Philosophy / 3. History of philosophy

Babina V.N.

Penza State University, Russia

Pamfil Danilovich Yurkevich as the founder of «heart metaphysics» in the Russian religious philosophy.

Studying of philosophical works of Russian thinkers of the XIX century has today very much great value. Thanks to their ideas creation of the uniform anthropological theory in which various scientific data on the person will be incorporated is possible. For this purpose as the central the idea about heart can be used. This idea is directed on studying of the absolute and unique person in existence. Heart as the center of spiritual and corporal human life gives the chance to create the complete doctrine about the person.

The idea of heart in Russian philosophy meets very often. At the same time the detailed analysis contains in Pamfil Yurkevich's works (1827-1874). Its work «Heart and its value in spiritual human life, according to the word God's doctrine» (1860) is devoted to this subject. Yurkevich puts before itself a problem to create the general philosophical theory which would cover a science, religion and ethics. He tries to reconcile modern to it sciences and their philosophical bases with the bible doctrine about the person and God.

Yurkevich puts forward two main theses about heart:

1. Heart is the center of spiritual human life. It covers not only thinking, but also desires and feelings and will, not quite thus being available to consciousness.

2. Heart as physical body is the center of corporal and sincere human life.

To prove the ideas, Yurkevich builds the strict logical concept and subjects to criticism all main conclusions of materialism of the second half of the XIX century and shows their insufficient philosophical validity. At this time really there was very influential materialistic school (her representatives Fokht and Byukhner were considered). It tried to find direct transition from the phenomena physiological to mental and thus to explain spiritual human life from the material beginning, as a simple consequence or modification of this beginning.

Yurkevich categorically doesn't agree with these provisions. In the articles: "Materialism and problems of philosophy", "From science about human spirit", "Language of physiologists and psychologists", Yurkevich writes what to explain spiritual of material it is impossible. Thus, Yurkevich lifts a problem of unity of a human body. Referring to Platon's doctrines and Christian philosophers's doctrines Yurkevich criticizes materialism for the simplified transition from physical to the mental.

Yurkevich claims that the center of emotional, moral, sacral human life is heart. But it needs to be understood not as anatomic body, and as the center which connects together all bodies, function of a human body, feeling of soul, aspiration of spirit. Thus, heart in Yurkevich's doctrine possesses the ontological and epistemological status.

Solving a problem of unity of the person, Yurkevich claimed that the person represents "heart" and "head" connection, as two corporal and sincere parties of one spiritual essence. As arguments it uses the Bible text where heart is considered as the center of all corporal and spiritual human life.

«Heart» is a source of various moral conditions, feelings, moods, a knowledge basis, a life source. "Head" is visible top of that life which is directly in heart. It matters the intermediary between soul and influences which she can experience from above and from the outside.

Therefore, any theory can't explain soul and its various manifestations in these or those circumstances. Each soul is unique. Only material things, according to Yurkevich, have the ultimate reasons. The religious and philosophical consciousness requires existence of the unconditional reason which wouldn't be brought out of others. Such consciousness recognizing the unconditional reason – God, is concentrated in heart of the person. The religion is approved, mainly, in heart of the person. The Christian doctrine about heart allows to reach harmony and unity of knowledge and faith. Reconciliation of faith and knowledge was an important task for philosophers and theologians of that time. They tried to find possibility of use of achievements of science in interests of faith. Yurkevich considered that impartial studying of the Bible can be one of means of reconciliation of science and faith. Because to learn heart is means to understand most profound and comprehensively.

According to S. Frank, the Russian philosophy established actually absolutely new criterion of truth and informative ability corresponding to it. The Russian philosophers used concept of intuitive experience, like mystics of all times and the people.

Heart and reason – symbols of two bases, two deepest forces of the person. About what role human lives plays each of them, philosophers argued throughout a long time. One part of philosophers considered that the leading role belongs to reason. It directs acts of people and doesn't allow passions to subordinate itself the person. Other part of philosophers considered that human society exists only thanks to belief, hope, love. Therefore, value of heart is higher, than value of reason. Only fault recognition, a repentance and reconciliation, instead of rational court are capable to overcome the social conflicts.

