifics of the attitude of Russian spiritualists to the family social institution in the late XIX - early XX centuries. The article is based on the materials of three key spiritualists of the epoch - Maria Petrovna Saburova, Alexandra Ivanovna Bobrova, and Elena Ivanovna Molokhovets. Special consideration is given to their religious views and how they determined the attitude of the spiritualists to the solution of the «woman question». The materials reveal the spiritualists' understanding of positive and negative female characteristics. I propose a typology of spiritualism concerning the «women question» (progressive and conservative) and show the specificity of spiritualist attitude to the problem of the emancipation of women. Progressive spiritualists were critical of marriage as a state and religious institution. At the same time, they believed that changing the status of women is possible only in the course of a long evolution and through small affairs. Conservative spiritualists gave sacred meaning to marriage and believed that it needed to be renewed by returning to the old ways and orders. Both called selfish interests the cause of the crisis of the family institution.
На пути к Третьему Завету: догматический спиритуализм В.П. Быкова // Религиоведческие исследования. М., 2019 №2 (20). С.19-43., 2019
The research considers documents related to the activities of The Moscow Circle of «Spiritualist ... more The research considers documents related to the activities of The Moscow Circle of «Spiritualist Dogmatists» (MCSD) under the leadership of Vladimir Pavlovich Bykov. The study aims to conceptualize the features of Russian Christian spiritualism at the beginning of the XX century. Primary objectives are to reconstruct the critical events of Bykov's spiritualist biography; to demonstrate main areas of activity of the MCSD; to delineate Bykov's understanding of «spiritualist philosophy» and its relation to spiritualistic practice. Main theses: it is impossible to define precisely the date of Bykov's break with spiritualistic practice, most likely it took place in the second half of 1910; occultism served for Bykov as a means to resolve the contradiction between Christian collectivism and commercial individualism; psychometry was considered by members of MCSD as an alternative practice to spiritualistic practice, because it did not contradict orthodox teaching; for members of MCSD occult nationalism served as the ideological basis for the reform of the orthodox church; MCSD was a Christian, ecumenical, millennial group; orthodox context aside Russian spiritualism was influenced by evangelical Christianity and traditional folk ideas and practice.
Религиозное учение Е.И. Молоховец и православная традиция // Вестник ПСТГУ. Серия I: Богословие. Философия. Религиоведение. 2019. Вып. 83. С. 124-140., 2019
The spiritualist Elena Ivanovna Molohovets tried to convey her spiritual message to the Russian p... more The spiritualist Elena Ivanovna Molohovets tried to convey her spiritual message to the Russian public since 1880-s till 1918. Her spiritual activities are underinvestigated, and this article, supplied with materials from Russian archives, aims to reconstruct some key events of her spiritualist life. Her visionary included different political and social questions, which she answered within her religious outlook. Information “from beyond” besides traditional authorities helped her to overcome conflicts in current public narratives about relations of the Tzar and nation, science and religion, Church as institution, and Church as Body of Christ. The analysis focuses on the central discourses of her religious teaching, overviews its sources, and uncovers her interpretive tools, including hermeneutics of the Bible and Orthodox liturgy, «dreams» and «visions» and automatic writings. The case of E.I. Molohovetz clearly shows, that spiritualism was assimilated by Orthodox tradition, which enriched spiritualism with its concepts and deep millennial flavor. Russian spiritualism was politically conservative because its adherents continued to believe in monarchy as a divine institution. However, still it propagated reforms in the Russian Orthodox Church as a means for its rejuvenation.
К вопросу о типологии историографии спиритуализма как культурного феномена // «Сретенские чтения»: материалы XXV научно-богословской конференции студентов, аспирантов и молодых специалистов. — М.: СФИ, 2019. С.319-326., 2019
Учение и практики спиритического кружка П.А. Чистякова и А.И. Бобровой // Studia Religiosa Rossica. М.: РГГУ, 2018. С.66-83, 2018
The paper aims to reconstruct the ideology and describe the
practices of the spiritualist circle ... more The paper aims to reconstruct the ideology and describe the
practices of the spiritualist circle guided by P.A. Chistiakov and A.I. Bobrova. Research objectives are 1) to mark key events in the history of the circle and 2) to define the peculiarities of the circle’s ideology and practices. Research materials include various documents: personal correspondence, manuscripts on spiritualism, circle’s protocols, automatic writings and publications in the spiritualist journal “Rebus”. The study contributes to the research of the history of the spiritualist movement in Russia.
