TY - JOUR

T1 - ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE VS ASTOLPHE DE CUSTINE

T2 - SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY OR TRIVIAL ABERRATION?

AU - Gutorov, V. A.

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - The author of the retort critically analyses a new version of patriotic rhetoric, which is revolving around the conception of the "Russian idea" and based on quite arbitrary interpretation of the Alexis de Tocqueville's philosophic heritage. A. Savoysky by opposing the Tocqueville's political philosophy to various 'vituperators of Russia' of the kind of Astolphe de Custine tries in vain to persuade the Russian scientific community that both the reputation of the great French thinker is 'rehabilitated' and 'all the Russian people' is 'delivered' from the charge of its bent for slavery as a result of his own 'reconstruction' of the original meaning and 'ideological orientation' of the famous juxtaposition of the USA and the imperial Russia in the end of the first volume of the book "On the Democracy in America". The author believes, on the contrary, the Savoysky's attempt to substitute the notion 'servitude' for the word 'ministration' in the corresponding passage of the book is at variance with both the philosophic sense of the dichotomy 'liberty/slavery' by which A. de Tocqueville characterizes the contradictions of the European political thought in the epoch of modern and the elementary linguistic and cultural norms of perception of the notion 'servitude' in French language and mentality.

AB - The author of the retort critically analyses a new version of patriotic rhetoric, which is revolving around the conception of the "Russian idea" and based on quite arbitrary interpretation of the Alexis de Tocqueville's philosophic heritage. A. Savoysky by opposing the Tocqueville's political philosophy to various 'vituperators of Russia' of the kind of Astolphe de Custine tries in vain to persuade the Russian scientific community that both the reputation of the great French thinker is 'rehabilitated' and 'all the Russian people' is 'delivered' from the charge of its bent for slavery as a result of his own 'reconstruction' of the original meaning and 'ideological orientation' of the famous juxtaposition of the USA and the imperial Russia in the end of the first volume of the book "On the Democracy in America". The author believes, on the contrary, the Savoysky's attempt to substitute the notion 'servitude' for the word 'ministration' in the corresponding passage of the book is at variance with both the philosophic sense of the dichotomy 'liberty/slavery' by which A. de Tocqueville characterizes the contradictions of the European political thought in the epoch of modern and the elementary linguistic and cultural norms of perception of the notion 'servitude' in French language and mentality.

KW - Russia

KW - Tocqueville

KW - democracy

KW - USA

KW - rhetoric

KW - patriotism

KW - political philosophy

KW - "Russian idea"

KW - arbitrary interpretation

KW - A. Savoysky

U2 - 10.17976/jpps/2015.04.14

DO - 10.17976/jpps/2015.04.14

M3 - статья

SP - 170

EP - 175

JO - Polis. Political Studies

JF - Polis. Political Studies

SN - 1026-9487

IS - 4

ER -