“Know yourself” (Socrates)
Graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of P. Lumumba Peoples’ Friendship University (now - RUDN University).
Postgraduate student at the Department of History of Philosophy of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
Candidate thesis on “The problem of the spiritual in Western and Eastern culture and philosophy” was defended. The degree of Candidate of Philosophical Sciences was awarded. He became a senior lecturer at the Department of History of Philosophy at Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia.
Member of the editorial board of the journal “Vestnik RUDN”, series “Philosophy”.
Doctoral thesis on “The Metaphysics of Faith in Russian Philosophy” was defended. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was awarded.
Secretary of the Russian Philosophical Society at RUDN University.
The title of Professor at the Department of History of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, RUDN University was awarded.
Member of the editorial board of the journal “Studia Philosophica Kantiana” (the journal is included in the Web of Science database, University of Presov, Slovakia).
Deputy Editor-in-chief of the journal “Space and Time” (the journal is included in the database of the RSCI and Google Scholar).
Member of the specialized councils for the defense of candidate and doctoral theses in Philosophical Sciences at RUDN University and Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH), in Political Sciences at RUDN University.
Expert of the Council for Philosophy, Sociology and Cultural Studies of the HAC of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
Teaching
Reads to students of the bachelor’s and master’s programme and postgraduate students of RUDN University, directions “Philosophy”, “Regional Studies”, “Philology”, “Philosophy, Ethics, Regional studies”, “Political Science and Comparative Studies” the following courses:
- “History of Ancient Philosophy”;
- “German Classical Philosophy”;
- “History of Russian Philosophy”;
- “Philosophy”;
- “Problems of Modern Philosophy”;
- “Imyaslavye in the History of Russian Philosophy”;
- “The problematic composition of Russian Philosophy and the trends of modern development”;
- “The historical and philosophical concept of A. F. Losev”;
- “History and Philosophy of Science”;
- “Philosophy”;
- “History and Philosophy of Science”.
Developed author’s special courses and special seminars for RUDN students of the bachelor’s and master’s programme, specialty “Philosophy” and “Philology”:
- “Archetypes of philosophical cultures of the East and West”,
- “Philosophy of language and name in Russia”,
- “Problems of Metaphysics in Russian Philosophy”,
- “Platonism in Russian Philosophy”,
- “Kant’s Philosophy in Russian Thought”,
- “Political Philosophy in Russia of XIX-XX centuries”,
- “Metaphysics in M. Heidegger’s works”,
- “M. Heidegger: “Plato’s Doctrine of Truth”,
- “Hegel’s Philosophy of Religion”,
- “Problems of Modern Philosophy: philosophical comparative studies”.
The author of monographs:
- Nizhnikov S. A., Lagunov A. A. Marxism: lessons of history and prospects // The creative heritage of Karl Marx and modern philosophy: monograph / preface. and ed. by T. M. Mahamatov. - M.: INFRA-M, 2019. p. 5-14. 199 p. (Scientific thought).
The collective monograph was prepared by the participants of the interuniversity scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. In the chapters, the authors critically comprehend the theoretical legacy of the great thinker of the XIX century. The view of the philosophical ideas of the founder of Marxism is carried out through the prism of the historical fate and current problems of modern Russia. The problems of adequate understanding of the creative heritage of Karl Marx, as well as the heuristic significance in understanding the contradictions of the globalizing world, are raised. For lecturers of philosophy, social sciences and humanities, postgraduates, masters, bachelors and anyone interested in the problems of social and philosophical ideas of Karl Marx.
http://znanium.com/catalog/product/1003423 - Nizhnikov S. A. Russian metaphysical thought about the search for Individual Existence // Acta Moralia Tyrnaviensia VIII Obraz človeka v sociálnych vedách. Autor: Katarína Mária Vadíková, Peter Rusnák (eds.) Vydavateľstvo: Filozofická fakulta Trnavskej univeszity. Slovakia, 2018. P. 18-26.
