Florensky and Kant: A Man in Space and Time

Abstract

The article deals with the perception of Pavel Florensky of the main philosophical principles of Kant. During analyzing Kant’s philosophy a certain logical circle was first revealed. It consists in the fact that it is impossible to know an object without constructing it, but it is impossible to construct it without knowing it. This remains a problem for Kant. The author explains how, from the standpoint of Orthodox symbolism, Florensky criticizes the Kantian principle of human autonomy. The attention is drawn to the difficulties of Florensky to understand the symbol as the unity of the phenomenon and noumena. The ambiguous understanding of the Kantian noumen is removed by Florensky in the reduction of the noumenon to speculative entities. Time flows in the opposite direction from the effects to the cause for them, and the space "turns out" through itself and becomes imaginary. These ideas of Father Pavel can be further understood through the prism of science: thus, a slowing of metabolism in lethargic processes and hibernation of animals indicates a significant change in their time. The question of the reverse course of time in mathematics is touched upon. Attention is paid to the idea of Florensky about the reverse flow of time in creative processes. The article highly appreciates Florensky’s desire to understand spatial vision in cultural and historical terms. His research prospects are fruitful. The author proves that it is necessary to compare Western and Russian philosophical ideas.