Philosophy of Economy: The World as Household

Russian Literature and Thought Series

by Sergius Bulgakov, Catherine Evtuhov (Translator)

The writings of Sergei Bulgakov (1871-1944), like those of other major social thinkers of Russia's Silver Age, were obliterated from public consciousness under Soviet rule. Discovered again after eighty years of silence, Bulgakov's work speaks with remarkable directness to the postmodern listener. This outstanding translation of Philosophy of Economy brings to English-language speakers for the first time a major work of social theory written by a critical figure in the Russian tradition of liberal thought. What is unique about Bulgakov, Catherine Evtuhov explains in her introduction to this book, is that he bridges two worlds. His social thought is firmly based in the Western tradition, yet some of his ideas reflect a specifically Russian way of thinking about society. Though arguing strenuously in favour of political and social liberty, Bulgakov repudiates the individualistic basis of Western liberalism in favour of a conception of human dignity that is compatible with collectivity. His economic theory stresses the spiritual content of life in the world and imagines national life as a kind of giant household.
Bulgakov's work, with its singularly postmodern balance between Western and non-Western, offers fascinating implications for those in the process of reevaluating ideologies in post-Soviet Russia and in America as well.

Genres: Philosophy, Theology, Economics, Politics, Nonfiction

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov (/bʊlˈɡɑːkəf/;[1] Russian: Серге́й Никола́евич Булга́ков; 28 July [O.S. 16 July] 1871 – 13 July 1944) was a Russian Orthodox Christian theologian, philosopher, and economist.

Reviews

[Auke Hunneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a profound exploration of the role of the economy in life. It potentially has tremendous implications for the way we see the world around us and how we use it to broaden the scope of life.

In particular, Bulgakov critiques the scientific discipline of economics for lacking a philosophical foundation, arguing that science fragments life into disconnected parts governed by lifeless mechanisms, neglecting freedom, responsibility, and creativity. Philosophy, by contrast, seeks to understand phenomena in relation to life as a whole. He contends that economics had already become a closed, dogmatic system with limited practical relevance.

For Bulgakov, scientific concepts are merely symbols of living reality. He sees the role of the economy (and science for that matter) as transcending mechanism to expand life’s realm. Economic processes, in his view, transform the cosmic mechanism into an organism—transcending necessity through freedom, causality through intentionality, and mechanism through purpose—effectively humanizing nature.

This perspective is inherently relational: subject and object merge into a unity where individuals act purposefully, and the natural world operates with mechanical regularity. In each economic act, teleology and mechanism fuse, creating a mutual penetration. Nature, like the organs of the body, becomes anthropomorphic, where mechanism complements rather than contradicts functionality.

From this perspective, the world enters us through our senses and, once internalized, is apprehended and assimilated, forging a deeper connection between humans and the cosmos. One might wonder how Bulgakov’s proposed philosophical foundation for economics could have mitigated the biodiversity crisis and environmental degradation we witness today. Or perhaps it is not too late to embrace a new Weltanschauung?