A formal method in intellectual history: the use of mental schemes on the example of G.V. Plekhanov's articles

The article analyzes G.V. Plekhanov’s publicistic works on the issues of aesthetics with the help of the so-called “thought schemes” (generative structures that precede the historical idea expressed in the form of a particular statement), proposed by S.N. Zenkin. In G.V. Plekhanov’s articles, the schemes of gradual distribution and hierarchical revolution are distinguished, each of which is updated depending on the changing socio-cultural situation. In this regard, the nature of thought schemes is problematized: what are they - either universal cognitive structures or historically established models? On the one hand, thought patterns belong to a higher level of abstraction in comparison with particular historical ideas. On the other hand, they can have a historical dimension, it means they can depend on the specific tasks that intellectuals face in a certain historical period. In order to outline some possible ways to solve this problem, as well as to understand how a formal analysis of historical ideas expressed in the form of a specific statement can be implemented, where its boundaries lie and how productive its application is, an attempt is made to study the formal structure and mechanics of the implementation of the thought schemes themselves. As a result of the analysis, two types of schemes are distinguished - analytical and synthetic. The hypothesis is put forward that, within the framework of the historical dimension, analytical schemes are more often actualized in periods of cultural stability, whereas synthetic ones - in certain moments of crisis.