This study basing on the material of Russian philosophy and culture, reveals the ideological and spiritual significance of the search for the meaning of life as the most important characteristic of spiritual knowledge. The connection between the worldview and the meaning of life and its philosophical variants are understood as: transcendental, immanent and pantheistic. Faith is defined as a metaphysical basis for the meaning of life, necessary for building a holistic worldview. The conclusion is formulated that a person who seeks meaning and spiritually develops within himself the spiritual archetype of humanity, the peaks of which are Truth, Goodness and Beauty, united by Love.
http://ff.truni.sk/zborniky-casopisy/acta-moralia-tyrnaviensia-viii - Nizhnikov S. A. Philosophy of Russian Unity in the Understanding of Slovak and Russian Historians of Philosophy. Transformation of the Value paradigm in Russian Philosophy: experience of Russian-Slovak Understanding. Collective monograph / Edited by T. N. Seregina, E. Greg, Z. Plashienkov, A. Denikin, and others / Kazan: Print-Service-XXI century, 2018. pp. 19-32. 210 p.
The collective monograph reveals the picture of the value orientations of the Russian society in the experience of understanding of Russian philosophers. This work is one of the first to examine the genesis of traditional values in the history of Russian philosophy and the guidelines of Russian society in its development. The analysis allows us to determine the possibilities of modern society for the assimilation of new values and the preservation of traditional ones, as well as their transformation in the modern global world.
The book contains the results of research by leading Russian scientists. The monograph includes works by well-known foreign scientists dealing with the problems of the history, formation and development of Russian philosophy.
The book is addressed to both specialists and a wide range of readers interested in the philosophy and cultural processes of modern Russia. It can be used by lecturers in the educational process, as well as by postgraduate students and students when writing scientific and creative works.
https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=32631650 - Nizhnikov S. A., Гребешев И.В. L.P. Krasavin’s Historiosophical Personalism: origins and influences // Acta Moralia Tyrnaviensia VIII Obraz človeka v sociálnych vedách. Autor: Katarína Mária Vadíková, Peter Rusnák (eds.) Vydavateľstvo: Filozofická fakulta Trnavskej univeszity. Slovakia, 2018. Ss. 27-38. 204 c.
An interesting from the point of view of composition, an interdisciplinary view of the image of a person in society through the prism of art, the media, moral theology, political science, political and social philosophy and ethics, largely corresponds to the ideas of L.P. Karsavin, N.A. Berdyev, J. Maritain, B. Fay, P. Florensky, E. Levinas, J. Patochka, J. Cassian, Aristotle and numerous modern critics of materialistic concepts of the person image. This is defined by carefully selected problems of modern society such as: human dehumanization in the media; questions of the art of life, the omnipotence of mankind, the fight against anger; the issue of responsibility, the problematic nature of the political system and models of freedom; political science as a science and as an auxiliary discipline; difficulties of self-identification under the pressure of global deculturation and the culture of emotivism; taking care of a person in a social work environment.
http://ff.truni.sk/zborniky-casopisy/acta-moralia-tyrnaviensia-viii - Nizhnikov S. A. Russian philosophy abroad: history and modernity // Collective Monograph. M.: KNORUS, 2017. Ch. 7 (in co-author) “Russian philosophy in the countries of Eastern Europe” (pp. 164-178); ch. 26, 27 “A. Schmemann” (pp. 265-272), “Tomas Spidlik” (pp. 273-278). 448 p.
The monograph is devoted to a comprehensive study of foreign philosophical Russian studies in its history and current state. The main concepts and intellectual portraits of the most famous specialists in Russian thought from the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, China and other countries are presented and analyzed. The book also includes original texts by foreign authors that demonstrate the possibility and necessity of creative dialogue with foreign researchers.
https://istina.msu.ru/publications/book/86036950/ - Nizhnikov S. A. Morale and politics in the context of spiritual and intellectual traditions. Monograph. Moscow: INFRA-M, 2015.
