Dmitri Pisarev
Dmitri Pisarev (1840-1868) was a significant Russian writer and social critic, closely associated with the nihilist movement, which sought to dismantle existing social structures without proposing specific alternatives. His early life was marked by personal struggles, including a severe nervous breakdown and multiple suicide attempts, which were compounded by his imprisonment due to his revolutionary writings against the tsarist regime from 1862 to 1866. Pisarev's philosophy emphasized realism and a materialistic approach to knowledge, advocating for individual emancipation from societal constraints and traditional norms. He posited that ideals should be tailored to individual needs, likening them to personal items such as eyeglasses.
In his writings, he transitioned towards utilitarianism, suggesting that the unique conditions of Russia required adaptations of Western ideas to address the needs of the masses effectively. Despite his extreme views, he was recognized for his intellectual courage and honesty, and his critiques of contemporary Russian literature, particularly those of authors like Ivan Turgenev, remain influential. Pisarev's life ended under ambiguous circumstances in the Baltic Sea, prompting speculation about suicide. His legacy includes a comprehensive collection of his works published in 1894 and a lasting impact on radical thought in Russia prior to the 1917 revolution.
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Dmitri Pisarev
Author
- Born: October 2, 1840
- Birthplace: Znamenskoe, Russia
- Died: July 4, 1868
- Place of death: Dubbelna, Russia
Biography
Born in 1840, Dmitry Pisarev studied at the St. Petersburg University from 1856 to 1861, but his studies were interrupted by a severe nervous breakdown. While in a mental institution, he attempted suicide at least two times. Because of his revolutionary activities and criticisms of the tsarist regime, he was imprisoned from 1862 to 1866, the very years of his most important political and literary writings.
Pisarev was a prominent figure in a cohort of Russian radicals known as nihilists, a term that referred to their desire to destroy the existing order without any clear ideas for a replacement. Pisarev apparently assumed that the attempt to smash social institutions could have only positive results. He wrote: “What can be smashed must be smashed; whatever will stand the blow is sound, what flies to smithereens is rubbish.” Despite such extreme views, he is often praised for his courage and intellectual honesty.
In his early essays in social and ethical philosophy, Pisarev called himself a “realist” and endorsed a “fresh and healthy materialism,” by which he meant knowledge based on empirical observations and experiences. Highly critical of the modern division of labor, he argued that individual persons should seek emancipation from social constraints. In order to achieve true freedom, according to Pisarev, an individual must reject the authority of tradition, caste-based prejudices, and timidity. Emphasizing individual differences, he rejected the notion of a “common ideal.” Just as eyeglasses and shoes must be fitted individually, ideals must be fitted to meet the needs and characteristics of the individual person. Defending moral relativism, he wrote that “an independent opinion about morals” was analogous to individual tastes in food and beverage.
After 1862, Pisarev modified his ethical views in the direction of utilitarianism, or the search for utilitarian ways to promote the “greatest happiness” for the Russian masses. He wrote that the special circumstances of Russia required that Western versions of utilitarianism be modified with an “economy of intellectual efforts,” because he believed that most people in the country were unable to benefit from esoteric art or abstruse science. In addition to philosophy, he wrote numerous essays in the field of Russian literature. Always very unhappy, he died in 1868 while swimming in the Baltic Sea, under circumstances suggesting a suicide.
An edition of Pisarev’s complete works, titled Polnoye sobraniye sochinenii, were published in Russian in 1894, and many of his essays appeared in English in 1958. He was the most visible literary critic of his country during much of the 1860’s, and his essays about Ivan Turgenev and other Russian authors are still considered classics. He is primarily remembered, however, as an advocate of nihilism and anarchism. His political influence was generally limited to radical intellectuals in Russia before the revolution of 1917.