Russian Cosmism

Russian Cosmism is a fascinating and original movement that blends science and spirituality in a quest for the ultimate destiny of humanity and the universe. It emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Russia, a country that was undergoing rapid social and political changes. Cosmism was inspired by the visionary ideas of thinkers like Nikolai Fyodorov, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and Vladimir Vernadsky, who proposed radical solutions to the problems of death, suffering, and cosmic isolation. Cosmism also influenced the development of Soviet science, culture, and ideology, as well as the contemporary debates on transhumanism, posthumanism, and the Anthropocene. In this article, we will explore the origins, main features, and current relevance of this unique and influential movement.

History
The founder of Russian Cosmism was Nikolai Fyodorov (1828-1903), an illegitimate son of Prince Pavel Gagarin who lived an ascetic life as a librarian in Moscow. Fyodorov was a visionary thinker who devised a plan for a common task for humanity: the bodily resurrection of all humans who ever lived. He believed that this was not only possible but also morally obligatory, as a way of overcoming death, suffering, and injustice. He also argued that humans should use their technological and scientific abilities to transform nature, colonize other planets, and eventually merge with the divine. Fyodorov’s ideas were admired by many prominent intellectuals of his time, such as Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Vladimir Solovyov. He also inspired a group of disciples who continued and developed his philosophy after his death. Among them were Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), a pioneer of theoretical space exploration and cosmonautics; Vladimir Vernadsky (1863-1945), a founder of geochemistry and the concept of the noosphere; and Alexander Chizhevsky (1897-1964), a biophysicist and heliobiologist who studied the effects of solar activity on human history.

Beliefs
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