Abstract

The paradigm of the interaction of "own" and "foreign", Russia and Europe defined Russian culture during the 18th-20th centuries. The utopian idea of creating a "new kind" of people, which appeared in the circle of Catherine II under the influence of European Enlightenment ideas, accurately characterizes this paradigm. The Enlightenment was a radical rejection of the traditional feudal worldview, a rejection of the old foundations of life. The author emphasizes that Catherine II and her entourage were not determined to radically change the existing social order in the spirit of enlightenment, choosing a more conservative path of "enlightenment absolutism". In addition, the project of creating a "new person" through education in isolated institutions points to the paradoxical nature of this idea and its implementation in the history of Russia.