В.Г. Короленко про ціннісні орієнтації легального марксизму

Abstract

Доведено, що В.Г. Короленко, характеризуючи класові ціннісні орієнтації сучасного йому суспільства, зауважує, що російські марксисти намагаються відстояти вузькокласові цінності пролетаріату, забуваючи при цьому про інші верстви суспільства. На відміну від адептів марксизму та легальних марксистів, В.Г. Короленко однією з основних суспільних ціннісних орієнтацій визнавав релігію, оскільки вважав, що релігія є головним консолідуючим фактором у суспільстві, зауважуючи, що розпалювання релігійної ворожнечі може привести його до морального здичавіння.

V.G. Korolenko considered the basic social value orientations of the late 19th century – early 20th century in the light of the theory of Karl Marx and his Russian followers who, according to the thinker, in many ways vulgarized and simplified the teachings of Marxism adherents. V.G. Korolenko concludes that communism that is the aim for the theorists of Marxism as a philosophical, political and economic doctrine and movement seeks only to defend narrow class values, and particularly the needs of factories for providing the proletariat, forgetting about the social value orientations and values of other layers of society including intelligentsia and peasants. V.G. Korolenko reproached newly created government of the country that by rejecting the values of other social classes (especially the intelligentsia that was always followed by the common people) they had created a “barracks communism” thereby alienating the supporters of socialism in the country. Unlike the legal Marxists, including Struve and Tugan-Baranovsky, V.G. Korolenko admits that the religion is one of the major social values. Due to the fact that the thinker cannot be called a religious person, we can claim that his observations of the people’s resistance to violent imposing of atheism and his justification of the importance of spiritual and religious value orientations are objective, if detached, but at the same time they are deeply concerned and sincere. In V.G. Korolenko’s view, only the true religion is the main factor in consolidating the society because increased inciting ethnic and religious hatred that is opposite to the spirit of true Christianity suppresses a sense of justice and humanity, fundamentally corrupts society and can lead to moral savagery, especially under the decline of humanistic feelings and the weakness of the law, observed in the Russian society in the early twentieth century. Values of faith are important to Korolenko primarily because the religious faith, which is perceived mainly as an ethical value keeping from bad behavior, provides peace of mind, gives strength and hope, and creates a sense of mercy, compassion and kindness.