Philosophy, Power, Evolution (Based on the Works of V.V. Bibikhin)

Abstract

The article attempts to discover the semantic and historical connections between the concepts of philosophy, power and evolution on the basis of the works of V.V. Bibikhin. In the first part of the text, referring to his works “The Power of Russia” and “Searching for One's Own in Plato's “Alcibiades”, it is shown that philosophical power paradoxically turns out to be powerless. It is power over one's own thoughts first of all, and it is in this way that philosophy can influence political power. The second part of the work analyzes the book by V.V. Bibikhin “The Wood”, dedicated to the problem of living matter in ancient and modern biology, as well as the factors of evolution. The author of this book admits a metaphysical assumption about the influence of supernatural beings (gods, angels, demons) on the evolution of the human species. This idea is considered at the point of intersection of scientific, philosophical and theological intentions. In the third part of the text, an attempt is made to illustrate and combine the main ideas of the first and second parts on the example of the activities of Socrates, which turned out to be a non-trivial way of influencing the evolution of political power by the power of philosophical thought inspired by the divine presence (the voice of a demon).