Alexis de Tocqueville VS Astolphe de Custine: Scientific Discovery or Trivial Aberration?

Alexis de Tocqueville VS Astolphe de Custine:
Scientific Discovery or Trivial Aberration?


Gutorov V.A.,

Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Professor, Head of Department of Theory and Philosophy of Politics, Faculty of Political Science, Saint Petersburg State University, gut-50@mail.ru


elibrary_id: 72442 | ORCID: 0000-0001-8063-2558 | RESEARCHER_ID: F-7724-2013


DOI: 10.17976/jpps/2015.04.14
Rubric: Feedback

For citation:

Gutorov V.A. Alexis de Tocqueville VS Astolphe de Custine: Scientific Discovery or Trivial Aberration? – Polis. Political Studies. 2015. No. 4. https://doi.org/10.17976/jpps/2015.04.14



Abstract

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.

Keywords
Russia; Tocqueville; democracy; USA; rhetoric; patriotism; political philosophy; “Russian idea”; arbitrary interpretation; A. Savoysky.


Content No. 4, 2015

See also:


Linetsky A.I.,
Russian Idea by Alexander Yanov (Polemical Notes in the Margins of the Same Title Two-volume Monograph). – Polis. Political Studies. 2015. No6

Levytskyy V.S.,
The philosophy of politics – political philosophy – political science: articulation of the problem area. – Polis. Political Studies. 2024. No1

Kocherov O.S.,
А "Philosophy to Come" in International Relations: Fred Dallmayr's Apophatic Democracy. – Polis. Political Studies. 2020. No6

Lukin A.V.,
Chauvinism or chaos: Russia’s unpalatable choice. – Polis. Political Studies. 2014. No3

Savoysky A.G.,
USA and Russia: historical injustice from the times of Tocqueville. – Polis. Political Studies. 2015. No1

 

   

Introducing an article



Polis. Political Studies
1 2005


Sukharev M.V.
Movement of Civilizations: Russia and the West

 The article text
 

Archive

   2024      2023      2022      2021   
   2020      2019      2018      2017      2016   
   2015      2014      2013      2012      2011   
   2010      2009      2008      2007      2006   
   2005      2004      2003      2002      2001   
   2000      1999      1998      1997      1996   
   1995      1994      1993      1992      1991