Urgent Lessons of Russian Liberalism

Article One: A Critique of The Western Tradition

Abstract

Russian philosophy of liberalism was criticized the Western liberal tradition. B. Chicherin believed that two main principles of classical liberalism are false: the priority of the individual over society and the reduction of internal freedom of the person to external freedom (choice). Because the liberal ideology recognizes the right of citizens to replace power, prerequisite the stability of a liberal society is a sharp restriction of internal freedom of citizens which is the source of unpredictability of theirs behavior and assessments. This is done with the help of the media space, and the result is the formation of “consumer society” where the internal (spiritual) freedom is completely replaced external (freedom of choice of material assets). Modern Western society is experiencing a cultural and anthropological catastrophe, its result – a sharp degradation of culture and man himself as a spiritual, creative being.