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О понятии человеческого
The modern Russian concept of chelovechnost’ (humanity) evolved under the influence of the French humanité, which — similarly to its analogues in other languages — derives from the Latin humanitas. The article touches on a set of methodological questions: does the concept of humanity represent merely a construct of cultural history? is its alienness to a given culture inferrable from the absence of a corresponding lexeme? can the notion of humanity supply the foundation to a politics of non-violence? does the Russian concept differ from analogous concepts in other European languages? The article puts forward counter-arguments against the most notable contribution to the historical semantics of humanity — Koselleck’s 1975 study of “asymmetrical” concepts, which shows the influence of the ideas of Carl Schmitt.