On Contemporaries and Contemporaneous Movements

Abstract

We look in this chapter at Solov’ev’s confrontation during the last decade of his life with recent contemporary philosophies, including Comte’s positivism. While highly critical of it, he came at the end to an appreciation for Comte’s quasi-religious turn, particularly his talk of Humanite. Materialism was another metaphysical creed that Solov’ev thought Kant should have vanquished long ago, but which still drew adherents despite its simplicity. In Nietzsche, on the other hand, Solov’ev saw an alarming opponent, who preached a message that Solov’ev took to be directly opposed to his Christian vision. We also look at three Russian figures with whom he maintained a far more nuanced relationship.