The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE

existence of man is equally absurd, because it has no foundation. Society itself is absurd, because it is doomed to disappear like an individual thing, and like everything else in the world, pre-destined to eternal destruction, and being destitute of any divine inspiration, it has no eternal and intrinsic value in itself. Thus the Western and Eastern tendencies meet in their final consequences, but the result is purely negative, or leads to the destruction of the meaning of life, and we do not find in it the synthesis we seek.” * Neoslavism on the field of philosophy is characterised by attempting, nevertheless, to find that synthesis. The deepest among the Slavophils, Vladimir Solov’ev in his work, The Crisis of Western Philosophy, wrote: ‘‘ The realisation of the universal synthesis of science, philosophy, and religion must be the supreme aim and last result of the evolution of the thought.”? By following Solov’ev, Neoslavism in its main current rightly understands that the mission of the Slav world consists not in opposing East to West, but in reconciling the two contending principles whilst rejecting the extremes of both. Solov’ey

1 A. Yastchenko, The Réle of Russia . . . in Inter-Racial Problems.

2 Vladimir Sergeyevitch Solov’ev was son of an eminent Russian historian, S. M. Solov’ev; his mother was a Little Russian of a priestly family. During his life his works were admired, but he had no followers; his voice was a voice crying in the desert. Since his death (in 1900) his works have attained great popularity. He is much read, commented upon, and his followers are now numerous in Russia.

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