Customer Reviews

On Spiritual Unity: A Slavophile Reader (Library of Russian Philosophy.) (Esalen-Lindisfarne Library of Russian Philosophy)

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Khomiakov and Kireevsky are seminal thinkers for Russia's first thoughtful encounter with the West. They think well about the Orthodox Faith and its critics and compromisers. This book is one of the best introductions possible to the Russian Faith for outsiders (who will need several readings to get the point). It should also be read by every Orthodox Christian, and especially by every Russian Orthodox, if he wants to understand who he is and why he should not compromise with the alien culture now nearly worldwide.

Khomiakov and Kireevsky are the founders of the so-called "Slavophile" movement and two of the most important early figures in both Russian theology and philosophy (a distinction which has often been blurred in Russia). Unfortunately, finding English translations of their works can be pretty hard to find, and that's why this volume is so important. If you are just getting interested in Russian thought or in Orthodoxy, or if you are interested in later Russian thinkers like Solovyov or Bulgakov, it's essential to pick this up if you can find it in stock. Herein lies the origins of ideas like sobornost, integral knowledge, and other vastly influential concepts in Russian theology, philosophy, and culture.