The Principle of “Dialogic Thinking” by Michael Bakhtin as his Fundamental Methodological Discovery

Abstract

Introduction. The paper gives the analysis of the work of the outstanding Russian and Soviet philologist and humanist philosopher Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin (1895–1975). The peak of his creative activity falls at the beginning of the 20th century, when he was living in St. Petersburg. Here he spent a lot of time studying the work of representatives of modern Western European philosophy, as well as the works of Russian religious philosophers, gradually forming his doctrine of dialogism. Materials and Methods. The methodological ground of the study consists of the comparative and historical-philosophical approaches, as well as a systematic approach that allows us to consider the teachings of M. M. Bakhtin on dialogical thinking as an integral system. Results. A brief review of fundamentally new ideas put forward by M. M. Bakhtin in various areas of socio-humanitarian knowledge – philosophical anthropology, ethics, social philosophy, axiology, cultural studies, literary criticism, linguistics is given. The principle of “dialogical thinking” as the main methodological discovery of M. M. Bakhtin and its philosophical aspects are considered in detail. Discussion and Conclusion. The originality and novelty of the teachings by M. M. Bakhtin in relation to other authors who also developed the ideas of dialogism are substantiated. The fundamental difference between the concepts of M. Buber and E. Husserl from the teachings of M. M. Bakhtin is shown. For the Russian philosopher the dialogical approach is a megaparadigm and a universal methodological principle of modern socio-humanitarian knowledge.