In the study, through the prism of N. Machiavelli’s work, possible variants of the relationship between morality and politics are identified, among which: Machiavelli himself (only a good political goal justifies any means), Machiavellian (the goal justifies any means) and humanistic (a good goal can be achieved only by good methods). The fundamental difference between these variants of understanding the relationship between politics and morality is established, and it is noted that the Machiavellian variant cannot be called politics at all, since such activities are highly criminal. It is argued that the solution of modern global, both international and domestic problems is possible only on the basis of a humanistic policy, the principles of which were discovered in the “axial time” by world religions and philosophy, developed by I. Kant, F. Dostoevsky, L. Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, M. L. King, etc. I. Ilyin’s polemic with the doctrine of “non-resistance to evil by force” is revealed in detail. The role of the intelligentsia in Russian society is analyzed.
https://znanium.com/catalog/product/558414 - Nizhnikov S. A. Immanuel Kant’s creativity in the dialogue between cultures of Russia and the West: Monograph / S. A. Nizhnikov - M.: Political Encyclopedia, 2015. 255 p.
The paper presents a detailed comprehensive analysis of the perception of I. Kant’s philosophy, primarily in Russian metaphysical thought, in its historical development and problem composition. At the same time, attention is focused on the understanding and attitude of Russian philosophers to Kant’s work from the point of view of the metaphysics of faith as one of the central trends in Russian philosophy, the construction of which is considered by the author as a super-task that faced Russian thought. It reveals both criticism and assimilation, and the dependence of philosophy in Russia on Kant’s transcendental constructions. The book can be useful and interesting to all students of the history of Russian philosophy and culture.
https://search.rsl.ru/ru/record/01008035191 - Nizhnikov S. A. Correlation of faith and science as an actual problem of modernity // Orthodoxy and modernity: problems of secularism and post-secularism: a collective monograph. - Moscow: Novospassky Monastery Publishing House, 2015.
The collective monograph is a collection of texts devoted to the description and analysis of various aspects of both secularism and post-secularism, as well as the philosophical understanding of religion and religiosity in a variety of spiritual practices in the historical, philological, confessional and “virtual” dimensions, introducing readers to the world of dialogue and conflicts between outstanding “symbolizations of the mysterious”.
The monograph is intended for all those who professionally study the problems of understanding religion and secularism in global and local contexts, for postgraduate students and students of the fields of “Religious Studies”, “Theology”, “Philosophy”, etc. of higher educational institutions, as well as all those who are interested in the “eternal questions” of the relationship between man and the universe, engaged in self-education in this field of academic creativity.
http://www.ulspu.ru/upload/img/medialibrary/1d3/makarov-nasledovanie-kultury-v-monografii-pravosl-i-sovr-2015.pdf
Science
- Defined the essential features of spiritual knowledge in the cultures of the West and the East as the basis for mutual understanding and dialogue.
- Described the specifics of the phenomenon of faith, introducing the concepts of metaphysics and ontology of faith.
- Studied the influence of German classical philosophy on the work of Russian thinkers.
- Essentially analyzed the relationship between morality and politics in the context of intellectual and spiritual traditions.
- Studied the “doctrinal limits” of Eurasian teaching and identified the conceptual foundations of the philosophy of Eurasianism.
- Studied F. M. Dostoevsky’s works, in the categories of the correlation of the national and the universal in the structure of philosophical thought in Russia.
- Comprehensively analyzed the perception of I. Kant’s philosophy in Russia in its historical development and problem composition. Considered the most important aspects of Russian metaphysics, such as ontological, epistemological and anthropological, and established their dependence (continuity and criticism) on I. Kant’s transcendental philosophy.
- Defined the experience of studying modern teaching and research of Russian philosophy in other cultures as the most important component of modern humanitarianism. Studied a little-studied period in the development of philosophical Russian studies abroad (the second half of the XX - the beginning of the XXI centuries) in revealing its continuity with the philosophy of the Russian post-October abroad.