Art, philosophy and science differently describe relationship of heart, reason and a body which are observed in the depth of spiritual life of people. The physiology and psychology of the second half of the XIX century claimed that the brain serves for formation of thoughts from impressions of the outside world. This knowledge was used by materialism for the soul description from the intellectual point of view, claiming what exactly the thinking makes spiritual essence of the person. From the point of view of P. D. Yurkevich, this position conducts to denial of human freedom, strongly limits idea of spiritual human life. Yurkevich introduced the idea about multilateral, instead of unilateral communication of soul with a body. Yurkevich understands this communication not as mechanical, spatial, and as ideal, spiritual. The real body of sincere life, in his opinion, heart which unites forces of a human body is. But heart not mechanical, but the mystical center of the human spirit, which secret are known to only one God. Addressing to the last achievements of science, Yurkevich claims that «the most established facts of physiology by which close connection of conscious life of soul with brain activity is confirmed, aren't in a necessary contradiction with the bible doctrine about heart, as an original sredotocheniye of sincere life. It is very possible that the soul as a basis of the mental phenomena known to us, has the nearest body heart though its conscious life finds itself under a condition of activity of a brain» [1. P.80].

The major impulses proceed from heart, it connects the person to the world, to other people, to God. Communication through heart is variously felt and endured. The word only makes out an internal essence of the contents concentrated in heart therefore it plays not main, but a supporting role. The theory of knowledge of Yurkevich resisted to the theory of a materialistic monizm in the sphere of the knowledge based on connection of two levels: sensual and rational, by means of deduction and induction methods. For Yurkevich's gnoseology, the three-level structure of human knowledge is characteristic: level of comprehension of the phenomena of the sensual world; level of mind's comprehension of the world of ideas; and, at last, level of unconditional intuitive comprehension of both worlds.

Heart appears at Yurkevich as a source and the center of cognitive activity of the person. Thus, the knowledge us reality at first occurs in heart, and already then in reason. Revelation of truth is given to heart directly, the reason is more sluggish and therefore it gets truth indirectly. The human reason is top, instead of a root of spiritual human life which is hidden in heart. Life spiritual arises before light of reason in the dark, inaccessible to a look.

Warm knowledge – first of all intuitive knowledge. The deep essence of things is available to believing reason, clever sight of the believer of reason is defined by a live and creative act of faith which is defined by our heart. Defining «heart» as a root of spiritual human life, Yurkevich at all doesn't deny possibility of reason, doesn't belittle its role in human life, on the contrary, he insists on balance of a role of the head and heart in spiritual human life. Because «heart» can instantly open, understand – only to it in the inherent way – such states of mind which are inaccessible to the knowledge of reason remote abstract logically.

This thought is stated by Yurkevich in work of "The proof of God's life" where the religious belief belongs to "heart", and knowledge – to reason. Nevertheless, each of them doesn't exist in itself and for the person they possess value only in dialectic unity.

The reason brings an order, logicality, sequence both in life, and in the maintenance of knowledge. The knowledge is naturally implanted in soul owing to its direct connection with the world and life. Knowledge received only by means of reason - is superficial.

Delimitation of warm and reasonable knowledge was related to truth definition, as about result and the purpose of any knowledge. The science, according to Yurkevich, leaning on sensual facts, gives only a material for logical concepts, but doesn't give still truth, especially truth philosophical. The science receives truth from idealism and religion. The highest truth is the truth of religion. The knowledge of a thing is possible only in its relation to a deity. The truth received by natural sciences Yurkevich defines as spontaneous and it is insignificant the small.

Further theoretical development of this subject was continued in S. Frank's works, the Item Р.Florensky, I.Ilyin, V. Rozanov, V. Zenkovsky, B. Vysheslavtsev and others.

Summarizing P. Yurkevich's main ideas, it is possible to sum up:

· The symbol of heart is understood by Yurkevich as a source, the center and a deep basis of unity of all life and the identity of the person;

· Yurkevich subjects to criticism a vulgar materialism of the XIX century, considering that it is impossible spiritual to bring out of the material;

· In Yurkevich's doctrine, there are two hearts – one is the center of vital actions, another of spiritual acts. The highest ideal of life harmony of the corporal and spiritual centers appears;

· Proving possibility of harmony of belief and reason, P. D. Yurkevich speaks about balance of a role of the head and heart in spiritual human life. Knowing about limited opportunities of reason in knowledge, the person has to trust more to knowledge warm, combining feeling, intuition, inspiration;

· Question of truth as the purpose and result of knowledge the philosopher solves in favor of truth received and processed in soul in a special way, transcendental. Therefore, the highest truth, P.Yurkevich claims, the truth of religion is. Thus, it in a new way resolves an issue of the dual truth traditional for Christian thought;

· Pamfil Danilovich Yurkevich rightfully can be considered as the founder of «heart metaphysics» in the Russian religious philosophy. Further development of questions of the heart status, a belief and reason ratio, warm knowledge can be met in numerous works of orthodox philosophers, idealists, theologians.

Bibliography

1. Yurkevich P. D. Philosophical works. – M., 1990.