Work · Socialism, Anarchism, Marxism & Critical Theory
The Anthropological Principle in Philosophy
A programme of materialism after Feuerbach: the human being is a single natural being, and ethics should rest on enlightened self-interest.
Introduction
“The Anthropological Principle in Philosophy” appeared in 1860 as a series of articles in Sovremennik, occasioned by a book of the philosopher Pyotr Lavrov. It sets out Chernyshevsky’s materialism in a popular form: following Feuerbach, he treats the human being as a single organism, rejects the dualism of body and soul and explains mental life through the natural sciences. In ethics he defends a theory of rational egoism: all actions spring from self-interest, but an enlightened person sees that the greatest and most lasting good lies in the good of others and of society. The essay drew a sharp reply from Pamfil Yurkevych of the Kyiv Theological Academy, whose critique the radical press dismissed and Vladimir Solovyov later praised. It became the standard statement of Russian materialism in the 1860s.
Connections
Builds on
- The Essence of Christianity1841 · Ludwig Feuerbach
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