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While he is widely acknowledged as the most important Russian thinker of the nineteenth century, Vladimir Soloviev's place in the landscape of world philosophy nevertheless remains uncertain. Approaching him through a single synoptic lens, this book foregrounds his unique envisioning of the interaction between humanity and the material world. By investigating the development of a single theme in his work-his idea of the "spiritualization of matter", the "task" of humanity-Smith constructs a rounded picture of Soloviev's overall importance to an understanding. If nineteenth-century thought, as well as to modern theology and philosophy. The picture that emerges is of a writer whose contribution to a Christian philosophy of matter resonates with many of the religious debates of modernity.
About the author
Oliver Smith (PhD University College London) is a lecturer in Russian at the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom. His research focuses on Russian intellectual tradition as it developed from the beginning of the nineteenth century. His recent publications include "The Ecology of History: Russian Thought on the Future of the World,", which appeared in Ecological Awareness: Exploring Religion, Ethics and Aesthetics, Studies in Religion and the Environment, 2009 and "Is Humanity King to Creation? The Thought of Vladimir Solov'ev in the Light of Ecological Crisis" published in the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 2008.
Summary
Widely acknowledged as the most important Russian thinker of the nineteenth century, Vladimir Soloviev's place in the landscape of world philosophy nevertheless remains uncertain. Approaching him through a single synoptic lens, this book foregrounds his unique envisioning of the interaction between humanity and the material world.
Additional text
This brilliant study of Russia’s greatest religious philosopher delivers much more than its title suggests...It encompasses the whole of Solovev’s philosophy; the spiritualization of matter is a part. Smith’s book, despite its modest claim to being about one part, is really about the whole. It conveys that whole effectively and powerfully.
