From the History of Nihilism In Russia: “Vekhi” and Frank

In the article, the attempt is made to comprehend the influence of the ideology of nihilism on the social condition of Russia after the defeat of the 1905 revolution. Leading Russian philosophers (N. A. Berdyaev, S. N. Bulgakov, M. O. Gershenzon, A. S. Izgoev, B. A. Kistyakovsky, P. B. Struve, S. L. Frank) in the collection of articles “Vekhi”, published in 1909, spoke about the role of the Russian intelligentsia in this revolution. The release of the collection caused a fierce debate in the society. We settled on the article by S. L. Frank (“Ethics of Nihilism”), which was devoted to the phenomenon of Russian nihilism. In his opinion, the enthusiasm of the intelligentsia in the ideas of nihilism was a pressure point in the failure of their participation in the revolution. The article attempts to consider the manifestations of nihilism in Russia, which was not only an “academic philosophical theory”, but also an important factor in influencing the events of the Russian revolution. Frank understood nihilism as the non-recognition of absolute values (truth, justice, freedom, beauty). Moralism, namely nihilistic moralism is the essence of the worldview of the Russian intelligentsia. And Frank, in his article, argues that the Russian intelligentsia must reconsider old values and acquire new ones, – the values of creative religious humanism.