Modernity and its critique in 20th century Russian orthodox thought

Kristina Stöckl

pp. 243-269

in: Evert van der Zweerde (ed), Orthodox christianity, Studies in East European Thought 58 (4), 2006.

Abstract

Orthodox Christianity has often been understood as not pertaining to Modernity due to its different historical and theological trajectory. This essay disputes such a view with regard to 20th century Orthodox thought, which it examines from the point of view of a sociology of Modernity in order to identify where Orthodox thinkers of the Russian Diaspora and in Russia today position themselves in relation to modern society and philosophy. Two essentially modern positions within Orthodoxy are singled out: an institutional and an ontological response to the modernist paradigm.