Ключевые слова: спиритуализм, спиритизм, спиритический кружок, Н. П. Вагнер, культ, Дж. Нельсон, ... more Ключевые слова: спиритуализм, спиритизм, спиритический кружок, Н. П. Вагнер, культ, Дж. Нельсон, социология религии, типология религиозных групп.
Духовные авторитеты секулярного века: спиритический дневник М.П. Сабуровой
The unpublished diary (around 1800 pages) by a prominent Russian spiritualist Maria Petrovna Sabu... more The unpublished diary (around 1800 pages) by a prominent Russian spiritualist Maria Petrovna Saburova sheds light on social, psychological and ideological contexts and implications of spiritualist practice. The article analyses social relations in Saburova’s family and defines spiritualists’ practice as a sort of family crisis therapy.
In Russia spiritualist theology, mostly implemented from the western spiritualist literature, contributed to women emancipation, but it wasn’t radical and used to rely on
traditional patterns of social, in particular, masculine authority. Saburova’s cosmology
highlights spiritualists’ critical attitude towards current social order and proposes a new
spiritual bureaucracy as an ideal of possible social relations. Though in Russia as in the
West authority of spirits used to be a foundation for spiritualists’ social and spiritual
individualism, which led to social and gender emancipation, still, spiritualists activity
took conservative stance: spiritualists followed spiritual patterns and believed that spiritual
world was the only place for complete human liberation. Spiritualists used modernist
discourse, talking about human emancipation from cultural and social authorities,
but their both critical and positive propositions appealed to spiritual authority. Thus
spiritualists’ rhetoric blended conservative authority and modern emancipation.
“Science”, “Religion” and Spiritualist Epistemology: Transformation
of Classical Science at the E... more “Science”, “Religion” and Spiritualist Epistemology: Transformation
of Classical Science at the End of the 19th Century
Институционализация диалогического направления дискурса "наука и религия" в современной России, Apr 9, 2015
«Science and religion» discourse plays a significant role in shaping the intellectual landscape o... more «Science and religion» discourse plays a significant role in shaping the intellectual landscape of modern European thought. The article covers three topics: (1) it explores the meaning of this discourse in Imperial and Soviet Russia, (2) it overviews institutionalization of this discourse in modern Russia, and (3) it presents recommendations for its further development. These recommendations are as follows: to avoid metaphysical and epistemological discussions and concentrate on pragmatic, social and economical aspects of «science and religion» dialogue; to develop studies of genesis of the conflict narrative; to practice purely historical approach to the subject without any epistemological prejudice, whether it inclines to dialogue or conflict.
For nearly 10 years Russian Society for Experimental Psychology (1891-1900) conducted research of... more For nearly 10 years Russian Society for Experimental Psychology (1891-1900) conducted research of practices associated with the modern spiritualist movement. It's research program was deeply affected by a prominent russian spiritualist and scientist Nikolay Wagner, (1823-1907) who considered spiritualism being the only way for conquering social and moral disorder. The article, based on materials from N. Wagner's archive, sheds light on the motives, which encouraged Russian scientists to go for experiments in the field of modern spiritualism.
Христианский спиритизм Н.П. Вагнера и рациональная религия А.Н. Аксакова между "наукой" и "религией", Aug 2013
В отечественной историографии сложилось целостное представление о движении российского эксперимен... more В отечественной историографии сложилось целостное представление о движении российского экспериментального спиритизма, которое подчеркивает его «позитивистский» характер, направленный на снятие различий между духом и материей, разумом и верой. В этой связи движение спиритизма рассматривается как одно из явлений, свидетельствующих о последовательной секуляризации западной культуры. Однако детальный исторический анализ показывает сложный и неоднозначный характер отечественного экспериментального спиритизма, возникающего на стыке религиозного и научного дискурсов. На основе новых и неопубликованных архивных источников автор демонстрирует важные различия в отношении к христианству, существовавшие между крупными представителями движения экспериментального спиритизма в России — Н. П. Вагнером и А. Н. Аксаковым. Если А. Н. Аксаков склонялся к пониманию спиритической практики как к способу обоснования новой рациональной религии, Н. П. Вагнер рассматривал ее как средство обращения неверующих к православной вере. Обнаруженные различия позволяют продемонстрировать взаимосвязь между сложившимся во второй половине XIX века представлением о секуляризации западной культуры и стереотипным представлением о конфликтном характере взаимоотношений между «наукой» и «религией». Маргинальное положение экспериментального спиритизма давало ему возможность выступать как от лица «религии», так и от лица «науки» в зависимости от желаний и интересов его сторонников.
