Soviet Philosophy

by John Somerville

“Here is the book for which all who are worrying about how to get along with Russia have been looking. It gives us fundamental insight into the Russian way of thinking and does so with rare simplicity and clarity. The portrayal is a sympathetic one throughout, and true understanding in this difficult field requires sympathy. Criticism must come too, but it will not be relevant unless it is based on such understanding as Professor Somerville here makes available.” ―Prof. E. A. Burtt, Sage School of Philosophy, Cornell University

284 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Fireblood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides extensive details on the official Marxist philosophy of the Soviet Union, at least c. 1946 at it's publication. However, the author defends Soviet practices as well, and makes numerous empirical claims that do not have any supporting citations. Most of these seem, from what I am aware of, only partially accurate and in many cases gloss over human rights abuses which the author could have certainly been aware were occurring. This detracts greatly from the book, which does otherwise seem accurate regarding the philosophy presented.