The ego

the problem and the term as treated by Russian philosophy

Viktor Molčanov

pp. 181-188

in: Nikolaj Plotnikov (ed), The Discourse of personality in the Russian intellectual tradition, Studies in East European Thought 61, 2009.

Abstract

The starting point of the investigation is the correspondence between the term and concept of Ego ("I") and the various types of experience. Two main ways of introducing and applying of the term "I" (Ego) in Russian philosophy are investigated from the semantic-analytical point of view. The first takes the Ego as initially existed either as a spiritual substance or a given form uniting experiences. This way of treating is realized in L. Lopatin's and V. Soloviev's philosophical teachings. The second containing some moments of reflexion on the concept treated the Ego as a result of experience. It was developed in M. Karinskij und G. Špet. In context of difference between the Ego and the subject or consciousness the question of the owner of consciousness is considered.