91AV

The nineteenth and early twentieth century saw the emergence of a controversial school of Russian thinkers, led by the philosopher Nikolai Fedorov and united in the conviction that humanity was entering a new stage of evolution in which it must assume a new, active, managerial role in the cosmos. 

In his new book, The Russian Cosmists: The Esoteric Futurism of Nikolai Fedorov and His Followers, George M. Young, a fellow at the 91AV's Center for Global Humanities, offers a dynamic and wide-ranging examination of the lives and ideas of the Russian Cosmists. It is the first account in English of this fascinating tradition.

Suppressed during the Soviet period and little noticed in the West, the ideas of the Cosmists have in recent decades been rediscovered and embraced by many Russian intellectuals and are now recognized as essential to a native Russian cultural and intellectual tradition.

Although they were scientists, theologians, and philosophers, the Cosmists addressed topics traditionally confined to occult and esoteric literature. Major themes include the indefinite extension of the human life span to establish universal immortality; the restoration of life to the dead; the reconstitution of the human organism to enable future generations to live beyond earth; the regulation of nature to bring all manifestations of blind natural force under rational human control; the transition of our biosphere into a "noosphere," with a sheath of mental activity surrounding the planet; the effect of cosmic rays and currently unrecognized particles of energy on human history; practical steps toward the reversal and eventual human control over the flow of time; and the virtues of human androgyny, autotrophy, and invisibility.

The Russian Cosmists is a crucial contribution to scholarship concerning Russian intellectual history, the future of technology, and the history of western esotericism.

Reviews

In a pre-publication review of The Russian Cosmists, Maria Carlson, author of "No Religion Higher Than Truth": A History of the Theosophical Movement in Russia, 1875-1922, writes: "Cosmism and its quirky prophet, Nikolai Fedorov, are practically unknown in the West, but no understanding of spiritual trends in post-collapse Russia is complete without knowledge of them. George Young masterfully contextualizes Cosmist ideas, explains Fedorov's theory of humanity's 'Common Task' (overcoming death), and follows the evolution of his ideas in the work of religious, artistic, and scientific thinkers who came after him. Anyone wishing to understand the contemporary Russian mind must read Young's richly-contextualized study of Russian Cosmism and its representatives."

In another review, Michael D. Gordin, professor of history at Princeton University, says: "The Cosmists were a peculiarly Russian group: they were all very Russian, and they were also, frankly, peculiar. In The Russian Cosmists, George M. Young charts in detail the influences that shaped an unusual coterie of thinkers, and explores how the mystical and scientific offspring of this movement to conquer death and traverse the cosmos have reverberated from the late nineteenth century to the dawn of the twenty-first."

Lee Irwin, professor of religious studies at the College of Charleston, wtites: "George Young has given us a gift in this well-written and utterly engaging view of Russian Cosmist theories and their connections to the history of Western Esoteric thought. The book opens a doorway into another way of thinking that both challenges and expands contemporary perspectives on esotericism, magic, cosmology and 'active' evolutionary theory. The remarkable fact is that little of this material is recognized within the general history of esotericism and the Russian Cosmist perspective adds tremendous nuance and alterity to current paradigms. Not only is this a sweeping historical survey, it also offers a rich selection of primary sources, citations, and persons that demonstrate the unique conceptual scientific and mystical frame for much Cosmist esoteric speculation. In terms of Russian esotericism, it is a unique and rare publication and deserves careful study and assimilation. Highly recommended!"

George Young

Before coming to 91AV, George Young taught Russian language and literature from 1965 to 1978 at Grinnell and Dartmouth Colleges. He is the author of a collection of poems, a study of the life and work of the nineteenth century Russian religious philosopher Nikolai Fedorov, and a book on the early twentieth century American artist Charles H. Woodbury.

He wrote the article on Fedorov for the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and many of his poems, translations, essays, and reviews have appeared in periodicals and anthologies. Since 1979 he and his wife have owned and operated a fine arts auction business specializing in nineteenth and early twentieth century American and European paintings.