Dmitry Pisarev | |
|---|---|
| Дмитрий Писарев | |
 Pisarev c. 1880–1886 | |
| Born | October 14, 1840 Znamenskoye, Oryol Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | July 16, 1868 (aged 27) Dubulti, Russian Empire |
| Cause of death | Drowning (possibly as suicide)[1] |
| Resting place | Literatorskie mostki, Volkovo Cemetery, Saint Petersburg |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Alma mater | Saint Petersburg Imperial University |
| Occupation(s) | Literary critic, social critic, essayist, journalist |
| Years active | 1858–1868 |
| Known for | Promoting natural science, Bazarovism, proto-Nietzscheanism |
Philosophy career | |
| Era | 19th-century philosophy |
| Region | Russian philosophy |
| School | |
Notable ideas |
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Dmitry Ivanovich Pisarev[nb 1] (14 October [O.S. 2 October] 1840 – 16 July [O.S. 4 July] 1868) was a Russian literary critic and philosopher who was a central figure of Russian nihilism. He is noted as a forerunner of Nietzschean philosophy,[2] and for the impact his advocacy of liberation movements and natural science had on Russian history.
A critique of his philosophy became the subject of Fyodor Dostoevsky's celebrated novel Crime and Punishment.[3] Indeed, Pisarev's philosophy embraces the nihilist aims of negation and value-destruction; in freeing oneself from all human and moral authority, the nihilist becomes ennobled above the common masses and free to act according to sheer personal preference and usefulness.[3] These new types, as Pisarev termed them, were to be pioneers of what he saw as the most necessary step for human development, namely the reset and destruction of the existing mode of thought.[4] Among his most famous locutions is: "What can be smashed must be smashed. Whatever withstands the blow is fit to survive; what flies into pieces is rubbish. In any case, strike out right and left, no harm can come of it."[5]
Pisarev wrote most of his works while imprisoned. He was arrested for political crimes the year after graduating university and drowned only two years after his release, aged 27. It is unknown whether his death was accidental or suicide as he had also suffered severe mental health issues throughout his life.[1] His works had a deep influence throughout Russia on revolutionaries such as Lenin, anti-nihilists such as Dostoevsky, and scientists such as the Nobel prize winner Ivan Pavlov.
- ^ a b Edie, Scanlan & Zeldin 1994, p. 62.
- ^ Edie, Scanlan & Zeldin 1994, p. 63; Frank 1995.
- ^ a b Frank 1995.
- ^ Edie, Scanlan & Zeldin 1994, pp. 62–63; Frank 1995; Petrov 2019: "These 'new types', to borrow Pisarev’s designation".
- ^ Edie, Scanlan & Zeldin 1994, p. 65; Petrov 2019.
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