Authors

Discussion

Mid-19^th-century Russian intellectuals experienced a significant transition from having an eclectic taste in knowledge to being experts in a specific field of study. Specialization can further elaborate on this transition. Originating in Western Europe and referring to forming contemporary concepts of specialized academic subjects, natural historian Paul Farber noted that specialization impacting the first half of the 19^th century altered how intellectuals receiving scientific education conceptualized knowledge. I contend that this impact also led the Russian academic environment to an intellectual boom, promoting the establishment of learned societies and forming specified fields of study. Furthermore, this impact provided Russian intellectuals with a novel approach to conceiving history and created a space for further intellectual debates revolving around historical interpretations. However, scholarly research on the relationship between this impact and Russian intellectual history remains scant. Although Andrzej Walicki applied Weltanschauungen to approach this transition through the lens of Slavophilism, the negligence in his mentioning of specialization was clear. This article intends to probe this relationship through an analysis of Rudin and Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev, demonstrating how the transformation in the perception of knowledge influences Russian intellectuals.