Why are we fighting? A view of the “great war” from across the ocean

This article examines the dispute concerning the meaning of World War I among leading American intellectuals in the period 1915–1918. Taking center stage here are the views of one of the founding fathers of American pragmatism, John Dewey (1859–1952), on the causes of the “Great War,” its higher meaning and goals which led to America’s entry into the War and also its influence on the social reconstruction of American society and the post-War world order. The final section of the article is devoted to a critique of Dewey’s position towards American participation in the War by another famous American intellectual, Randolph Bourne (1886–1918), who laid the foundations for a tradition of social criticism in the U.S. in the twentieth century.     

Correlation between the concepts of All-Unity and self-will: Vladimir Solovyov and Lev Shestov as philosophers of freedom

The correlation between the philosophies of Vladimir Solovyov and Lev Shestov is a rich research theme. Despite the fact that Solovyov has been strongly criticised by Shestov, recent studies show that the two philosophers have much in common. The aim of this article is to analyse the correlation between the two main concepts propounded by Solovyov and Shestov: All-Unity and self-will. This article argues that both concepts are actually expressions of ultimate freedom, which is achieved when one is saved from primordial sin. Although the two philosophers refer to primordial sin using different terms and suggest different ways of achieving salvation, they are actually moving in the same direction. In other words, Solovyov and Shestov speak about the same concept but emphasise different aspects of it. Solovyov describes the state of freedom in terms of ontology, while Shestov uses epistemological (gnoseological) terminology for the same purpose. Thus, the two doctrines move in the same direction but in different ways.