Philosophy and geopolitics of Nikolai Danilevsky, (Paperback)

The monograph analyses the theory of cultural-historical types of Nikolai Yakovlevich Danilevsky (1822-1885). The Russian philosopher developed a model of the world-historical process based on the principle of synchronisation of diachrony, according to which progress is limited to the framework of individual, relatively closed and self-sufficient civilisations. Danilevsky's approach, innovative for its time, allowed him to reveal a number of the most important historical regularities, and his criticism of Eurocentrism remains relevant to this day. However, Danilevsky's philosophy of history was subordinated to his aggressive pan-Slavist geopolitical doctrine. Critically reinterpreted, Danilevsky's ideas contribute both to a deeper understanding of the trends of social development and to an understanding of the origins of Russia's imperial and anti-Western policy.