M. M. Bakhtin and Scientific Creative Work of G. D. Gachev

Introduction. The relevance of this study stems from the need to analyze the continuity of thought in the development of global and Russian humanities. The purpose of this article is to trace the influence of M. M. Bakhtin’s ideas on the works of G. D. Gachev, primarily on his multi-volume series (cycle) of books “National Images of the World”. The author examines G. D. Gachev’s reception of M. M. Bakhtin’s creative legacy, integrating this reception into the general context of intellectual history and the history of ideas. Materials and Methods. The study’s material includes texts by M. M. Bakhtin and G. D. Gachev, as well as those of foreign philosophers: E. Husserl, P. Ricoeur, W. Dilthey, M. Heidegger and others. The author uses methods of source analysis, systematization, generalization, and comparative analysis. Results and Discussion. The article emphasizes that M. M. Bakhtin and G. D. Gachev demonstrate an affinity for the synthetic combination of various methods and disciplines, primarily philosophy and philology; both of them partly worked within the framework of hermeneutics. The literary criticism mode in Gachev’s cycle “National Images of the World” is not relegated to the background, but is inscribed in a broader methodological and generally more complex polydiscursive context – primarily cultural-philosophical. M. M. Bakhtin constructs his concepts as an element of cultural philosophy. G. D. Gachev adopts his cultural-philosophical interest in analyzing national images of the world, in composing “humanitarian commentaries” on the natural sciences, etc. In G. D. Gachev, the empiricism of the “I” often prevails over the essence of the “I”. However, such an intensification of mere empiricism of the “I” does not yet signify a victory over the conventions of “fatal theorism” (M. M. Bakhtin’s term). The author concludes that both thinkers (especially G. D. Gachev) largely belong to the realm of heterodox and post-scientific thought. Conclusion. The article contributes to the comparative study of the work of M. M. Bakhtin and the humanities scholars who were directly influenced by him, as well as his students. It is of interest to scholars studying the methodology of the humanities, as well as to researchers of the creative legacy of M. M. Bakhtin and G. D. Gachev.