Russia and Europe

Author: (Russia) Solovyov / Xu Fenglin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: This book is a collection of Solovyov's critiques of extreme nationalism in the 1880s. Solovyov keenly recognized the dual harmfulness of nationalism; internally, it easily breeds narrow national arrogance and prejudice, potentially becoming a justification for maintaining bad old systems and rejecting foreign advanced experiences. Externally, extreme nationalism easily leads to aggressive national selfishness and jingoism in stronger nations, serving as an excuse for violence, oppression, and war. Standing on the Christian universal ideal and the values of all humanity, he proposed overcoming this national selfishness through a transcendent Christian identity. He believed that the true cause of the East-West schism of the churches lies in the ancient cultural-political confrontation between the East and the West. Only by understanding the church as the divine-human body in its entirety can the East and West complement each other without one overshadowing the other, thereby achieving the unification of humanity.