Концепт «история вигов» в новой историографии Научной революции, Apr 2013
The concept of "Whig History" had a powerful impact on Anglo-American historiography of science. ... more The concept of "Whig History" had a powerful impact on Anglo-American historiography of science. Frequently it has been used as a tool for stigmatization of the "old views" represented in the so called "traditional" historiography of the Scientific Revolution. The article covers several debates, which occured around the topic, and assumes, that historians of science can not stop using the "classical" analytical categories, which provide an important tool for understanding both past and present developments of science.
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Papers by Vladislav Razdyakonov
practices of the spiritualist circle guided by P.A. Chistiakov and A.I. Bobrova. Research objectives are 1) to mark key events in the history of the circle and 2) to define the peculiarities of the circle’s ideology and practices. Research materials include various documents: personal correspondence, manuscripts on spiritualism, circle’s protocols, automatic writings and publications in the spiritualist journal “Rebus”. The study contributes to the research of the history of the spiritualist movement in Russia.
In Russia spiritualist theology, mostly implemented from the western spiritualist literature, contributed to women emancipation, but it wasn’t radical and used to rely on
traditional patterns of social, in particular, masculine authority. Saburova’s cosmology
highlights spiritualists’ critical attitude towards current social order and proposes a new
spiritual bureaucracy as an ideal of possible social relations. Though in Russia as in the
West authority of spirits used to be a foundation for spiritualists’ social and spiritual
individualism, which led to social and gender emancipation, still, spiritualists activity
took conservative stance: spiritualists followed spiritual patterns and believed that spiritual
world was the only place for complete human liberation. Spiritualists used modernist
discourse, talking about human emancipation from cultural and social authorities,
but their both critical and positive propositions appealed to spiritual authority. Thus
spiritualists’ rhetoric blended conservative authority and modern emancipation.
of Classical Science at the End of the 19th Century
practices of the spiritualist circle guided by P.A. Chistiakov and A.I. Bobrova. Research objectives are 1) to mark key events in the history of the circle and 2) to define the peculiarities of the circle’s ideology and practices. Research materials include various documents: personal correspondence, manuscripts on spiritualism, circle’s protocols, automatic writings and publications in the spiritualist journal “Rebus”. The study contributes to the research of the history of the spiritualist movement in Russia.
In Russia spiritualist theology, mostly implemented from the western spiritualist literature, contributed to women emancipation, but it wasn’t radical and used to rely on
traditional patterns of social, in particular, masculine authority. Saburova’s cosmology
highlights spiritualists’ critical attitude towards current social order and proposes a new
spiritual bureaucracy as an ideal of possible social relations. Though in Russia as in the
West authority of spirits used to be a foundation for spiritualists’ social and spiritual
individualism, which led to social and gender emancipation, still, spiritualists activity
took conservative stance: spiritualists followed spiritual patterns and believed that spiritual
world was the only place for complete human liberation. Spiritualists used modernist
discourse, talking about human emancipation from cultural and social authorities,
but their both critical and positive propositions appealed to spiritual authority. Thus
spiritualists’ rhetoric blended conservative authority and modern emancipation.
of Classical Science at the End of the 19th Century
Wolffram H. (2009) The Stepchildren of Science. Psychical Research and Parapsychology in Germany. Amsterdam – New York: Rodopi. – 342 p.
Lachapelle S. (2011) Investigating Supernatural. From Spiritism and Occultism to Psychical Research and Metaphysics in France, 1853-1931. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. – 198 p."