An attempt to conceptualize Russianness

Abstract

My considerations concern the historically developed attributes of Russia, understood as a unique civilization formation, which is also the subject of intellectual conceptualization in Russian philosophical thought. Autotelism is characteristic of this thought, which means that the dominant subject of philozophizing by Russian thinkers is Russia itself, its identity and future, and above all the essence Russianness. Russian philosophy remains a reaction to the ‘Enlihgtenment shock’ that Peter I the Great gave Russia and the Russians, and is invoved in the formulation of the so-called the Russian idea, i.e. diagnosing the civiliztional state of Russia, creating an axio-concept of its development and looking for ideas for Russia’s creative presence in Europe. Self-images of Russian identity are contained  in the concepts and style of thinking as well as in axiometaphysical  and axiolinguistic image of the world. Russianness has remained the main topos of the intellectual culture of Russia, including emigrant thinkers.