University philosophy 1 consists of the philosophical doctrines that were developed and taught at universities and some other secular institutions of higher education. The term "university philosophy" is conventional to some extent: it does not denote a type of philosophical theory but all the philosophical doctrines that were officially recognized or "sanctioned" by the relevant authorities . Academy philosophy, that is, the philosophy taught at theological academies, had a more determinate character because without exception it had to agree with Christian (...) doctrine and could not contradict it under any circumstances. University philosophy could have the most diverse foundations, but this did not exempt its programs and courses from government control. What is characteristic of university philosophy is the fact that it is professional philosophy; that is, a philosophy developed and taught by specialists in philosophy or professional philosophers. There were always university professors or lecturers in other disciplines who in their lectures and scholarly works touched on philosophical problems. But because these faculty members did not belong to the "corporation" of university philosophers, their philosophical ideas can hardly count as university philosophy, although these ideas sometimes had an important influence on the philosophical views of students and colleagues. (shrink)

The question of the uniqueness [svoeobrazie] of Russian philosophy and its distinctive features has been around for more than a century. Since the 1840s, when Russian philosophers set about studying the history of philosophical thought in Russia, the question immediately arose as to whether one could speak of Russian philosophy as a distinctive [samobytnoe] and original phenomenon, or whether it would be more correct to speak of philosophy in Russia, i.e., the existence in Russia of philosophical ideas whose roots lay (...) not in Russia but beyond its borders, while in Russia they are merely disseminated, but not born. (shrink)