Authors

Daniela Steila¹;  ¹ Università degli studi di Torino, Italy

Discussion

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Russian philosophy traditionally emphasized its own exceptionalism compared to Europe. Some saw Russia’s otherness as condemning the country to exclusion from the common path of European civilization, while others saw it as an opportunity to find a different historical path, an alternative to the European one. Ultimately, Russia was entrusted with the universalist mission of liberating Europe itself from its intellectual aridity on the basis of allegedly specifically “Russian” values. The issue has recently returned to center stage as “Russian” essentialism permeates ideas such as “the Russian world”, “traditional Russian values,” etc. in both philosophical and political discourses. On closer inspection, however, it is precisely these traditional values that do not appear to be specifically Russian. Rather, a general trend in recent years towards international conservatism can be observed and examined.