Foundations of A. F. Losev’s religious-philosophical system

Abstract

The article analyses the key provisions of the religious-philosophical system of the outstanding Russian philosopher of the twentieth century — A. F. Losev. Its conceptual ideas were formulated by the thinker already in the early period of his work, including in the context of the Imiaslavie’s disputes. The dialectical-phenomenological method, which he developed and which determined the specifics of his early works, was at the heart of Losev’s constructions. The research focus is on the analysis of two key works of this period: The Philosophy of the Name (1927) and The Dialectics of Myth (1930). The former was Losev’s attempt to build the foundations for a future comprehensive system. It is characterised by a comprehensive consideration of the nature of the Name — pre-subject and subject. The analysis of the second work clarifies Losev’s doctrine of Myth, also set out in the ‘Supplements’ to the ‘Dialectics of Myth’.