Self-Knowledge: An Essay in Autobiography

by Nikolai Berdyaev, Boris Jakim (Foreword)

The great Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev (1874-1948) believed that the dawn of the twentieth century would bring an end to the old atheistic and positivistic worldview and the beginning of a new era of the spirit. His philosophy goes beyond mere rational conceptualization and tries to attain authentic life the profound layers of existence in contact with the divine world. He directed all his efforts-philosophical as well as in his personal and public life-at replacing the kingdom of this world with the kingdom of God. According to him, we can all attempt this by tapping the divine creative powers that constitute our true nature. Our mission is to be collaborators with God in His continuing creation of the world.
Nikolai Berdyaev describes this book as "a philosophical autobiography or a history of spirit and self-knowledge." It is not only autobiographical, however, for in its pages Berdyaev subjects his ideas and his life to philosophical scrutiny in order to discover his "own image and ultimate destiny." In passing, he elucidates the most important elements of his personalistic freedom, creativeness, and divine-humanity. By plumbing the depths of his soul, Berdyaev felt he could help formulate and resolve certain crucial problems concerning human destiny and contribute to the understanding of our era.
 "Nikolai Berdyaev's writings are always insightful, penetrating, passionate, committed-expressions of the whole person. They are as intensely alive now as when they were first written."-Richard Pevear, translator of War and Peace and The Brothers Karamazov
"Nikolai Berdyaev's writings retain their freshness as vehicles for thinking not just about the future of Russia, but about the spiritual challenges facing the modern world."-Paul Vallier, author of Modern Russian Bukharev, Soloviev, Bulgakov
"Nikolai Berdyaev is one of the few who have found the Christian answer, and yet do not cease to question with those whose lives are still torn asunder by disbelief, doubt, and sufferings; one of the few who dare to be, as thinkers, Christians and, as Christians, thinkers."-Evgeny Lampert, author of The Apocalypse of History
Boris Jakim has translated and edited many books in the field of Russian religious thought. His translations include S. L. Frank's The Unknowable, Pavel Florensky's The Pillar and Ground of the Truth, Vladimir Solovyov's Lectures on Divine Humanity, and Sergius Bulgakov's The Bride of the Lamb.

Genres: Philosophy, Russian Literature, Biography, Russia, Memoir

360 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1940

About the author

Nikolai Alexandrovich Berdyaev was born at Kyiv in 1874 of an aristocratic family. He commenced his education in a military school and subsequently entered the University of Kiev. There he accepted Marxism and took part in political agitation, for which he was expelled. At twenty-five he was exiled from Kiev to the north of Russia and narrowly escaped a second period of exile shortly before the Revolution. Before this, however, he had broken with Marxism in company with Sergius Bulgakov, and in 1909 he contributed to a symposium which reaffirmed the values of Orthodox Christianity. After the October Revolution he was appointed by the Bolshevists to a chair of philosophy in the University of Moscow, but soon fell into disfavour for his independent political opinions. He was twice imprisoned and in 1922 was expelled from the country. He settled first in Berlin, where he opened a Russian Academy of Philosophy and Religion. Thence he moved to Clamart near Paris, where he lectured in a similar institution. In 1939 he was invited to lecture at the Sorbonne. He lived through the German occupation unmolested. After the liberation, he announced his adhesion to the Soviet government, but later an article by him published in a Paris (Russian) newspaper, criticising the return to a policy of repression, was tantamount to a withdrawal of this. He died at Clamart March 24, 1948.

Reviews

[Svetlana Oss · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG...I wish this book was translated into English. He is simply the best philosopher ever. While reading him I felt like - here it is, finally, somebody tells me all I always wanted to comprehend. He is not like any other thinker. My favorite Berdyaev! Definitely God kissed him at his forehead when he was born. Google him -but not everything is translated into English

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Книга на 100% «моя». Во время прочтения сделала кучу закладок и выписок, находя все больше и больше общего в наших с Бердяевым взглядах. Даже любимое стихотворение у нас одно.
Думаю, другим рефлексирующим интровертам, одиночкам, одержимым эсхатологическими размышлениями, тоже понравится.

[Rene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Minevikumälu on loominguline, ümberkujundav mälu, see teeb valiku, see ei taasta minevikku passiivselt. Mineviku ilu ei ole empiirilise olnu ilu, see on oleviku ilu, olevikku sisenenud ümberkujundatud mineviku ilu. Minevik tõenäoliselt seda ilu ei tundnud. Varemete ilu ei ole mineviku ilu, see on oleviku ilu, minevikus varemeid ei olnud, need olid hiljuti ehitatud kindlused, lossid, templid ja akveduktid koos kõigi uudsuse joontega.

Isegi kui mees ja naine räägivad näiliselt ühes keeles, asetavad nad väljaöeldud sõnadesse erineva mõtte. Teise isiksus jääb meile alatiseks peaaegu läbitungimatuks saladuseks.

Iseloomult olen ma feodaal, kes istub oma ülestõstetud sillaga lossis ja tulistab vastu.

Mul ei olnud kunagi täielikku usku reaalsuse, selle niinimetatud tegelikkuse vastu.

Mul on alati peas mõte, et inimeste ehtsatel omadustel ja väärtustel pole mingit seost nende hierarhilise positsiooniga ühiskonnas. Geeniused ei hõivanud ühiskonnas mingit hierarhilist positsiooni ega omanud hierarhilisi aukraade, nagu ka prohvetid ja pühakud. Kui jumal sai inimeseks võttis ta kõige viimase positsiooni.

[Belousov Sergey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't make it to the end, just a bunch of narcissistic bullshit. I had high hopes

[Viktors · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cilvēks ir daudzstāvu būtne", saka filosofs Nikolajs Berdjajevs.

[enlightenment · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me a lot and gave some answers.

[Danijel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Str. 19- Človeško poreklo je mogoče dojeti in racionalno pojete le deloma. Skrivnosti osebnosti, njene enkratnosti ni možno docela dojeti nikomur. Človeška osebnosti je skrivnostnejša od celega sveta. Človeška osebnosti pravzaprav je cel svet. Človek je mikrokozmos in v sebi vključuje vse. Vendar je v njegovi osebnosti aktualizirano in formirano zgolj individualno-osebno. Človek je obenem tudi večnivojsko bitje.