Christian Existentialism: A Berdyaev Synthesis

The Russian Orthodox religious philosopher Nikolai A. Berdyaev was born into an aristocratic family in Kiev, Ukraine. At the turn of the century, the Czarist government exiled him for his Marxist views. After the revolution he founded the Free Academy of Spiritual Culture and was given the chair of philosophy at the University of Moscow. He was show more imprisoned for his defense of religion and was driven into exile, first to Berlin (1922), then to Paris (1934). In Berlin, Berdyaev founded the Academy of the Philosophy of Religion, which he later moved to Clamart near Paris. Although Berdyaev's early interest was in Marxism, his view insisted that only transcendental critical idealism can solve the problem of truth. Berdyaev later became interested in mystical and religious ideas, and developed a process cosmology and theology. Berdyaev's last testament The Realm of Spirit and the Realm of Caesar was found after his death and put into publishable form by a group of his friends. Berdyaev was strongly committed to freedom and individualism, which caused him great difficulty with ecclesiastical and political authorities. Berdyaev died in 1948. (Bowker Author Biography) show less