A. S. Khomiakov's Philosophy of History: From the Pages of a Half-Forgotten Work

The name A. S. Khomiakov crops up in practically everything written on Slavophilism, especially when the discussion touches on sociophilosophical problems. But one thing here is odd. Most authors, in dealing with Khomiakov's analysis of universal history, touch barely in passing on his capital (and unfortunately incomplete) work Notes on Universal History [Zapiski o vsemirnoi istorii], although in volume it makes up almost half of his collected works. Although this text has been little studied, it is sometimes characterized very harshly. In the words of one scholar, Khomiakov attempted in it to "marshal the data of religion and linguistics on behalf of fanciful conceptions that, pathetically, amounted to only a few pet notions about the triumph of Slavic orthodoxy."1 After such an unequivocal assessment, is it worthwhile digging about in the old rubbish and wasting time? On first glance the volume of Khomiakov's Notes is indeed a peculiar work. The notes were made by the author for himself, and this has l...