Ontological crisis and epistemological reflection: cognitive practices of the precariat in conditions of fragmentation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Relevance. The problem of the fear of death and spiritual awakening of the individual occupies a central place in the religious and philosophical heritage of Leo Tolstoy and remains relevant in the context of the contemporary crisis of values and meanings. Turning to the existential experience underlying Tolstoy’s anthropology makes it possible to reconsider the nature of human freedom, responsibility, and nonviolence as an alternative to social and ideological violence. The purpose is to analyze the role of the fear of death in the formation of Leo Tolstoy’s philosophical and religious anthropology and to identify the mechanisms of spiritual awakening of the individual in his religious philosophy. Objectives: include identifying the significance of the existential experience of death in Tolstoy’s worldview crisis, analyzing the opposition between «animal» and «spiritual» life, revealing the role of the internal moral law of love in overcoming the fear of death, as well as determining the connection of these ideas with the formation of Tolstoy’s ethics of nonviolence. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study includes historical and comparative methods, as well as critical analysis. Results. It is established that the fear of death in Tolstoy’s philosophy acts as a key existential impulse initiating the spiritual transformation of the individual. It is shown that overcoming this fear is achieved through the transition to a spiritual mode of life based on love, conscience, and the rejection of violence. Conclusion. The existential comprehension of death constitutes a system-forming element of Tolstoy’s religious philosophy and determines his understanding of the human being as a creature capable of inner moral awakening and spiritual freedom.
Authors: N. V. Volokhova, N. V. Vorobyov
Institution: Kursk State University
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7155002648