Scientific background and philosophical aspects of Lev Gumilev's concept

The article discusses the most significant facts of the biography of an outstanding Russian scientist and thinker of the 20th century Lev N. Gumilyov, characterizes the scientific background and originality of his theory, which was formulated at the intersection of natural and human sciences. Special attention is paid to the study of socio-philosophical aspects of the concept of ethnogenesis. We analyze Lev N. Gumilyov’s interpretation of the problems of philosophy of history, which he considered to be essentially ethnic, the theoretical background and peculiarities of his doctrine in the context of 20th-century science. It is noted that Lev Gumilyov focused his attention on the disclosure of the essence, causes, mechanism, and stages of the process of ethnogenesis; the phenomenon of the ethnos was the initial (basic) concept. The central idea proposed by the scientist to explain the whole process of ethnogenesis was the concept of passionarity. Despite numerous obstacles and difficulties, as well as long ignoring of new Lev N. Gumilyov’s ideas, his scientific and philosophical concept received recognition in the post-Soviet period in Russia and abroad both from researchers and broader scientific community.