Conversation at the Crossroads of Cultures (Isaiah Berlin about Meeting with Alexandre Kojève)

Occupation: Professor
Affiliation: Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of School of Arts and Humanities at Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU)
Address: Russian Federation

Journal name

Voprosy filosofii

Edition

Issue 12

Pages

152-161

Abstract

The article is devoted to understanding the philosophical ideas of I. Berlin and A. Kojève, whose intellectual positions and existential aspirations were formed at the crossroads of cultures. Their intellectual fates have much in common: both left Russia at an early age, received a European philosophical education, both of them succeeded in entering the history of European thought (France and England), and influenced (including by their knowledge of Russian culture) on the intellectual community of these countries. The conversation between Isaiah of Berlin and Alexandre Kojève, presented in various interviews of I. Berlin, is interpreted. The ideas of Kojève and Berlin are considered in the context of their conversation. Particular attention is drawn to the socio-political problems (state, freedom, nationalism, etc.), which base their real conversation in a philosophical way. The author demonstrates that existential multicultural experience influences the formation of basic philosophical attitudes. Both of them see the world as a whole and the world of the political in particular as a struggle of interests and constant conflict. At the same time, Berlin is a supporter of cultural particularism, and Kojève is a supporter of a homogeneous, supranational state. Despite the difference in philosophical traditions (analytic and continental) adopted by Berlin and Kojève, the Russian cultural experience became the prerequisites of their conceptualization.

Keywords

A. Kojève, I. Berlin, value pluralism, supranational state, liberty, negativity, translation

Acknowledgment

The research is carried out at expense of RFBR, project Crossroads of cultures in the XX century: European philosophy with Russian roots (A. Koyré, A. Kojève and I. Berlin).

Received

20.12.2018

Publication date

20.12.2018

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GOST	Granovskaya O. Conversation at the Crossroads of Cultures (Isaiah Berlin about Meeting with Alexandre Kojève) // Voprosy filosofii – 2018. – Issue 12 C. 152-161 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/vphil/s207987840001748-1-1-en-2 (circulation date: 16.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S004287440002596-0
MLA	Granovskaya, Olga L "Conversation at the Crossroads of Cultures (Isaiah Berlin about Meeting with Alexandre Kojève)." Voprosy filosofii 12 (2018):152-161. DOI: 10.31857/S004287440002596-0
APA	Granovskaya O. (2018). Conversation at the Crossroads of Cultures (Isaiah Berlin about Meeting with Alexandre Kojève). Voprosy filosofii (12), pp.152-161 DOI: 10.31857/S004287440002596-0

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