Philosophy in the Soviet Union: A Survey of the Mid-Sixties(25 Sovietica)

Soviet philosophy can no longer be ignored by any serious student of contemporary thought. It is the work of academic philosophers who, on the whole, are neither more nor less competent than their colleagues in the free world. They have, however, inherited a reputation for the dogmatic repetip. on of superannuated doctrines. This reputation, en­ gendered by poor work under political pressure, was justified until about the mid-fifties. However, in the mid-sixties, when declining pressures make for the toleration of a wider scale of qualified opinion, it is no longer that. The present survey of Soviet thought in the mid-sixties, comprising papers by Western specialists in its major domains, gives an up-to-date account of an impressive field of philosophical endeavor which, awakened from dogmap'c slumbers, rapidly gains in interest and encourages hopes of becoming a valuable component in the vast complex of contemporary philosophy. The studies on Soviet logic and atheism have originally appeared in a special issue of Inquiry (Vol. 9,1) devoted to philosophy in Eastern Europe and edited by the present writer on behalf of Professor Arne Naess. The other papers of this volume are reprinted from Studies in Soviet Thought, the only Western philosophical review entirely dedicated to systematic studies in this field. The necessary permissions by editors and publishers have been granted and are gratefully acknowledged. ER VIN LASZLO v CONTENTS INTRODUCTION J. M.

Table of Contents:
Why Studies in Soviet Philosophy?.- One/Systematic Studies in Current Soviet Thought.- Philosophy of Man.- The Acting Subject in Historical Materialism.- Theory of Knowledge.- The Soviet Concept of Truth.- Ethics.- The Foundations of Marxist-Leninist Ethics.- Atheism.- Marxist-Leninist Scientific Atheism.- Logic, Methodology of Science.- Philosophical Logic in the Soviet Union, 1946–1966.- Soviet Dialectical Methodology.- Psychology.- On the Theoretical Foundations of Soviet Psychology.- Social Philosophy.- Open Questions in Contemporary Soviet Theory of Social Law.- Political and Legal Philosophy.- Open Questions in Contemporary Soviet Philosophy of Law and State.- Aesthetics.- The Theory of Objective Beauty in Soviet Aesthetics.- Two/Studies on the Relation of Western and Soviet Thought.- Coexistence.- Freedom of Thought and Ideological Coexistence.- Dialogue.- On Philosophical Dialogue.- Mutual Understanding.- The Second Sovietology.- Abbreviations.- Index of Names.- Index of Subjects.