- Studied the role of religion as a factor of stability in modern Russia, as well as the development of interfaith dialogue in the country and in the world.
- Defined the “philosophy of man” as a problem of interdisciplinary research.
Scientific interests
- German Philosophy in Russia,
- spiritual knowledge in the cultures of the East and West,
- metaphysics and ontology of faith,
- transcendent-existential dimension of human existence,
- essence of man and his self-knowledge,
- political philosophy, morality, and politics.
Information about the defended postgraduate students
Evgeniya Buzhor
Country: Russia
Year of protection: 2017
Research topic: The Philosophy of Transforming Knowledge of P. Florensky and Vyach. Ivanov in the Context of the Theory of All-Unity by Vl. Solovyov
Annotation to the dissertation: The research deals with comparative analysis of the types of transforming (theurgic) human activities aimed at the consolidation of the empirical and noumenal reality in the works of Russian philosophers, Vladimir Solovyov, Pavel Florensky and Russian poet-symbolist, Vyacheslav Ivanov. As a theoretical framework for the research was taken Solovyov’s concept of All-Unity. The analysis of the conceptual foundations of All-unity identified one of its main theoretical subjects as the dialectical identity and difference between the empirical and noumenal worlds and the resulting pragmatism of their reintegration, called Theurgy. I contend that the mentioned thinkers considered the Theurgy as the transformation of the empirical reality and its reintegration into the world of All-Unity being not only the essence of the global development of the world as a whole, but the meaningful and vital task of every individual. I research and analyze the specific forms of individual Theurgy available to man: love and art at Vl. Solovyov, a genuine process of knowledge of reality at P. Florensky, a process of self-discovery and creation of a new type of society at Vyach. Ivanov.
Maria Ivanova
Country: Russia
Year of protection: 2017
Research topic: Indian philosophy, archetype, Aurobindo Ghosh, “The Secret of the Veda”, the Rigveda, the Upanishads, Carl Jung, philosophical comparative studies
Annotation to the dissertation: The thesis is devoted to philosophical study of the concept of archetype as a part of the cultural heritage of humanity. It describes the evolution of the concepts of the archetype and philosophical approaches to this phenomenon. The conclusion is made about the heuristic potential of the archetypal reality for the evolution of consciousness of a person, which requires extension of the methodology of the study of archetypes, and the synthesis of Eastern and Western philosophical ideas on the nature of archetypes. In the thesis there is given the analysis of universality, specificity and uniqueness of archetypal images and symbols of Russian culture. The author distinguishes the most significant archetypes for the development of consciousness of the individual.
Duong Quoc Quan
Country: Vietnam
Year of protection: 2014
Research topic: Confucianism in medieval Vietnam
Annotation to the dissertation: Confucianism - began spreading due to military expansion, it was gradually adapted to local conditions and has acquired a dominant role in the ideological system of governance of the country, it became one of the ideological sources of the philosophy and culture of Vietnam. The thesis formed the conclusion that the moral and ethical content of Confucianism in Vietnam rethinks the medieval; this represented a new paradigm that is significantly different from the previous china. It mostly discusses the "loyalty", "filial piety", "obligation", and rarely - the problem of discharge of metaphysics and abstract concepts. For Vietnamese, patriotism was the main moral values that define the process of perception of Confucianism, its assimilation and adaptation. The development of Confucian doctrine in Vietnam has not resulted in any new schools, prominent scientist nor extensional theoretical works; the increasing focus on the issues of pragmatic was of much the eclectic nature. The role of Confucianism extent spread and impact, whether positive or negative identified the needs and challenges of historical development. His principles still exist today in all social relations in behavior between people. In order to successfully develop and modernize the country, Vietnam should abandon that which hinders the development of Confucianism and encourage that which helps to build progressive social and economic relations.