Authors

Discussion

Nikolai Berdyaev wrote in The Russian Idea that while "it is characteristic of the Russian people to engage in philosophy," "the fate of the philosopher in Russia is painful and tragic." This paradox highlights a longstanding tension between philosophy and state power in Russia—one of the most contentious issues in Russian intellectual history, which has resurfaced and intensified even further amid Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

In this paper, I examine the oppressive role of the Soviet and post-Soviet state in shaping Russia's intellectual life, focusing on two particularly turbulent periods since the October Revolution. I first analyze key events leading up to the 1922 expulsion of prominent philosophers and cultural figures – labeled as “ideological opponents” – from Soviet Russia, an incident known as the "Philosophy Steamer." I then explore current actions by the Russian government aimed at curtailing intellectual freedom among liberal-minded philosophers and thinkers, imposing severe restrictions on free expression and effectively stifling free thought.

I conclude by examining the deep-rooted antagonism between Putin's regime and independent thought, reflecting on why free philosophy and intellectual openness face such direct opposition today. I argue that at the core of this hostility lies an effort by Russia's political elite to institute a new state ideology, one that seeks to force the country into a state of archaism and, as sociologist Lev Gudkov terms it, "recurring totalitarianism."