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Vladimir Solovyov’s “Three Speeches on Dostoevsky.” Then and Now
This article discusses the connection between the ideas of Fyodor M. Dostoevsky and Vladimir
S. Solovyov on the need for cultural and moral transformation of those who would claim to participate in the historical process of Russia’s development, as well as the contemporary interpretation of these ideas. Both Dostoevsky and Solovyov believed that it was Russia who was destined to restore universal meaning to Christianity, to lead
Christianity out of the impasse of national exclusivity. Russia is capable of fulfilling this messianic
role on the path to a universal theocracy that would impart the necessary spiritual elevation to
humanity. Solovyov’s theocratic dreams, which were based on Dostoevsky’s religious ideas, were
not destined to receive public support. The Russian intelligentsia found itself faced with the question,
“What do we live for and what must we do?” Dostoevsky answered this question, followed by
Solovyov: We must abandon any attempt to fight for cultural ideals when such a fight leads to
resorting to violence. Those who are in charge of transforming life must themselves be spiritually
transformed. Any other path would lead to social and cultural disaster. These thoughts of the two
distinguished thinkers - the brilliant writer and the prominent Russian philosopher - are taking on a
new significance in contemporary Russia. For today’s reformers, the most important task is to
restore the destroyed system of values (including, above all, values involving personal freedom of
citizens). This means the cultural revival of Russia, without which social transformations will continue
to be stuck in a vicious circle wherein one form of violence follows another. Fulfilling this task
requires a spiritual feat akin to what the Russian thinkers were calling for in the late nineteenth
century.