New Book "Demythologization of Russian Culture. Philosophical essays" by Vladimir Kantor

There was published a new book by the head of the International Laboratory for the Study of Russian and European Intellectual Dialogue V.K. Kantor 

The publishing house "Rossiiskie Propylei" published the book "Demythologization of Russian culture. Philosophical essays" by HSE Professor V. K. Kantor.

Abstract
In his new book, V.K. Kantor considers one of the most important philosophical problems. The entire history of the culture of mankind, including Europe and Russia as a legitimate part of Europe, is permeated with myths as the structure-forming clamps of consciousness. Myth plays an ambiguous role. It is important as a tool in the hands of the philosopher, for example Plato, and becomes disastrous, having mastered the consciousness of the crowd. According to M. Mamardashvili, there are no problems in the myth, everything is clear, and that is why it is in such demand by ignorance. The task of the philosopher is to make the world anew incomprehensible, which is possible only by asking himself and the world questions, but not trusting myth as knowledge. We are accustomed to some mythical interpretations of, say, Pushkin, Chernyshevsky, so that a person of mass culture does not even want to look for other meaning. Myth is alleged to be given forever and does not require verification. In the book, the author tries to disenchant several myths: Pushkin, Gorky, Turgenev, Kerensky; Katkov and Chernyshevsky, rejected by mass literary criticism, as well as the phenomenon of revolution, accompanied with dozens of glorifying and cursing texts, songs and paintings. Without myths, life is harder, but it is human life.