Andrei Belyi’s philosophy is neither a theory of cognition, nor social philosophy,
nor even cultural philosophy. Its first and last word is experience, praxis, action. The
main system-forming theme of the philosophy of this Russian writer is the
“symbol”. At the foundation of his “symbolism” there lies a belief in the direct
connection between symbol and time. In this article, the evolution of Andrei Belyi’s
views concerning the nature of time will be considered. To this end, we shall draw
on his publications of the early 1900s; early 1910s; early 1920s; and, finally, Istoriia
stanovleniia samosoznaiushchei dushi (ISSD). In his main philosophical treatise,
Belyi effects a synthesis of the theories of Heraclitus and Parmenides surrounding
the fluidity and immutability of human existence. Time, in his interpretation, turns
out to be nothing other than the filling in of emptiness – the eternal movement of
human thought toward the ultimate goal of self-consciousness.