Roman Popov's Talk: 'The Aristocratic Aspect of Pessimism in K. N. Leontiev's Ethics'

On June 14, 2024, within the framework of the seminar 'Dialogue between Russia and Europe: the View of Young Researchers', Roman K. Popov, a research assistant of the Laboratory made a report

The speaker proposed a relatively new view on the concept of 'pessimism' in the work of K. N. Leontiev. It is considered in the broad context of the creative intentions of the Russian thinker and is associated with his basic philosophical ideas about the 'despotism of form' and the 'triune process'. Roman Popov proposed to interpret pessimism as a special form of morality that is supported by external criteria. Pessimism can be implicitly divided into two types – aristocratic and popular. Since Leontiev prescribes the aristocratic estates to forcibly maintain the visible beauty and diversity of culture, for them a pessimistic perception of reality becomes a prerequisite for action. Therefore, in this environment, pessimism plays the role of a source of exclusive ethical qualities, which are determined by a sense of responsibility for maintaining injustice and evil in the name of preserving public life.

You can watch the video of the report on the laboratory's YouTube channel.